The Sound of Musicals
Published on 25. November 2010
Book
Paperback/Softback
232 pages
978-1-84457-346-2 (ISBN)
Description
Despite having had its obituary written many times, the movie musical remains a flourishing twenty-first century form, and as this volume demonstrates, one that exists far beyond the confines of Broadway and Hollywood. The Sound of Musicals examines the films, stars, issues and traditions of the genre from the 1930s to the present day. Featuring sixteen original essays by leading international scholars, this illuminating collection addresses the complex history and global variety of the movie musical, and considers the delight and passionate engagement that musicals continue to inspire in audiences around the world.
The contributors address key issues for understanding the movie musical: questions of genre and generic traditions; questions of history, bringing fresh perspectives to a consideration of Classical Hollywood musicals; and the musical beyond Hollywood, looking at alternatives to the Hollywood model from the 'New Hollywood' and American independent cinema to Bollywood and other national musical traditions. Individual chapters consider key musical stars such as Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand; film-makers including Robert Altman and Christophe Honore, and classic musicals such as South Pacific (1958) and Hairspray (1988). In his introduction to the volume, Steven Cohan addresses the significance and enduring appeal of this multi-faceted genre, and considers its recent renaissance with movies such as the High School Musical franchise, and the success of the television series Glee.
The contributors address key issues for understanding the movie musical: questions of genre and generic traditions; questions of history, bringing fresh perspectives to a consideration of Classical Hollywood musicals; and the musical beyond Hollywood, looking at alternatives to the Hollywood model from the 'New Hollywood' and American independent cinema to Bollywood and other national musical traditions. Individual chapters consider key musical stars such as Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews and Barbra Streisand; film-makers including Robert Altman and Christophe Honore, and classic musicals such as South Pacific (1958) and Hairspray (1988). In his introduction to the volume, Steven Cohan addresses the significance and enduring appeal of this multi-faceted genre, and considers its recent renaissance with movies such as the High School Musical franchise, and the success of the television series Glee.
Reviews / Votes
...a rewarding volume of recent papers... -- IlluminationsMore details
Edition
2010
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Target group
College/higher education
Illustrations
91 b/w photos
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 155 mm
Thickness: 12 mm
Weight
460 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-84457-346-2 (9781844573462)
DOI
10.1057/9781844575794
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Steven Cohan
The Sound of Musicals
E-Book
07/2019
1st Edition
BFI Publishing
€36.49
Available for download
Steven Cohan
The Sound of Musicals
Book
10/2010
BFI Publishing
€85.59
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Person
STEVEN COHAN is Professor of English at Syracuse University, USA. His books include Telling Stories: A Theoretical Analysis of Narrative (1988, co-authored with Linda M. Shires), Masked Men: Masculinity and the Movies in the Fifties (1997), Incongruous Entertainment: Camp, Cultural Value, and the MGM Musical (2005) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2008).
Content
Acknowledgments.- Notes on Contributors.- Introduction: How Do You Solve a Problem like the Film Musical?.- PART ONE: GENRE MATTERS.- From Homosocial to Heterosexual: The Musical's Two Projects; R.Altman.- British Gaiety: Musical Cinema and the Theatrical Tradition in British Film; L.Napper.- The Mellifluous Illogics of the 'Bollywood Musical'; B.Sarkar.- The International Art Musical: Defining and Periodizing the Post-1980s Musical; J.Feuer.- PART TWO: HISTORIES OF THE HOLLYWOOD MUSICAL.- Flirting with Terpischore: Dance, Class, and Entertainment in 1930s Musicals; A.L.McLean.- Star Spangled Shows: History and Utopia in Wartime Canteen Musicals; S.Cohan.- Sailors and Kissing Bandits: The Challenging Spectacle of Frank Sinatra at MGM; K.McNally.- Bloody Mary is the Girl I Love: U.S. White Liberalism vs. Pacific Islander Subjectivity in South Pacific; S.Griffin.- The Singing Sixties: Rethinking the Julie Andrews Roadshow Musical; B.Farmer.- The Streisand Musical; P.Robertson Wojcik.- PART THREE: BEYOND CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD.- The Music and Musicality of Bollywood; A.Morcom.- Robert Altman and the New Hollywood Musical; G.Sherwood Magee.- The Musical as Mode: Community Formation and Alternative Rock in Empire Records; K.J.Bozelka.- A Musical Dressed Up in a Different Way: Urban Ireland and the Possible Spaces of John Carney's Once; M.J.Fee.- Touch from a Distance: Christopher Honore s Les Chansons d'Amour David; A.Gerstner.- Dozing off During History: Hairspray's Iterations and the Gift of Black Music; M.Tinkcom.