The Movie Musical

By: Desiree J. Garcia

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Hardcover | 15 January 2021

At a Glance

Hardcover
152 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
17.8 x 11.4 x 1.5

Hardcover

$169.50

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The movie musical is often regarded as a classic Hollywood genre whose heyday was long in the past. In reality, however, musicals remain a vital part of both Hollywood and world cinema, and the genre continues to evolve in fascinating ways.

Spotlighting iconic musicals like Singin' in the Rain and La La Land alongside smaller films like La Bamba, Once, and Dancer in the Dark, this book demonstrates the flexibility and durability of the genre, as it takes steps to preserve its relevance for new generations and new cultures. Putting Asian and European movie musicals in conversation with their Hollywood counterparts, it examines how the genre references its own history while mediating between a nostalgic impulse and an embrace of new technologies. It also challenges stereotypes of the musical as merely a form of escapism by examining how many of these films engage with social issues and foreground the experiences of women, immigrants and people of color.

This broad-ranging study of the genre helps to explain why the movie musical still gets audiences across the world tapping their feet and singing along.

Industry Reviews

"In her follow-up to The Migration of Musical Film, Desiree Garcia discards the 'boom and bust' narrative stubbornly bonded to the Hollywood musical-along with its link to 'mindless' escapism. Through attentive, close readings, The Movie Musical unearths ways that musicals accommodate changing times and audiences, acknowledging their insights about the cultures and audiences in which they work-and actually help construct. A welcome addition to film musical and genre scholarship." -- Caryl Flinn * author of Brass Diva and The Sound of Music (BFI Film Classics) *
"'S Wonderful! 'S Marvelous! How can such a diverse genre be covered so well in so short a book? Desiree Garcia's The Movie Musical adeptly surveys its long history and recurring conventions while offering a global perspective that enables her to discuss the genre in original and innovative ways." -- Steven Cohan * author of Incongruous Entertainment, Hollywood by Hollywood, and Hollywood Musicals *
"Dartmouth College professor and author Desiree J. Garcia's tightly packed and deeply researched study examines the genre's illumination of more than just our collective daydreams and escape impulses." * Chicago Tribune *
"The Movie Musical covers the genre's history and conventions well while offering some interesting new perspectives on what the musical is, what it has done, and what it can do." -- Medien Wissenschaft * Drew Bassett *

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