The Movie Musical!

Starred review from September 9, 2019
Film historian Basinger (I Do and I Don’t) returns with this exhaustive and exhilarating survey of the American musical. Basinger starts by discussing the filmed vaudeville shorts that played in theaters even before Hollywood switched over to exclusively producing sound features in 1929, and goes all the way up to 2018’s Bohemian Rhapsody. All the while, she examines each major development in musical film, such as how, in the early 1930s, the innovative use of sound and camera movement by directors Ernst Lubitsch and Rouben Mamoulian made “what formerly had been a stage-bound tradition” into a viable Hollywood genre. Basinger is informative and insightful on everything from celebrated classics such as Meet Me in St. Louis and Singin’ in the Rain, to forgotten—yet once surprisingly popular—“singing cowboy” films such as Melody Ranch and Boots and Saddles. Because of the rigorous scholarship, readers will feel they are in good hands when Basinger digresses from strict facts into opinion—for instance, her scorching dislike for the 2016 Oscar-winner La La Land, which, unlike classic-era musicals, is “not energetic, optimistic, or determined to pin down joy for its characters”—in short, “it’s not American.” The depth of her dislike feels telling: this is a passion project for her. That passion should be infectious for all readers of Basinger’s monumental but fleet-footed epic.

Starred review from September 1, 2019

Basinger (American Cinema) takes an in-depth look at the Hollywood musical in this lively and informative study of the quintessential American film art form. There is a lot of ground to cover, and the author is the perfect guide, taking readers back to the movies' early days and the advent of sound, the uncharted waters of early productions, the jungle that was the studio system, and beyond. A selection of gorgeous photographs, including stills and studio shots, enhances the work. This is more than a sentimental journey, however. Perceptive portraits explore the roles of movie icons and iconoclastic filmmakers in the development of the genre, and Basinger's enthusiastic, knowledgeable text is topped off with a carefully compiled bibliography. All that is lacking is a soundtrack, but the writing is so vivid that those beloved tunes will pop into your head once you start to read. VERDICT Movie buffs and film students alike will applaud this delightful and insightful work. [See Prepub Alert, 5/5/19.]--Carolyn M. Mulac, Chicago

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 1, 2019

You're in good hands with this in-depth analysis of the Hollywood musical. Basinger is founder of the department of film studies at Wesleyan and the award-winning author of nearly a dozen books on film, including the PBS companion book American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking. The 219 illustrations will be a draw; with a 25,000-copy first printing.

Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.