The two decade period beginning in the late 1940s and concluding in the late 1960s represented the height in popularity for the Hollywood musical. With every major production proving to be box office gold, the level of critical approval was high establishing the Hollywood musical as a genre. Born with the coming of sound, the Hollywood movie musical derived from two sources: opera and operetta, brought over by European emigres, and the American tradition of vaudeville, the inspiration behind so many
In Joseph McElhaney's essay, “Vincente Minnelli: Images of Magic and Transformation,” he argues that character transformation is central to Minnelli’s films and that this transformation takes place in two ways: through the process of education in a world dominated by teachers of various types; and through a process of enchantment and seduction at the hands of artists. In Emmanuel Burdeau’s essay, “Minnelli’s Message,” he argues that throughout Minnelli a “dance of hesitation” occurs in which characters
Father of the Bride ( 1950 ) Cast: Spencer Tracy (Stanley T. Banks), Joan Bennett (Ellie Banks), Elizabeth Taylor ( Katherine “Kay” Banks), Don Taylor (Buckley Dunstan), and others Director: Vincente Minnelli Synopsis: The movie is in both comedy and romance when it was released on June 16, 1950. The film tells the tale of a father who is very set in his old ways and stereotypes. His twenty year old daughter is ready for things to change and very unconventionally tells them she is going to
The Aspect of Sound in Meet Me In St. Louis In 1904 Eugene Lauste successfully recorded sound onto a piece of photographic film. This invention was known as a “Sound Grate” the results where still far to crude to be used to public display. The cameras used to film “The Talkies” as they where known, had to be kept in enormous soundproof casing. This immediately hindered directors creativity and made movies such as Meet Me in St. Louis (1944) much more rigid. Because of the fascination with the lip-syncing
the relationship with Brian (Michael York) is secondary even though he is the protagonist. Like the audience, the MC is an observer who seeks to critique the world of Berlin. The initial establishment of the female protagonist, Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli), is also undertake...
Crouched behind a square column of the porch of an old late-Victorian frame home, now shelter for squatters, Lew was watching for Molly. Molly is an unassuming yet attractive young woman who makes her living dancing at a local ‘gentleman’s’ club called the Lucky Lady. She lives in a second floor apartment of The Hanright Home, a rundown Gothic Revival house split into six apartments. Lew lives in the apartment next door. Lew, a 30-year-old part time adjunct art instructor who hasn’t painted since
In 1949, Motion picture director Vincente Minnelli carefully crafted a film adaptation of author Gustave Flaubert’s 1854 novel Madame Bovary. Minnelli was able to portray various literary metaphors from Flaubert’s novel in his film to capture the image of the story. Through Minnelli’s own use of cinematic metaphors, with the help of the camera movement, editing, lighting, and music. Though Minnelli’s creation was brilliant there are times that he fails to fully express Flaubert’s imagery. This paper
Emma had adulterous relationships and lived beyond her means in order to get away from the ordinariness and emptiness of her life. Madam Bovary was later turned a romance and drama film in 1949. It was written by Robert Ardrey and directed by Vincente Minnelli. In the film, the figure of Emma Bovary as a character in the novel causes cheers of approval and howls of outrage as Gustave Flaubert is tried to prove that he did not write an indecent novel. In order to prove that that he wrote a moral tale
modern film directors have brought Emma Bovary's story to the screen--Vincente Minnelli in 1949 and, more recently, Claude Chabrol in 1992. This paper will study these two versions of Flaubert's novel and how each director employs and manipulates the medium of film to bring a work of fiction to the screen. The films of Minnelli and Chabrol represent two radically different approaches to Flaubert's novel. In general, Minnelli tends to romanticize the story, even sentimentalize it, making Emma
Taylor Clark Mrs. Schilling Honors English 3 April 2014 Judy Garland Judy Garland definitely had her ups and downs on her way to stardom. Garland was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. Her real name is Frances Gumm, which later changed when she became a star. Her childhood was not what you could call perfect, she was forced into singing and acting by her mother. Her mother was very gifted and had many talents, when Garland was only 2 her mother saw that she had talent and made her perform all around
When you hear the name Judy Garland, you may think of ruby slippers, a blue and white gingham dress, and munchkins. Originally Frances Gumm, Judy Garland is much more than pig-tailed Dorothy from Kansas, she starred in 43 films, most of them being MGM major hits and breaking all box office attendance records (including hers). On June 10, 1922, Frances Gumm was born in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, the youngest of three sisters. At age two, her Mother had her performing Jingle Bells in the family theater
What you see here didn't just happen overnight, it took a LOT more than just lemon drops on chimney tops to get where I am here today. Hi, my name is Frances Ethel Gumm. Don't recognize the name, we'll get to that later. I was born June 10, 1922 in Grand Rapids,Minnesota. My parents were Ethel Marion my mother, and Francis Avent Gumm my father. You might think that being the third child in the family would've been nice right? Well not quite; even before I was born, my mom didn't want me. But abortions
The peeling away of the honey-glazed aesthetic of Sirkian Melodrama to thoroughly examine the true core beneath is the task. Douglas Sirk’s films are expressive and suggestive in their examination of female sexual and emotional relationships. It must be considered what exactly a melodrama is and what type of audience the genre demands. Known worldwide to be part of a female cultural domain, the genre deals with the woman’s film from the early 30’s right up until the Sirkian territory of the 1950’s
leaves their home together would be a success in a time when family unity was not as easy to come by. Vincente Minnelli directed it and provided the audience with singing and dancing, themes of love and romance, and overall a great deal of good values. His film represents the importance of family and relationship and he is able to show us this very well on screen. Mise-en-scene was one method Minnelli used in displaying this sense of family unity and value. It is apparent in scenes of family interaction
Her body had been stored in a temporary crypt for over one year. The reason for this is that no one had come forward to pay the expense of moving her to a permanent resting spot at Ferncliff Cemetery in Ardsley, NY. Liza Minnelli had the impression that Judy's last husband, Mickey Deans, had made the necessary arrangements but Deans claimed to have no money. Liza then took on the task of raising the funds to have her properly buried (Imdb.com, 1990-2016). The cause of death
In the 1950s, French cinema was entirely in the hands of directors of the 1930s, such as Duvivier, Clair and Carné. (cineclub) At the time, filmmaking was an expensive and strenuous process, made exclusively through studios, and required large crews, heavy cameras and elaborate lighting. The strictness and lack of freedom involved in cinema production at the time didn’t appeal to young creators who were more seduced by the immediate possibilities and liberties of literature and theatre. (cineclub)
In the Bedroom, A Modern Bourgeois Melodrama Works Cited Missing Studies in melodrama usually hover around the works of a few significant directors, all of whom were at the top of their craft in Hollywood during the 1950s. Douglas Sirk, Vincente Minnelli, and Nicholas Ray were just a few of the directors who worked at that time, and all helped to shape the conventions of melodrama to which audiences and critics alike have become so accustomed. However, recent melodramas have been unable to reach