1 / 10

Movie Musicals

Movie Musicals. 1920-1939 (B&W) 1939-1965 (Color). Musicals. The heydays of the musical can be attributed to two factors: The invention and evolution of film sound (1920-1940) The popularization of color film (1939) combined with the changing social climate following WWII. Musicals.

mieko
Download Presentation

Movie Musicals

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Movie Musicals 1920-1939 (B&W) 1939-1965 (Color)

  2. Musicals • The heydays of the musical can be attributed to two factors: • The invention and evolution of film sound (1920-1940) • The popularization of color film (1939) combined with the changing social climate following WWII

  3. Musicals • Like the western, the musical followed film noir and strayed from the conventions of that genre

  4. Conventions of the Genre(Both B&W and color) • Crowded (obstructed, but positive) space • High Key Lighting • Large casts with numerous “extras” • Breaking of the “fourth wall” • Young love • A happy ending

  5. Conventions of the Genre(B&W) • Tap dance and Ballroom dance • Elaborate choreography • Unusual camera angles (overhead aerial shots

  6. Conventions of the Genre(color) • Broadway-style group choreography that “ate up” the set • Bright color palette • Primary colors

  7. In the beginning… High key lighting Crowded frames Large supporting casts Later… Low key lighting appeared more frequently Frames showed more wide-open spaces Casts were smaller, more intimate Visual Evolution

  8. In the beginning… Almost exclusively about love Love results in marriage Predominantly white casts Women were innocent Patriotic themes—”American idealism” Later… More serious topics (Nazis, gangs…) Racial integration Women became sexier/less innocent Less about marriage/more about love Self-determination/human frailty Thematic Evolution

  9. Why the genre evolved… • Changing social values can be seen through the changes on-screen • End of WWII • Women out of the work place • Economic growth • Increasing generation gap • Emerging “Rights Movements”

  10. Decline of the Genre • In the late 1960’s, a changing social climate brought an end to the genre’s popularity • Vietnam War • Civil Rights Movement • Campus protests and civil unrest • Political corruption • Communist threat • Rock and Roll Musicals seemed frivolous and antiquated

More Related