Classical Musical Lecture :: 3/4

Genre: Musical
Technical focus: mise en scene
Focus Director: Jerome Robbins (1918-1998)

• Broadway and ballet/dance choreography

Focus Film: West Side Story (1961)

What is a musical?

• a movie with music?
• a film where people sing?
• a motion picture where elements of the score advance the story line
• a work of visual fiction where the characters sing and dance

Genre theory

• A film is immediately recognisable as a style of film or type of film
• There are signs and signifiers to indicate to us the genre
• These signs can be seen in the mise en scene, the lighting, the characters, the plot, the sound and the pace

Reflection question:
What are the signs and signifiers that we are in the musical genre?

The First Musicals

• The Jazz Singer (first musical)
• Busby Berkerley (20s)
• Fred Astaire
• MGM

Historic Background

Turn of the century - the fair ground and Vaudeville - watching silent films, low budget

Early 20s: Silent film and birth of sound - early sound experiments, vitaphone, partial talkies, The Jazz singer, The Broadway Melody

30s: WWI and the Great Depression - black tuesday

Busby Berkley and Fred Astaire - the escapist genre, musical review format, large dance numbers

Old musical to New Musical: MGM and the Freed Unit

The 40s: WWII

The 60s: rock and roll and the 'death' of the musical

Escapist genre - people wanted to escape

West Side Story Notes #3 :: 1/4

Storyline:

After Tony killed Maria's brother, Maria refuses to believe, but at the end loves him even more,
so they decided to run away
The Jets meet up, red truck in the background (mise en scene)
Chino is looking for Tony with a gun, so the Jets split up and try to find Tony.
Police officer comes to question Maria, so she tells Anita to go to the store to find Tony
The Jets do not believe Anita, so she lies to them saying Maria is dead
Tony is shocked that Maria is dead, and goes for Chino
Tony sees Maria behind a fence in the playground
-wearing red dress
Chino shoots him and he dies
location of the ending scene (playground/basketball court) is the same as the opening scene

West Side Story Notes #2 :: 27/3

• director: Robert Wise
• co-directed: Jerome Robbins
• Based on Romeo and Juliet
• Music by Leonard Bernstein
• Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim

war council 

-decide how, where and when to fight

Jets and Sharks discuss in the shop/bar

-place: under the highway

-when: tomorrow night

-weapons: knife

They all pretend that nothing is happening when the police comes

Refuses to tell police where the fight is

Tony tells the storeowner that he is in love with Maria

-Both gangs share a common hate towards the police

Puerto Ricans fighting for their rights

Maria is wearing red+yellow dress - equal amounts, then switches to full yellow

Yellow light + cross (symbolising church)

Ramble scene: Red wall background

Fighting with knives

Chaotic scenes - camera is tilted

Frame is full of redness

Police comes and everyone leaves, leaving the dead bodies

Stylised dancing - fight

West Side Story Notes #1 :: 25/3

West Side Story

Music by: Leonard Bernstein

Lyrics by: Stephen Sondheim

Opening Shot : Overhead Establishment - long shot

Shots - getting closer and closer, whistling sounds, music builds tension - something important is about to happen

Mise En Scene: High buildings/museums ----> neighbourhoods --> lower class areas ---> basketball court

Advanced Mise En Scene: 

--primary color -- symbolism + accent color (for supporting)

--blocking for camera

--lighting

Jets (yellow) vs. Sharks (red)

-girl drawing a spiderweb - symbolises stuck (main characters are stuck)

Jets:

Main color : yellow

accent color: blue

one person is wearing red -- always wants to fight

Using gestures - symbolises 'we are the king of everything here'

-always in open spaces -- expansive

-Jazz style dancing

Sharks:

Main color: red

Accent color: purple

Gestures - reaching for something

-always next to wall - anger uprising

-Latin style dancing

Fight Dancing

Dance room - red wall

-All characters have a theme song

Maria and Tony - separated by the bars

New York City - 'The melting pot'