The Decline (and potential rebirth) of the Movie Musical

Watched “Carmen Jones” last night, and had just watched “Singin’ In the Rain” and started musing about musicals. Not “Jones” which is more operatic…the “musical” as I think of it is singing and dancing, with performers who can really sing and dance. And the question of that form’s decline triggered the morning’s musings. And as always, I see if these thoughts dovetail with an overall sense of “what is true?” and “what are human beings?” I’m sure I take that too far some times. We’ll see if this is one of those.

##

I wonder if the death of the “real” musical (singing and dancing) connects to the increasing separation of mind and body in our First World occupations and life. Just a question. Movies like “Seven Brides For Seven Brothers” used dance to display the physical vibrancy necessary to survive in a frontier setting: hunting and gathering and protection of the nest, the primary male sexual attractants. Those like “Singing IN the Rain” expressed emption. What was it Bob Fosse said? Something about “when you are so emotional words cannot express what you feel, you sing. When song can no longer contain your emotions, you dance.” So the titular song/dance is an expression of joy at finding love. Beautiful.

Those like “Chicago” express the emotional subtext (“Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Velma Kelly in an act…of desperation”) and although Catherine Zeta-Jones was the only real singer/dancer among the leads, it worked perfectly for Renee Zellwegger to be a little…