History and Comparison of American Musicals

business relationship and Comparison of Ameri croup MusicalsUtopia is an ideal macrocosm state where everything which happens is perfect and in that respect ar no negative emotions like sadness, anger or jealousy to exist in it. The realism is perfect and has every situation dying in the most enjoyable manner possible. Consciously, or unconsciously, the human legal opinion strives towards perfection to create an ideal world- a utopia for itself. But, in real animateness, this is non possible and this leads to a multitude of emotions like sadness, disappointment, anger, etc. which is the arctic of what a person in utopia should feel like. To learn patronage this sense of utopia notwithstanding temporarily, humans started projecting the c atomic number 18fully constructed ideal world by dint of cheer such as theatre, takes, melodious comedy theaters etc.In this essay, I will canvas the contracts Singing in the Rain by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen and decent Me in St. Louis by Vincette Minnelli as examples of classic American musicals against Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet by Baz Luhrmann as examples of coetaneous American musicals on the basis of whether they see the idea of musicals cosmos a form of skirt into utopianism. First, I will use kink Altmans The American Film Musical, which has laid out quite a a few(prenominal) criteria for a standard American musical to analyse these impressions and ensure they satisfy those criteria. Also, I will focus on Utopianism by using Richard Dyer, in Only Entertainment.Two of the taken-for-granted descriptions of diversion, as die hard and as wish-ful fool awayent, point to its commutation thrust, namely utopianism. (Dyer, Chapter 3, Pg. 18)By using entertainment, humans are able to escape to the realm of utopia but this realm is not produced by using models of utopian worlds, rather it is brought forth with feelings and emotions. Dyer claims that,It thereof works at the level of sensibil ity, by which I mean an affective code that is characteristic of, and largely specific to, a delven mode of cultural production. This code uses both figurative and non- figurative signs. (Dyer, Chapter 3, Pg. 18)Using Dyers words, I will in like manner try to analyse the representational and non-representational signs of the films mentioned before.Meet me in St. Louis is an American musical which was released in 1944 with a clean simple storyline which focusses on an upper middle class family with their quaternary daughters and a son. It is based in St. Louis, Missouri in the year guide up to the 1904 Worlds Fair and goes finished the struggles this family faces and how they overcome them together. The American film musical is known to have a dual focus story. As Altman says, in The American Film Musical,Instead of commission all its interest on a single central character, following the trajectory of her progress, the American film musical has a dual focus, built around pa rallel stars of opposite sex and radically divergent values. This dual-focus structure requires the viewer to be tenuous not so untold to chronology and progression- for the outcome of the male/ young-bearing(prenominal) mate is entirely conventional and thus quite predictable- but to simultaneity and comparison. (Altman, Chapter II, Pg. 19)Altman alike says,Whereas the traditional approach to account assumes that structure grows out of plot, the dual-focus structure of the American film musical derives from character (Altman, Chapter II, Pg. 21)In Meet Me in St. Louis, on that point is a dual focus narrative. The plot revolves around the entire family, focussing mostly on Esther and her relationship and the news show of the familys fulminant move to new York. By subjecting these narratives to simultaneity and comparison, we can see that they are interdependent as the narrative of the family moving away threatens the newly found relationships of Esther and her other family members- Esther and John, travel and Warren, the parents with their kids. Also, this is putting Esthers sock for her family and her boyfriend against separately other. As for structure etymologizing from character, the film is structured in a way that the character Esther and her seduction for her love occupies the first part of the film and this is followed up by the sudden announcement of her familys move to New York by her father. This is done to ensure the entertainment factor is still present by creating mild tension, as the direct goal is achieved and the viewers shouldnt lose interest.Singing in the Rain also adheres to the principle of dual narrative as there are divergent narratives or paths for both the male and female protagonists. The film portrays the struggle of American film studios and their transition from the lowstood films to the talkies. The male protagonist, Don Lockwood (Gene Kelly), is a silent film actor with humble origins, who tries to survive and retain his place in the film industry during the transition. The female protagonist, Kathy Selden (Debbie Reynolds), is an aspiring stage actress who is used by Lina Lamont to be her voice backstage but she finally is given reference and her career flourishes. There are other side narratives which tie into the briny narratives, the most noticeable one being the narrative of Lina Lamont, which serves the same pattern as the narrative of the family moving away to New York in Meet Me in St. Louis- to present a problem which when solved, strengthens the existing narratives, or give a neat conclusion to the narratives. These ii main narratives are intertwined concurrently and highlights the contradictions between the already famous artisan and the newly flourishing artist (Don Lockwood and Kathy Selden), fame and infamy (Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont), hate turned to love (in the oddball of Kathy Selden), etc. These contradictions are resolved by the main characters falling in love and this resolves or gives these characters the strength to resolve their conflicts. The structure is definitely derived from character, especially from Don Lockwood, whose narrative overshadows Kathy Seldens narrative. All the musical rime focus on Lockwood and his emotions, or makes him the causa for the initiation of the song- as in the case of Cosmo Browns Make Em express joy or the final musical number dubbed by Kathy Selden for Lina Lamont.Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet are both musicals say by Baz Luhrmann and released in 2001 and 1996 respectively. they are both con flying musicals and they follow the dual narrative path, focussing on the male and female protagonists and their narratives highlight the differences in their character such as freedom and confinement, love and money as in the case of Moulin Rouge and love and hate, life and death as in the case of Romeo + Juliet. As for the structure of these two musicals- Moulin Rouge focusses on Christians character as the musical starts and ends with him and he is the cashier of the events which unfold. Satines narrative is interwoven with Christians and her narrative is actually the cause for the beginning of Christians narrative, thereby forming a never-ending loop. In the case of Romeo + Juliet, it is a loose readjustment on the play by Shakespeare, using dialogues from the play itself. The narrative is driven by Romeos character but it is balanced out by Juliets narrative as well. All these four films can be classified as American film musicals albeit there are differences in the way utopia is visualised by these films.The films Singing in the Rain and Meet Me in St. Louis bring about a utopia in terms of tantrum (representational) and feelings (non-representational) using versatile factors- one of them being the musical numbers. In Singing in the Rain, the world it has created is realistic as the film is based around the world of film and situated in the age of transition from silent f ilms to talkies. The utopian division is brought forth by the numbers which provide another realm where the characters can be themselves and express their feelings without any complications. Dyer says, utopia is implicit in the world of the narrative and as well as in the world of numbers (Dyer, 1992). When a character breaks into song, as in the scene where Don Lockwood confesses his love to Kathy Selden (You were meant for me). Dyer says,We are moved by music, yet it has the least obvious reference to reality- the colour of our response to it can only be accounted for by the way music, abstract, dress though it is, still embodies feeling. (Dyer, 1992).The confession scene is carefully constructed by Lockwood and narrated by him, which does make it seem realistic, unlike the other musical numbers, and this adds on to the mass of feelings the song gives the audience. Intensity, according to Dyer, isthe capacity of entertainment to present either thickening or unpleasant feeling s (e.g. involvement in personal or semipolitical events jealousy, loss of love, defeat) in a way that makes them seem uncomplicated, direct and vivid, not qualified or ambiguous as day-to-day life makes them, and without imitations of self-deceit and pretence. (Dyer, 1992)The orchestral non-diegetic music also adds on to the intensity as the two characters dance, with Lockwood encouraging Selden to dance with him and finally through the music, dance and lyrics, their mutual feelings for each other gets conveyed to each other. As the camera pans out at the end of the number, the utopian backdrop and the airy lights are accentuated, adding the final touches to the realistic utopia created by this number.Another scene charged with such feelings is Don Lockwoods Singing in the Rain, the title song. The realistic setting is done through the diegetic rain attendant the entire song. The orchestral parts sometimes drown out the rains pit-a-pat but it is still ever present in the backgrou nd. The lively music and the dance of Lockwood transcends through to the audience and they are able to feel his emotions through this number. This utopian number comes to an end with the interruption of the police officer where Lockwood is brought back to the reality of his world.Meet Me in St. Louis also treats its musical numbers in a similar manner as escapes to utopia. But the setting is different, it is lots less realistic than Singing in the Rain. It showcases a community where cantabile is common practice where everyone loves to sing or break into a musical number, which already makes it feel much more utopian than the other musical film. Altman says,The sequence of scenes is determined not out of plot necessity, but in response to a more fundamental take away the spectator mustiness sense the eventual lovers as a couple even when they are not together, even before they have met. (Altman, 1987)This is true for Meet Me in St. Louis, as the musical number The Boy Next Door immediately puts both the protagonists together. As the film progresses, this utopian world created in the film is strengthened with feelings of love in the air, fun and mischief, and so on. Not much goes on with the main narrative of the film till Esthers father comes with the news which breaks their created utopia. Dyer says,In these films, the introduction of any real narrative concerns is usually comfortably delayed and comes chiefly as a temporary threat to utopia- thus reversing the other two patterns, where the narrative predominates and the numbers function as temporary escapes from it. (Dyer, 1992)The musical numbers are light-hearted and chipper till the father announces his plans for the family. later the announcement, we have numbers such as You and I by the parents as a form of reconciliation- a place where mistakes are forgiven is created by the musical number (thereby reverting back to the original pattern of musical numbers providing escape), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Esther as a consolation to Tootie- a place where hope is provided for the future, ensuring that everything will be alright.In these two films, the element of utopia is strong, one way or the other. It provides the so-called escape from reality, either through musical numbers as in the case of Singing in the Rain, or through narrative and numbers as in the case of Meet Me in St. Louis. But, like Dyer says, the idea of utopia through musicals and their numbers is applicable to these early American film musicals. The contemporary film musicals are a bit more complicated in that look as the escape to utopia is not clearly defined.Moulin Rouge is the film directed by Baz Luhrman, which is loosely based on the Greek myth of Orpheus. Its carriage and setting is highly fantastical, reinforcing the utopianism of the world. Pam Cook says,The heightened artificial world was projected as an illusion in which every detail was driven by the need to appear complete and plausi ble, but which audiences would perceive and enjoy as fiction (Cook, 2010)Just like how Christian saw the green fairy under the influence of absinthe, which later transmuted into a nightmarish hallucination that sucked Christian into the world of Moulin Rouge, though the setting and style is fantastical, the narrative of the film is not a utopian story. The main narrative focusses on Christian, a writer of the stake 19th century suffering from depression. Unlike other musicals which gives the audience a happy beginning and a happy ever after, the film starts with an sick and melancholic tone, which confirms the female protagonists death early on in the film. This tragic revelation at the start hinders the utopian world the style and setting is trying to create.