The classic film 42nd Street (1933), directed by Lloyd Baken, follows the coming-of age story of breakout Star Peggy Sawyer in Julian Marsh 's Pretty Lady musical production at the height of the Great Depression. Marsh needs to make enough money for retirement and is on the edge of another nervous breakdown. According to Chapter 3 entitled "Musicals," classical Hollywood Musicals are a form of escapist entertainment, coping with war, depression, and re-building. Most importantly, they were constructed to be pleasurable for film viewers and thus it was vital that the narrative resolved. In the lecture, Gillian states that the classical narrative counters verisimilitude, the appearance of realism. The ideological subtext of the Hollywood Musical …show more content…
In opposition to 42nd Street, the historical and political context of the war and the Nazi Party surrounds the narrative. Sally, played by Liza Minelli, is a nightclub singer who owns her own stage show at the Kit-Kat Club. She is promiscuous, humourous, and out-spoken compared to Peggy, but they share the aspiration of becoming an actress. Sally represents a small-time performer (as indicated in Chapter 3). she is paid fairly low and performs several numbers at the Kit-Kat Burlesque Club, a rougher, sleazier neighbourhood, Sally is already a beloved performer at the Kit-Kat, but she only gets to sing and dance in a sexualized manner, and often sleeps around to get ahead (as seen with Maxamillion). In contrast, Peggy is naive and has no real experience in theatre. She never tries to get ahead, yet she gets the opportunity laid out right in front of her (twice). First, Julian (who becomes her romantic interest) helps her join the cast. Second, her friend turns down the lead and promotes Peggy to take her place. Hence, the story is driven by all of the characters helping Peggy succeed (e.g. Marsh helps with her lines, Dorothy becomes her confidante). Family is heavily emphasized in classical genres as evidenced with Western and Agrarian Cinema, but Sally 's father won 't even help her. Sally ultimately has to fend for herself, which also leads to the breakup between her and Brian. Sally does not get her happily ever after with her Prince like Peggy. Her lover conflicted with his identity and sexuality and she aborts their baby arguing that they would live in an unhappy and unfulfilled marriage. Brian moves to Ireland and beds Sally farewell. For Sally, the American dream is unattainable thus far which defies the ideological vision of women, fairy-tales, and classical Hollywood Musicals. Lastly, the film ends on an ambiguous note
The scene where Robby went on a double date. The social structure of class was express through the social construction of posing bonds. Glenn says Robby should look into the bond market business because that is where the money is. Robby shows his income by having a saving bonds worth $25.00 in 1993. The social structure of Masculinity is express through body, when talking Robby and Glenn are talking about the women’s butt as a piece of meat.
The Wedding Singer was put on by the Ole Miss Theatre Department on November 11, 2016. It took place in Fulton Chapel on the Ole Miss campus and featured a very talented cast of Ole Miss students. Rene Pulliam was the director and Kate Prendergast was the choreographer for this musical. The play was dynamic and engaging. From the acting, to the set, to the energy of the cast, The Wedding Singer was a lively musical that left the viewer feeling excited and spirited.
The Bad and The Beautiful (1952) and State and Main (2000) are films within films that unmask Hollywood Cinema as a dream factory and expose the grotesque, veneer hidden by the luxury of stars. The Bad and the Beautiful, directed by Vincent Minnelli, is a black and white film narrated in flashback form. The films theatrical nature requires more close-ups than wide-screen shots to capture the character’s psychological turmoil. For example, Fred and Jonathan’s car ride is captured in a close-up to signify their friendship; however their relationship deteriorates after Jonathan’s deceit. While the camera zooms out, Fred stands alone motionless. Here, Fred is captured from a distance at eye-level and he becomes ostracized by the film industry and
From amateur theatre to professional broadway and in movies, A Streetcar Named Desire has been performed throughout all types of production. For several people, A Streetcar Name Desire will always be considered close to their hearts due to a single production in particular that struck them deeply. However, the image individuals visualize while reading the script version of a play can differ greatly in comparison to a live or filmed production. Thus, the following will be a personal interpretation of how Benedict Andrews’s 2014 production changed or portrayed the meaning of the original written script of Tennessee Williams 's A Streetcar Named Desire differently than perhaps how readers may have read the play. Within Benedict Andrews’s production,
The Lady From Shanghai is a timeless film that captures how a black and white film can be interesting for viewers. The overall film was effective with the help of the mise en scene, cinematography and editing. Each of the three parts put together brought out the complexity and intensity of this film and they made The Lady From Shanghai the classic film that it is today.
The film, Out in the Night documents a 2006 case in which a group of young African American lesbians were accused of gang assault and attempted murder. The film portrays how unconscious bias, institutional discrimination and racism contributed to the convictions of seven African American lesbian women. Three of the women pleaded guilty to avoid going to trial, but four did not. Renata Hill, Patreese Johnson, Venice Brown, and Terrain Dandridge maintained their innocence and each were charged with several years in prison. I cried through out the documentary because it dawned on me that it’s not safe for women, especially gay women of color. The four-minute incident occurred in Greenwich Village where Dwayne Buckle sexually and physically harassed
42nd street is a classic and beloved tale telling the story of Peggy Sawyers rise to stardom in Broadway. This film embodies every aspect of what a classic film should be; good triumphs every obstacle thrown at the cast, the story is clear and ends on a happy note and of course the star ends up with her soulmate and everything is perfect. However, if one was to take this beloved classic and turn it into a modern film the plot and its components would have to be drastically changed. For starters Peggy, would not have been a success as the star role, the classical genre is known for its happy endings while modernism film is quite the opposite, therefore Peggy’s success in the production could not happen in order to fit the criteria the modern
Jeunet’s Amelie and Ham’s Tilly enter as outcasts; who long for acceptance and normalcy from the members of their societies. The use of settings in the novel and film are used as a visual representation of Tilly and Amelie’s isolation. Tilly is “detached” at the top of the hill but able to “[see] everything”, just as Amelie is in her high positioned apartment that overlooks the unfairness in Raymond Dufayel and Lucien’s lives. They experience detachment in different ways, with Amelie growing up “deprived of playmates”, never learning the social skills necessary to enter society, and Tilly being isolated, for being “the dangerous one” and sent away from the society at a young age. They are after the approval of everyone around them as the women
The period between early 1940s to mid-1960s or so, alternatively, the period between when the musical Oklahoma! (1943) was produced till the time when Hair (1968) was produced, is usually referred to as the Golden Age of the American musical (Kantor, 2010). It is during this period, that most of the noted titles such as “Carousel”, “South Pacific” etc. were produced. 1940s and early 1950s were dominated thoroughly by MGM musicals, while the late 1950s and 1960s belonged to Broadway. Initially, the musicals of this era had simple plots, unchallenging themes, with romantic or comedic characters and lots of singing and dancing. But towards the end of it, the plots were sophisticated, serious with singing, dancing as well as dialogue. In this paper, I choose to elaborate more on the musical – Arthur Laurents’s West Side Story. In the first part of this paper, I discuss the plot, songs and other aspects of the musical such as the awards etc. Later on, I explain how this musical revolutionized the theatre and the cultural effects it had on Americans. Finally, I conclude in the end the historical importance of this musical piece.
Cabaret provides for its audience an animated and a uniquely exciting dramatization of Berlin, Germany just before the Second World War. The story of many Germans living in an uncertain world is shown through just a few characters. Life is a cabaret, or so the famed song goes. After watching "Cabaret," you'll agree to an extent, but also realize how unsettling the assertion is. Taking place in the early 1930s, a portrait of life in decadent Berlin, is both uplifting and grim. Not your typical musical, it is comedic and dramatic, realistic, very tasteful, and ultimately thought provoking.
In the movie ‘The Soloist,’ Nathaniel experienced mostly positive symptoms. Ronald Comer, ‘Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology, defines positive symptoms as “pathological excesses,” or bizarre additions, to a person’s behavior, thoughts, and emotions, and negative symptoms as a deficit of thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Nathaniel Ayers displayed signs of an abundance of excessive thoughts, emotions, and behavior. One example was when he initially met Steve Lopez; Nathaniel was extremely verbose and illustrated symptoms of disorganized and rapid speech patterns. He later expressed deep emotions towards Steve, by revealing to him that he loved him. Nathaniel held the delusion that Steve Lopez was god and this belief dominated his life. There was a scene in the movie where Steve Lopez had received a donated cello for Nathaniel; he told Nathaniel that he would only be allowed to play it if he went to the LAMP community center. Against his own desire, Nathaniel complied and went to the community center in hopes of playing it again. Auditory hallucinations are said to be common in people with
Sunset Boulevard directed by Billy Wilder in 1950 is based on how Norma Desmond, a huge Hollywood star, deals with her fall from fame. The film explores the fantasy world in which Norma is living in and the complex relationship between her and small time writer Joe Gillis, which leads to his death. Sunset Boulevard is seen as lifting the ‘face’ of the Hollywood Studio System to reveal the truth behind the organisation. During the time the film was released in the 1950s and 60s, audiences started to see the demise of Hollywood as cinema going began to decline and the fierce competition of television almost proved too much for the well established system. Throughout this essay I will discuss how Sunset Boulevard represents the Hollywood Studio System, as well as exploring post war literature giving reasons as to why the system began to crumble.
Chicago is a must see film for anyone who likes to spoil themselves with an outstanding award-winning musical composed of a catchy plot, truly superb acting, commendable direction, and a clever soundtrack. Bob Fosse’s dazzling adaptation of the plot is a key element that contributed greatly in making Chicago achieve the success it did. Set in the 1920’s, Chicago is based on the real-life murders of two women who were eventually exonerated for their alleged crimes. The film’s main characters are Roxie Hart, a housewife who often fantasizes about becoming a Vaudeville star, and Velma Kelly, a vaudeville queen who desires far more fame than she already has. They both find themselves in the Cook County Jail on “murderous charges”.
Analysis of Movie Moulin Rouge In this essay I will be analyzing in depth four scenes from Baz Luhrmann's critically acclaimed Moulin Rouge that was released in 2000. I will be analyzing the opening sequence, the sequence in the Moulin Rouge itself, the two dancing sequences 'Like a Virgin' and 'Tango Roxanne' and the final scenes of the film. Throughout this essay I will be commenting on the filming techniques that Luhrmann uses and what affects these have on the audience, also I will be analyzing how the film is similar and different to typical Hollywood Musicals.
The film “Wit” directed by Mike Nicols and starring Emma Thompson as “Vivian Bearing showcases her as an ovarian cancer patient and her experience at the hospital as she undergoes treatment. It is told through Vivian’s perspective, and we as the audience see the many side effects she experiences from the form of chemotherapy she was receiving. The film deals with key themes that have been covered so far in this course, including the biomedical model. In Vivian’s case, technology is a big factor and becomes what she relies on to get herself healthy again. In doing so, in the end of the movie we all realize that perhaps relying on health technology isn’t such a good idea, because Vivian passes away. In this paper I will argue that Vivian’s