Sources

Crisafulli, C. & Paoletta, M. & Cohen, J. (2007). Musical family. Billiboard, Vol. 119 (44), pg 27-29.
Harries, D. The semi-semiotics of film. Film Criticism. Pg 39-54.
Hishak, T. (2005) American plays and musical on screen. North Carolina, McFarland & Company Inc.
Jackson, A. & Taylor, J. The Hollywood musical. New York: McGraw-Hill Book Company.
Pearlman, K. (2009). Cutting rhythms in chicago and cabaret. Cineaste, Vol. 34 (3), pg 28-39.
Robbins, B. & Myrick, R. (2000). The function of the fetish in the rocky horror picture show and Priscilla, queen of the desert. Journal of Gender Studies, Vol. 9 (3), pg 269-280.
Smith, S. (2004). Puppet power. Newsweek, Vol.144 (13), 80-82.
Stoll, G. & Glitz, M. (2005). Rent gets real. Advocate, (950), p48-56.
Sumera, L. (2009). The mask of beauty:masquerade theory and disney’s beauty and the beast. Quarterly Review of Film and Video. Vol. 26, pg 40-46.
Teachout, T. (2008). The Hollywood musical done right. Commentary, Vol.125 (2), pg 49-52.
Williams, A. The silent threat: a (re) viewing of the “sexual other” in the phantom of the opera and nosferatu. The Midwest Quarterly, pg. 90-101.
(2010). IMDB. http:www.imdb.com.

Team America

We have looked at several different types of musicals from classical narratives like Singin’ in the Rain to more contemporary narratives like Rent. However, none of the musicals are quite like this one. I am talking about Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s Team America: World Police. It is a musical because it contains all the necessary elements of the genre. It is unique because it uses puppets instead of actors or animation and acts as a critique on society.
Parker says, “Team America is a metaphor for America. So obviously the movie is political” (Smith 81). He addresses the question about whether someone should feel proud to be an American or not. With catchy songs like “America: Fuck Yeah,” it blatantly expresses America’s ignorant notion it is the only country in the world that matters. The song is both humorous and satirical.

The movie even spoofs other musicals with the song “Everyone has AIDs!” The scene begins with a shot of a Broadway musical sign called Lease. One can easily see this as a reference to the play Rent. It then cuts to a wide shot of several puppets on scaffolding belting out the chorus. The scene goes back and forth between the lead singer and shots of puppets in the audience crying. With lyrics like “come’on everybody we have some quilting to do!” it is both campy and witty. Parker and Stone are not critiquing Rent, but society’s response to the musical.

Team America shows that musicals can be edgy, different, and act as a critique on the status quo. As one can see the movie musical genre is very broad and possesses infinite possibilities.

Phantom of the Opera

“Close your eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams” sings the Phantom to Christine in the song “The Music of the Night" The Phantom is the physical representative of such “dark” dreams. In 2004, Joel Schumaker directed an adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Weber’s The Phantom of the Opera. It falls into the musical genre due to its incorporation of music and lyrics into the narrative. But, it is more than just another musical. After closer analysis, it can be read as a critique on male patriarchy that dominates society.
The Phantom is a representation of a “sexual other” who threatens the sexual authority of the patriarchy. He must be eradicated in order to preserve the restrictive codes of sexual purity (Williams 90). The Phantom’s physical characteristics are grotesque and his sexual interests are voyeuristic and perverse. He watches Christine through a mirror which acts as a hidden passage to his underground home.

His presence poses a challenge to the authority of Raoul, who has made his claim over Christine. Women are nothing but property to men. Raoul wants to marry Christine and the Phantom wants to make her a star of his operas. Ultimately, both men desire her and want to possess her.
Raoul is representative of the typical patriarchal structure. The Phantom’s power as the “sexual other” is removed when he leaves the comfort of his underground realm. However, he is able to momentarily capture Christine both physically and mentally as he lures her into his lair. After she returns to Raoul, Raoul does not take the Phantom’s threat to steal Christine seriously. Once Christine is kidnapped, the threat Raoul feels from the “other” is too much for his masculinity and he is forced to seek help from the police (94).
When the rescue attempt fails, the role of sexual authority momentarily shifts to Christine. She offers to stay with the Phantom to save Raoul’s life. The Phantom, the “other”, has challenged society and won. But his triumph is brief as the purity of the sexual code must be reinstated. The Phantom, moved with emotion, frees Christine and Raoul. He then flees before he is caught by the police.

In conclusion, the Phantom illustrates an alternate sexuality that must be suppressed in order to preserve the patriarchal codes of sexual normalcy (100).

Rent

No day but today. That is the tagline of the hit Broadway musical Rent. In 2005, Chris Columbus brought the musical to life on film. It is a musical with a message. It was composed by writer, Jonathan Larson, who wrote the book, music, and lyrics. It is a play about the lower east side in New York City. It is a place populated with homeless people, drug addicts, aspiring performers, drag queens, and other artists living on the streets or run down apartments. They are outcasts who have found their own sense of family and belonging (Stoll & Giltz 50).
It is based on Giacomo Puccini’s La Boheme. The characters were transformed into gay and straight struggling artists. Larson turned New York’s seamy underbelly into a celebration of life and love. This play broke ground by bringing the issue of AIDS to the forefront of society’s conscience. The main characters all dealt with AIDS either directly or indirectly. Rent spoke to audience’s worldwide and celebrated the lives of the very people audiences stepped over outside the Broadway venues (51).
Rent won several Tony Awards and the 1996 Pulitzer Prize for drama. When it came time to bring the musical to film almost ten years later, Columbus wanted to use as many of the original cast as possible. All but two characters reprised their roles. In the stage production, there is little in the way of setting. For the film, Columbus shot on location in New York and San Francisco. It added a difference sense of authenticity to the narrative.
The transition to film also intensified intimate moments such as Angel’s death from AIDS. “The death of Angel is not pretty. It’s a real hospital scene—lesions and all” says Jermaine Heredia, who plays Angel. Seeing is believing. It also shows Mimi’s struggle with heroin addiction and the physical and emotional pain and suffering of trying to get clean. The strife of both of these characters is captured in the sequence titled “Without You.” The transition between each shot is a fade to black. It signifies that time is passing as we view excerpts from the character’s lives. Each shot is constantly in motion as the camera is either panning or zooming in and out. It creates fluidity within the sequence that tie together beautifully with the lyrics.

Rent's message of tolerance, acceptance, and awareness is still pertinent today. When Rent took place in 1989, an estimated 650,000 people were believed to be HIV-positive. Today it is estimated t be more than 1.1 million (10). Rent is a prime example of a musical being much more than light hearted fun. This is why it will continue to be a pivotal play on the stage on the screen for decades to come.

Sweeney Todd

The mise-en-scene of a film deals with the elements of the theatre that carry over into film. Considering several movie musicals were once stage productions, mise-en-scene is vital to the life of the film. In Tim Burton’s adaptation of Steven Sondheim’s Sweeney Todd, he fuses his unique style as a director into the mise-en-scene of the film.
The costumes used in the film are reflective of the time period and are gothic in fashion. Sweeney’s attire consists of a Victorian style shirt, black and gray vest, and trousers. His clothing appears gloomy and even the white of his shirt is tinted with grey. Mrs. Lovett wears long Victorian style dresses fitted with a corset. They dresses are shades of black and grey, and occasionally glimmer with sequins. The costumes are a direct reflection of the dark and dreary London they characters live in. The only time the characters are in brightly colored costumes are in Mrs. Lovett’s day dream. Of course, it is because it is a day dream, a fantasy, that the colors are bright and otherworldly.

The make-up of the characters is equally important to the mood and style of the film. Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett are extremely pale. It is an almost sickly color. Their eyelids are shades of maroon and pink which accentuates their grotesque appearance.
In terms of setting, Burton creates a gothic caricature of Victorian London with a grim palette (Teachout 53). The only color is the vibrant red blood that spurts from the throats of the revenge crazed Sweeney. The lighting is also minimal and the only parts of the film with bright light are the memories or day dreams of the characters. In Burton’s world, the bright light is only existent in fantasy, and reality is bleak and drab.
Ultimately, Sweeney Todd succeeds in fusing the seemingly incompatible virtues of the golden-age musical and the postmodern stage musical (5).

Chicago

“Razzle Dazzle em’ and they’ll never catch wise!” sings Billy Flynn to Roxie Heart in the movie based on the Broadway musical, Chicago. Chicago (2002) has been the most successful movie musical in decades. Film critics have attributed the success of the film to its excellent editing and composition. The editing shapes the film and keeps it moving forward. While the edits may be imperceptible, the movement of the story, the movement of emotion, and the movement of the images and sounds are not .The editor organizes the flow of these three kinds of movement (Pearlman 30).
One of the greatest accomplishments of Chicago is the clarity in which the story unfolds in a compelling rhythmic structure. According to Pearlman, “Chicago takes fantasy sequences to a new level of substance and significance, revealing all but one or two of the major plot events, characters, and ideas through Roxie Hart’s emotionally charged song and dance fantasies of them” (30).
Transitions between shots contain images of choreography. The choreography represents the divide between the real and the musical, which makes both equally plausible. Approximately, every 8 to 12 minutes throughout the film there is a musical number. The musical numbers follow a dramatic question posed by a main character. Each number then raises new dramatic questions to maintain the progression of the story.
By working with the cadence of the songs, the editor, Martin Walsh, was able to make an acted performance coincide with a sung one. For example, when Amos pulls his hat off in “Mr. Cellophane,” the scene cuts to him standing with his hat in his hand in the lawyer’s office. It is this excellent editing that allows the transitions to be realized as a flow of emotion and action on screen (33).

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Glitter. Fishnets. Stilettos. Eye Liner. Corsets. Sex. All the makings of a cabaret or burlesque musical. However, this particular musical is atypical and thrives on the strange and bizarre. I am talking about the cult classic, The Rocky Horror Picture Show. It has all the makings of a movie musical with elaborate song and dance routines, the element of a fantastical other world, and costumes to die for. The plot of the film revolves around fetish and sexual ambiguity. It represents a subversion of cultural norms and acts as a critique on gender from a psychoanalytical standpoint.
It has been argued by feminist critics that women are represented on film to satisfy male viewers. Traditional cinema works within a larger patriarchal culture where men are the subject and women are the object (Myrick & Robbins 269). In response to the threat of castration, the male viewer identifies woman as guilty, and thus views her with a sadistic voyeurism. Female subjectivity is denied all together and she is turned into a fetishized object. Rocky Horror turns this structure on its head.
When the viewer first sees the transgender scientist, Frank N. Furter, it is from the feet upwards as he descends on an elevator.


That particular pan of the camera is typical of shooting a female. With his heels, elaborate make up, and muscular physique he is both masculine and feminine. According to critics Robbins and Myrick, “He is sexually powerful because he is able to experience, and encourages others to experience, the absolute pleasure of reveling in the spectacle (274). He does not adhere to culturally determined gender positions. He acts as a mother to his creation Rocky, a sexual outlaw to Brad and Janet, and lusts after Rocky’s masculinity as much as he does Faye Raye’s sensual frame. Throughout the film Frank N Furter is shot as a female and male. He is the ultimate physical representation of gender critique.

Across the Universe

2007’s Across the Universe is an ode to the Beatles and truly a brilliant piece of artwork. The film fuses intense imagery with whimsical lyrics. Set in the 1960’s, it is a love story between an upper class American girl and a poor boy from Liverpool. They are surrounded by the Vietnam War, protests, the struggle for civil rights, and, of course, drugs and rock n’ roll (Crisafulli,Paoletta, & Cohen, 28). The film is a prime example of the use of semiotics in cinema. Semiotics is the language of cinema. It is the ability of the viewer to read an image physically, mentally, and psychologically. Signs can either be an icon, an index, or a symbol. An icon is a direct representation of the image itself. An index is not the exact image is it representing, but a learned association. Last, a symbol is an arbitrary sign with a culturally agreed upon meaning. Of course it is not an exact science, as said in an article by Dan Harris, “The text’s actual use and meaning in the case of language is reciprocally determined by whose word it is and for whom is it meant” (Harris 46). Thus, as viewers we are both individually impacted by images and united by them.
The scene titled “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)is filled with imagery dealing with patriotism, war, protest, and individualism. The sequence is about Max attempting to get out of the draft. In the first scene, the camera tilts downward toward the entrance of the military building. The shot stops as Max walks through the doors with an American flags hanging on either side. By tilting downward, the shot is symbolic of an ominous feeling of facing a fear head on. The American flags are symbolic of the United States, patriotism, and freedom. They can also be a synecdoche for the American government and it’s control.
As Max enters the building, the doors close behind him and two pictures of Uncle Sam are seen hanging on either side of the entrance. The doors closing is symbolic of being trapped. Uncle Sam is an icon of the American government. The camera then zooms in on Max’s face as he looks at Uncle Sam. The closeness of the camera is symbolic of nervousness and unease. The Uncle Sam then bursts into the song “I Want You.” This is ironic because the Uncle Sam image is known for the saying “I Want You to join the U.S. Army.”
Max then is stripped of his clothes by Army soldiers as he moves down an assembly line. The soldiers all have the same face with distorted features. It symbolizes the notion that Army brainwashes and turns the soldiers into clones. At the end of the scene, the boys are all seen carrying the Statue of Liberty through a terrain representative of Vietnam. The Statue of Liberty is an index of the greater American ideal of freedom. This is also ironic, because the draft removes the same freedom they are forced to fight for.

Beauty and the Beast

Moving away from the conventional idea of a musical, we will next analyze Disney’s animated classic, Beauty and the Beast. It is a typical love story of a young girl who falls in love with her prince charming after overcoming various obstacles and they live happily together forever after. The Beauty and the Beast is a film infused with color, reverie, and extraordinary musical accompaniment. But in peeling back the surface of this standard movie musical, critics analyze the overall patriarchal message ingrained within the narrative. They argue the narrative remains antifeminist, despite the masquerade of the presence of an obvious heroine. Feminist critic, Mary Ann Doane, says, “Femininity does not exist, but is only a mask to cover the woman’s lack and her desire to appropriate the authority of masculinity,” (Sumera 40).
Belle appears strong and independent in her desire to find her own success and happiness. She loves to read books about adventure. She wants to choose who she falls in love with and is repulsed by the stereotypical hedonistic male figure, Gaston. However, Bell’s dreams still ends with the same result; domestication. The standard code of a “happily ever after” (marriage) does not support the heroine’s earlier desire to live a different live and do the unexpected” (42). Every time the heroine does engage in action it is to further her romantic relationship and thus the male-female cultural order. Belle decides to run away from the Beast after confronting him in the West Wing. Her decision to take her fate into her own hands is immediately met with danger. She runs into a pack of wolves and is saved by the Beast. She then chooses to go back to the castle and tends the Beast’s wounds. Ultimately, she surrenders her independence to the Beast which again restores the patriarchal order.
Ultimately, Belle is fulfilled through her male counterpart, and never stands alone, like she initially desired. When analyzed, this simple animated musical contains much more meaning that one would expect. Amid the dancing teapots, the narrative promotes the patriarchal culture at a subconscious level to young girls watching the film.

Singin' in The Rain

"Let the stormy clouds chase everyone from the place.Come on with the rain,
I've a smile on my face.I walk down the lane with a happy refrain, just singin',
singin' in the rain" belts out Don Lockwood in one of the most beloved musicals of all time, Singin’ in the Rain. It is one of my favorite films to date and is considered to be a timeless example of a classic Hollywood musical. It fits the ideal mold of the genre being built around music, containing elements of fantasy, and embracing elaborate costuming, staging and dancing.
It was released by Metro Goldwyn Meyer (MGM) in 1952 and stars Gene Kelly as Don Lockwood, Debbie Reynolds as Kathy Selden, and Donald O’Connor as Cosmo Brown. The film takes place during Hollywood’s transitional period from silent film into “talkies.” Don Lockwood and his on screen co-star Lina Lamont are stars of the silent era. Their studio is faced with the challenge of the talkie after a rival studio releases The Jazz Singer. Unfortunately, the studio’s film The Dueling Cavalier becomes a joke after the test audience hears Lina’s obnoxious squeaky voice. With the help of Don’s best friend Cosmo, and his accidental love interest Kathy, they conjure up a plot to save the movie and Don’s career. They have Kathy voice dub for Lina and add several song and dance routines to the film thus changing the name to The Dancing Cavalier. Of course there is a romance, and several mishaps along the way. However, all works out well and ends happily for Don, Kathy, and Cosmo.
Singin’ in the Rain’s plot is entirely conditioned around music. The film contains several classics still relevant today including “Fit as a Fiddle,” “Make Em’ Laugh,” and of course, “Singin’ in the Rain.” This film also includes exquisite dance and choreography. While some of the song and dance numbers take place within the realm of reality, some of the sequences occur in a dream or in as part of another film. The finally including the “Broadway Melody,” is an arrangement that takes place in Don Lockwood’s head. It contains fantasy, color, song, and amazing dancing. The following clip sums up and cements Singin’ in the Rain as one of the greatest movie musicals of all time. The following are two clips that exemplify the combination of music, dance and plot in a movie musical.
Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

Movie Videos & Movie Scenes at MOVIECLIPS.com

The Movie Musical

When discussing the movie musical, people have one of two responses. They either squeal with excitement, or roll their eyes in disgust. In my opinion, no other type of film genre elicits such a polar response. But what is it that distinguishes a film as a musical?

The movie musical has evolved over the years and there have been as many successes as failures. The genre is characterized by its combination of music, song, and dance as an integral part of the narrative. A film musical is a film in which in whole, or in part, has its shape, its movement, and its feeling dictated by music (Jackson, J. & Taylor, J. 10). However, not every film with a song and dance qualifies the film as a musical. Ideally, the true musical is characterized by a momentary lift into another world of fantasy (10). Additionally, the entire film is built around the music, and not vice versa. The sets and costumes are prominently displayed and collaborators include choreographers and musical arrangers.

Be that as it may, the musical genre as a whole cannot always be neatly categorized, especially in cinema today. I am going to be analyzing a variety of musicals within the genre that are truly unique in narrative, visual consumption, and overall composition. There is a notion that all musicals are shallow in plot and end happily ever after. While this holds true for some, musicals such as Sweeney Todd and the Phantom of the Opera do not adhere to such rules. Musicals today not can not only provide entertainment, but they also can address broader issues and act as a critique on society. Whether it be as controversial as Rent or as wholesome as Hairspray, the movie musical genre is everybit as unconventional as it is predictable. It is this dichotomy that will keep the movie musical alive whether the audience is rolling their eyes, or dancing in their seats.