Singin' and Dancin' in Hollywood: The Role of Music, Song, and Dance in the Movie Musical

Abstract

Despite the public fascination with the film musical, little attention has been given to the academic pursuit of its music. Frequently, the musical numbers are the highlights of these films, and they can function as a means of non-verbal expression and a manifestation of the characters’ psychological motivations. It is through the analysis of the relationship between music, dance, and the language of cinema (particularly camera angle and editing) that these issues are examined, and upon conclusion, it is hoped that greater academic attention may be given to the interplay between these elements. The prime examples for this analysis are two musical numbers: the “blues” sequence in the An American in Paris Ballet from An American in Paris (Vincente Minnelli, 1951), and the solo dance scene in Singin’ in the Rain (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952). Both films were made during Hollywood’s “Golden Age,” and are centered around song catalogues of specific composers; George and Ira Gershwin in the case of An American in Paris and Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown for Singin' in the Rain.

任憑大眾對音樂劇影片的吸引, 但是少數花時間給予在音樂方面做學術上的探討. 一般而言, 若干音樂演唱卻是這些影片的精彩部分, 並且它們能有非言語傳達作用和表明人物心理上的動機. 真實在於音樂, 舞蹈, 和影戲詞語的關係追根究底 特別在攝影角度和剪輯方面. 對於這些問題能有仔細審查和結論, 希望能的確的更是特別在這些學術方面有相互作用與影響. 對於這些分析的主要代表作有兩部音樂劇影片 一部是在An American in Paris 裏面的有一齣在An American in Paris 的 "blues” 芭蕾舞 (Vincente Minnelli, 1951), 和 在於”Singin’ in the rain 裡頭的單獨舞蹈 (Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, 1952). 這兩部電影製作品製作於 Hollywood 黃金年代和特別是歌曲目錄是以指定作曲家為中心, 比如說 An American in Paris 是George 和 Ira Gershwin 的歌曲 而Singin’ in the Rain 是 Arthur Freed 和Nacio Herb Brown 的歌曲.