Musicals in Film
A Guide to the Genre
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Book Presentation:
This wide-ranging guide introduces (or reintroduces) readers to movie musicals past and present, enabling them to experience the development of this uniquely American art form―and discover films they'll love.
This comprehensive guide covers movie musicals from their introduction with the 1927 film The Jazz Singer through 2015 releases. In all, it describes 125 movies, opening up the world of this popular form of entertainment to preteens, teens, and adults alike.
An introduction explains the advent of movie musicals; then, in keeping with the book's historical approach, films are presented by decade and year with overviews of advances during particular periods. In this way, the reader not only learns about individual films but can see the big picture of how movie musicals developed and changed over time. For each film covered, the guide offers basic facts―studio, director, songwriters, actors, etc.―as well as a brief plot synopsis. Each entry also offers an explanation of why the movie is noteworthy, how popular it was or wasn't, and the influence the film might have had on later musicals. Sidebars offering brief biographies of important artists appear throughout the book.
About the Author:
Thomas S. Hischak is an internationally recognized author and teacher in the performing arts and one of the foremost authorities on the American musical.
Press Reviews:
"This is an excellent choice for the performing-arts sections of most libraries." ―Booklist
"Organizing the history by decade makes this reference easy to use and a solid resource on this topic. . . . [It provides] ideas for student research projects and is a great option for readers'/viewers' advisory. Musical theater aficionados will enjoy the backstories of their favorites and find more to explore." ―Library Journal
See the publisher website: Greenwood
> From the same author:
American Literature on Stage and Screen (2012)
525 Works and Their Adaptations
Subject: Technique > Adaptation
The Oxford Companion to the American Musical (2008)
Theatre, Film, and Television
American Plays And Musicals On Screen (2004)
650 Stage Productions And Their Film And Televison Adaptations
Subject: Technique > Adaptation
> On a related topic:
Storytelling in Motion (2024)
Cinematic Choreography and the Film Musical
Race, Sexuality, and Gender and the Musical Screen Adaptation (2023)
An Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations, Volume 2
Stars, Studios, and the Musical Theatre Screen Adaptation (2023)
An Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations, Volume 3
The Politics of the Musical Theatre Screen Adaptation (2023)
An Oxford Handbook of Musical Theatre Screen Adaptations
Singing a Different Tune (2023)
The Slavic Film Musical in a Transnational Context
Dir. Helena Goscilo
The Golden Age Musicals of Darryl F. Zanuck (2022)
The Gentleman Preferred Blondes
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