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.