Musicals on the Silver Screen : A Guide to the Must-See Movie Musicals

Musicals adapted to the big screen—from __West Side Story__ to __The Phantom of the Opera__—have enjoyed a staggering amount of success since the 1940s, and this guide is especially tailored to library patrons looking for help selecting the right flick to watch. The book is organized by decade, allowing readers to learn about the nuances of each era of musical movie production, and a description is paired with each film along with an explanation of why it is worth viewing. Watching musicals and learning their history by way of libraries and archives where such films are preserved and made available is heavily emphasized. Foreword / by Gregg Opelka Learning guide : movie musicals and their stars All-talking, all-singing, all-dancing, all-mixed-up : the beginning to 1939 The Greatest Generation : patriotism, family, and American values :1940s Enter the Golden Age : cinemascope, technicolor, and the advent of television : 1950s Social change : values, virtues, and validation : 1960s Days not so clear : civil rights, the sexual revolution, and what to sing about : 1970s Anything goes : fame and the Me Generation : 1980s Downtrodden and misunderstood : boys, bodyguards, and ballroom dancing : 1990s Something different : bizarre, macabre, retro : the twenty-first century. Musicals adapted to the big screen -- from West Side story to The phantom of the Opera -- have enjoyed a staggering amount of success since the 1940s, and this guide is especially tailored to library patrons looking for help selecting the right flick to watch. The book is organised by decade, allowing readers to learn about the nuances of each era of musical movie production, and a description is paired with each film along with an explanation of why it is worth viewing. Watching musicals and learning their history by way of libraries and archives where such films are preserved and made available is heavily emphasised. Musicals adapted to the big screen—from West Side Story to The Phantom of the Opera —have enjoyed a staggering amount of success since the 1940s, and this guide is especially tailored to library patrons looking for help selecting the right flick to watch. The book is organized by decade, allowing readers to learn about the nuances of each era of musical movie production, and a description is paired with each film along with an explanation of why it is worth viewing. Watching musicals and learning their history by way of libraries and archives where such films are preserved and made available is heavily emphasized.