Skip to Main Content

Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter

Online ISBN:
9780199370115
Print ISBN:
9780199973842
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter

Richard Barrios
Richard Barrios

Independent scholar

Find on
Published online:
22 May 2014
Published in print:
6 May 2014
Online ISBN:
9780199370115
Print ISBN:
9780199973842
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

History, reflection, criticism, and praise all combine to produce this informed, thoughtful, and exuberant look at the musical film. Over its nine-decade history, the musical has gone through stages of plenty and famine, relevance and inconsequence, acclaim and ridicule. Somehow it manages to keep recurring—from Al Jolson to Les Misérables—and finds ways to serve its audiences and learn from (or disregard) its history. From film’s dawn of sound through the Great Depression and World War II, through the age of television and into the rise of the internet, the musical has constantly found ways to communicate, divert, and captivate. Here, the musical is explored through many of its aspects—its relationship with the stage and with the public, performers and songwriters and filmmakers, animated film, aspects of money and race and sexuality, and the musical’s odd ongoing connection with television. Through all of this, the book draws conclusions about both the importance of the musical to American culture, and the perils and difficulties that constantly befall those who create it. A musical can be marvellous—and just as easily it can be disastrous.

Contents
Close
This Feature Is Available To Subscribers Only

Sign In or Create an Account

Close

This PDF is available to Subscribers Only

View Article Abstract & Purchase Options

For full access to this pdf, sign in to an existing account, or purchase an annual subscription.

Close