Book Review: The Movie Musical! by Jeanine Basinger

Disclosure / Disclaimer: I received this item from Knopf Random House, via Edelweiss Plus,  free of charge, for review purposes on this blog. No compensation, monetary or in kind, has been received or implied for this post. Nor was I told how to post about it, all opinions are my own

Irresistible and authoritative, The Movie Musical! is an in-depth look at the singing, dancing, happy-making world of Hollywood musicals, beautifully illustrated in color and black-and-white—an essential text for anyone who’s ever laughed, cried, or sung along at the movies.

Synopsis:

Leading film historian Jeanine Basinger reveals, with her trademark wit and zest, the whole story of the Hollywood musical—in the most telling, most incisive, most detailed, most gorgeously illustrated book of her long and remarkable career.

From Fred Astaire, whom she adores, to La La Land, which she deplores, Basinger examines a dazzling array of stars, strategies, talents, and innovations in the history of musical cinema. Whether analyzing a classic Gene Kelly routine, relishing a Nelson-Jeanette operetta, or touting a dynamic hip hop number (in the underrated Idlewild), she is a canny and charismatic guide to the many ways that song and dance have been seen—and heard—on film.

With extensive portraits of everyone from Al Jolson, the Jazz Singer; to Doris Day, whose iconic sunniness has overshadowed her dramatic talents; from Deanna Durbin, that lovable teen-star of the ’30s and ’40s; to Shirley T. and Judy G.; from Bing to Frank to Elvis; from Ann Miller to Ann-Margret; from Disney to Chicago…focusing on many beloved, iconic films (Top Hat; Singin’ in the Rain; Meet Me in St. Louis; The Sound of Music) as well as unduly obscure gems (Eddie Cantor’s Whoopee!; Murder at the Vanities; Sun Valley Serenade; One from the Heart), this book is astute, informative, and pure pleasure to read.

Review:

Having been raised on movie musicals via vintage movie nights with my mom, I was thrilled to be able to check out this book, as it took me on quite a few memory trails!

This book looks at movie musicals from the beginning of movies, to their heyday, to our modern versions. But it's more than just a look at movies, it's about taking apart what MAKES a movie a musical, versus a movie with some dancing or singing in it. Can any of us imagine the Wizard of Oz as a straight movie, with little singing? It was based on a fiction book after all. But as a musical? Well, it's just magic, isn't it? And yes, maybe we are more jaded nowadays, and our modern musicals, just don't have the same magic as those from they heydey of the 40-60s.  And this book let's us go back and revisit what made those musicals just SO special and unique. I do have to admit, Jeanine's commentary is pretty much on the mark, and this is an amazing book to keep, and to give (only 68 days to Christmas you know!)

About the Author:

JEANINE BASINGER is the founder of the department of film studies at Wesleyan University and the curator of the cinema archives there. She has written eleven other books on film, including I Do and I Don’t; The Star Machine; A Woman’s View; Silent Stars, winner of the William K. Everson Film History Award; Anthony Mann; The World War II Combat Film; and American Cinema: One Hundred Years of Filmmaking, the companion book for a ten-part PBS series. She lives in Middletown, CT, Madison, WI, and Brookings, SD.