Hollywood Musicals - Tumblr Posts
LA LA LAND (Dir: Damien Chazelle, 2016).
I am writing this almost a week after watching so apologise in advance for a review which is light on insight and heavy on vague observations (when are they ever anything but?).
This widely acclaimed homage to the golden age of Hollywood musicals was a first watch for me. It’s somewhat simple plot concerns the rollercoaster romantic and professional trials of aspiring actress Emma Stone and struggling jazz pianist Ryan Gosling. While proudly declaring its love of classic Hollywood, this often low-key film feels much closer in spirit to Jacques Demy’s French language classic The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) than any actual Hollywood musical.
Where La La Land most strongly recalls the Hollywood musical is in it’s lovely saturated colour palette which would befit a 1940’s MGM Technicolor extravaganza and in the staging of musical numbers, A Lovely Night in particular and in its climax, a clever ode to those extended modern ballet numbers popular in 1950’s musicals, most famously An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951). For me it also strongly recalled the finale of The Muppet Movie (James Frawley, 1979), but that might just be me!
The score is strong, notably the beautifully melancholic recurring theme City of Dreams. The dancing skills of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone was rightly acclaimed. Neither are singers, but their pleasant vocals recalls the non-singer casting of Jean Simmons and Marlon Brando in Guys and Dolls and works fine in context.
For all its vintage Hollywood flourish, La La Land has a slightly melancholy almost anti-Hollywood musical narrative and feels less like a traditional musical than its more pop music oriented contemporary The Greatest Showman (Michael Gracey, 2017). Whether it will be as fondly remembered in 65 years time as the musicals of 65+ years ago to which it pays homage, I am not sure but I did enjoy it. It’s a good movie, nicely performed and beautifully made.
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KING OF JAZZ (Dir: John Murray Anderson, 1930).
Conceived as a star vehicle for bandleader Paul Whiteman, and featuring Bing Crosby in his first screen appearance, King of Jazz is a spectacular musical revue, innovative in both its use of sound and early two-colour Technicolor; a process in which blues and yellows do not photograph but the reds and greens look lovely. Such was the care taken with the colour photography that every frame of the movie looks beautiful.
As a revue there is no plot in King of Jazz, rather a series of musical numbers punctuated with short comedy skits. While the comedic segments may not have aged too well, the musical sequences are as wonderful as they are weird. Highlights include the rubber legged dancing of Al Norman in ‘Happy Feet’ and some incredible loose limbed contouring from Marion Stattler in ‘Ragamuffin Romeo’. Best of all is a magnificent performance of George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, rendered ‘rhapsody in teal’ by the two-colour process. Here the entire orchestra is seated in the largest grand piano you have ever seen!
Although an expensive failure for Universal Studios on release, the film has since been reappraised. Thankfully so, as there is little else like it in Hollywood history.
Is King of Jazz a masterpiece? Not quite. But nearly 90 years after release it still makes for fascinating, not to mention highly entertaining, viewing. Anyone with an interest in 20s/30s band music and especially aficionados of early Hollywood will find much to enjoy.
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ALADDIN (Dir: Guy Ritchie, 2019).
Disney raids its back catalogue once again for their latest remake of an animated classic. Released in 1992, Aladdin (Ron Clements and John Musker) is one of the Disney Studios most critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies. With an excellent musical score, groundbreaking animation and a magnificent performance by Robin Williams as The Genie, it is also a difficult act to follow, not least for Will Smith stepping into the winklepickers of Williams.
This version of the Arabian Nights story of the boy who finds a magic lamp and the genie within who will grant him three wishes sticks close to Disney’s previous telling, although adding a further 40 minutes to its runtime. Surprisingly these extra minutes do not feel superfluous. Jasmine and Jafar both gain a little deeper character development and the Genie gets a love interest. Alan Menken, Howard Ashman and Tim Rice’s song score remains mostly intact with the addition of a new number, ‘Speechless’, co-written by Menken with songwriting duo Pasek and Paul.
Brit Guy Richie seemed an unlikely choice of director but acquits himself admirably with his first family friendly musical fantasy. As do the cast; Mena Massoud as Aladdin and Naomi Scott as Jasmine make attractive leads and Smith is reassuringly great as Genie. Thankfully, Disney cast actors who can also sing and the soundtrack is mercifully free of the auto-tuning that has plagued previous features.
What Aladdin lacks in originality it makes up for in spectacle. This is a very good looking movie with lavish song and dance numbers, exciting action sequences and top line special effects. Does it supplant the beloved animated version? Of course not. But it does hold up as a visually stunning, tuneful, wholly entertaining 130 minutes. While perhaps not as essential as its animated predecessor it is still a lot of fun and well worth a watch.
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K-12 (Dir: Melanie Martinez, 2019).
The movie debut of singer Melanie Martinez, released to coincide with her album of the same name.
The plot of K-12 follows on from and elaborates on the themes of Martinez’s previous album Cry Baby. However, prior knowledge of Cry Baby is not essential, as the movie is best enjoyed for its music and stunning visuals in what is, essentially, a long form music video. Albeit one with an ambitious cinematic grandeur.
With a distinctive colour palette utilising mostly pink and pastel shades, it has an arresting otherworldly quality, at times recalling the work of Terry Gilliam and the high kitsch of John Waters.
There is a certain brutal beauty to Martinez’s music which she has matched perfectly to the visuals. The dystopian fantasy addresses issues such as bullying and acceptance, but always in tuneful fashion!
As you might expect from Martinez the movie is sweary and creepy and not recommended for those of a sensitive nature. With its language, drug taking and no nips nudity, it is definitely not one to show the kids!
In truth, K-12 is a bit of an acquired taste and is probably limited largely to Melanie Martinez’s fan base. But it is artfully produced. Recommended especially to fans of Martinez but also to open minded movie lovers in the mood for an off kilter fantasy musical.
K-12 is available to steam on Melanie Martinez’s official YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/2HtaIvb61Uk
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BUGSY MALONE (Alan Parker, 1976).
Alan Parker’s feature film directorial debut is really something special. A musical homage to 1930’s gangster movies with a cast made up entirely of children really shouldn’t work, but it does.
Gang warfare rages in Prohibition-era New York as hoods Fat Sam and Dandy Dan battle for supremacy in the city. Armed with newfangled splurge guns (whipped cream firing machine guns), it looks like Danny Dan’s mob is winning. Speakeasy owner Sam engages good guy Bugsy Malone to help in his fight against Dan, while Bugsy has his sights set on aspiring showgirl Blousey Brown.
Recalling both the classic Warner gangster flicks and early backstage musicals, Bugsy Malone is itself a film which largely avoids categorisation. It is a love letter to the Hollywood of the 1930s. The beautifully detailed sets of dimly lit back alleys and colourful speakeasies faithfully recalling the era of Cagney and Robinson. Paul Williams superb jazz inspired score provides perfect accompaniment to the visuals, while the witty, quick fire dialogue would befit a period screwball comedy. The soft focus camera work and plethora of brown on display gives the feel of an old sepia tone photograph and adds to the era atmosphere.
An assured and charismatic performance from Scott Baio as Bugsy is surprisingly his first screen appearance. As was true of much of the cast. Florrie Dugger is touchingly melancholic as Bugsy’s gal Blousey in her only movie, while John Cassisi embodies gleeful roguishness as Fat Sam, one of only a handful of acting roles for the youngster. Only Jodie Foster, in the supporting role of showgirl cum moll Tallulah, was a veteran performer and gives the first rate professional performance you would expect. But to the credit of the cast and director Parker, none of the kids put a foot wrong and are never upstaged by the more experienced star.
There really is nothing else like Bugsy Malone in cinema history. As artful as it is entertaining and equally enjoyable for children and grownups; a unique, unadulterated pleasure from beginning to end!
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CAREFREE (Dir: Mark Sandrich, 1938).
A frothy RKO romance; the 8th pairing of the incomparable Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.
This one has Fred as a psychiatrist and Ginger as his patient and fiancee of his best pal (Ralph Bellamy). Things get complicated when she falls for him and he hypnotizes her to remain faithful to the groom. The movie's outcome is clearly signposted from early on, but there is considerable fun to be had on the journey, nonetheless.
With only four full-blown song and dance numbers Carefree is less a musical than a screwball comedy with the occasional break for a song. The Irving Berlin score is pleasant enough, but by the composer’s own high standards is not especially memorable. 'Change Partners' and 'I Used to Be Color Blind' are the possible exceptions; both are considerably enhanced by Ginger and Fred's fabulous footwork. The highlight is undoubtedly Astaire's solo 'Since They Turned Loch Lomand into Swing' in which he ditches Rogers to partner a golf-club, proving as adept on the fairway as he is the dance-floor.
Allan Scott and Ernest Pagnos screenplay, while implausible, does include a fair amount of humorous moments. While director Mark Sandrich, by now a veteran of the Astaire-Rogers movies, handles the comedy and the dance numbers with equal aplomb. It is all a lot of nonsense, but all is forgiven when Fred and Ginger take the dance floor. There was never a classier screen couple than Mr Astaire and Ms Rogers and support is offered by a particularly distinguished cast, notably Ralph Bellamy and Jack Carson. Unbilled and underused in one of her many domestic help roles is the great Hattie McDaniel.
As its title suggests, Carefree is lighthearted, featherweight stuff. Often regarded as the weakest of the Astaire-Rogers partnership, it does pale in comparison to classics such as Top Hat (Mark Sandrich, 1935) and Shall We Dance (Mark Sandrich, 1937). Still, at a little over 80 minutes, it doesn't outstay its welcome. The old adage "they don't make 'em like that anymore" certainly applies here; fluff it may be, but it is consummately produced fluff, expertly performed by its legendary cast.
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NEWSIES aka THE NEWS BOYS (Dir: Kenny Ortega, 1992).
Disney’s fact-based musical based upon the New York newsboy's strike of 1899, with tunes courtesy of Oscar winner Alan Menkin and co-composer Jack Feldman. A youthful Christian Bale stars.
This old style Hollywood movie, with its big production numbers and lovingly recreated soundstage sets, is a quaintly quirky treat! Newsies should appeal to those with an appreciation for old fashioned musicals, fans of Disney Channel movies and anyone in between!
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