Music In Film Narrative Bibliography.docx

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John H. Llewellyn Prof. Andrew Ritchey Music 170H 20 April 2017 Narrative Bibliography From the stage to the screen, musicals have been growing and developing as a medium since before film was made. The creation of movies immortalized musicals and brought them to a wider range of audiences across the world. The function of music in the genre of the musical is a widely discussed topic. The musical Oklahoma! is used as an example in discussion for its function as the idea of a true classic musical. This raises a few questions: What is the classical musical format so often discussed, and how does music function within this format? Scholars in the field have a lot to say on both the modern idea of a musical as well as the music within said musicals. Their points of discussion cover a wide range of films. If one zeroes in on just one musical like Oklahoma!, the different views of different scholars can be viewed, analyzed and compared all within one context. Not all of the scholars agree on the narrative structure and function of music in musicals, but similarities can be found in their arguments. Scott McMillin wrote The Musical as a Drama, and he discusses the narrative importance of music in a musical. Right off the bat in his first chapter, McMillin brings up the idea of the “Integrated Musical”, the structure of successful musicals where “plot, character, song, dance, orchestration, and setting […] should blend together in unity, a seamless whole” (McMillin 1). He cites Jerome Kern by saying “musical numbers should carry on the action of the play, and should be representative of the personalities of the characters who sing them” (McMillin 2). McMillin discusses how Oklahoma! is often thought to be one of the inciting musical that

Llewellyn jumpstarted this format. He attributes the success Oklahoma! to the tight unity of the creative team that wrote and produced it. In particular, he cites the success of the music and script working as one driving force to tell story. He says that true success can be found in a song when it is the style of the character, and that when a character breaks out into song it helps the plot forward because at this moment in time the song serves as a tool to enlarge their actions and emotions. ( This added narrative weight is unique to the genre of the musical. In his article “Entertainment and Utopia” Richard Dyer puts musicals under a unique lens, viewing them more as forms of entertainment above all other mediums. Dyer states at the beginning of his article that he does not want to belittle the way a musical fits into other mediums, but then states, “Musicals were predominantly conceived of, by producers and audiences alike, as ‘pure entertainment” – the idea of entertainment was a prime determinant on them”. (Dyer 17). He also attempts to show that this is why musicals should be looked at not as art but more as public entertainment. This shies away from the previous article pushing the narrative qualities of musicals like Oklahoma!, claiming the primary focus is on keeping the audience entertained rather than expressing the story. He discusses the separation between musical numbers and the narrative plot that he finds in musicals. Dyer feels that the musical numbers function primarily as the pizzazz of “show biz” to entice an audience. (Dyer 17). Thus, Dyer most likely would stand in disagreement of McMillin, who put up the argument that musicals are centrally based in plot. It can be imagined that Ethan Mordden would stand in agreement with Richard Dyer to an extent is his discussion of adaptations of Broadway musicals into movies. In The Hollywood Musical, Mordden states that Oklahoma! is one of the Broadway musical adaptations that retained the most from its source. He also later discusses that many other musicals of the time

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like Guys and Dolls were relying on the star power in the cast and the previous stage success as a driving force in the film production (Mordden 194). In connection to the entertainment argument of Dyer, this hints at a claim that some musicals are just being used as star vehicles for financial and entertainment success. Dyer had discussed the idea of “show biz” as a prime factor for decisions made in producing musical films. The “show biz” and wow factor of musicals like Oklahoma! can sometimes be seen to overshadow the plot. Michael Dunne explores the function of dance in the narrative structure of the musical, which seems to put him in opposition to the points of entertainment as a purpose discussed by Dyer. Dunne notes that dance allows a film musical to function differently than non-musical films because it adds another form of narrative technique. Oklahoma! is a good example of this because of the famous “Dream Ballet” section. Both the music and Agnes De Mille’s work in tandem to create a physical representation of Laurey’s inner thoughts and conflict. (Dunne 83). He goes into detail on each musical section of the ballet and evaluates the contributions made to the narrative of Oklahoma!. This section by section analysis is successful in his defense of using dance as part of the plot narrative because it provides several examples in direct support of his argument. (Dunne 83-85). Dance is not used only for its entertainment values in a film like this. Dunne argues that dance is a unique expression of emotion and character development. Without the “Dream Ballet” and its several subsections, the plot of Oklahoma! would be unfinished and the characters would lose much development. For example, in Dunne’s discussion of the beginning dance sequence between Curley and Laurey, he notes the parallel between the way the two keep playfully withdrawing from one another in both the plot up until this point as well as in their choreography (Dunne 83). This is resolved by the wedding between the two, thus showing that despite the games they play with one another there is a true love behind their relationship.

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Dunne seems to be more in agreement with McMillin. He values the music and dance elements that come with the structure of a musical as well. Both Dunne and McMillin would most likely argue against the points of Dyer surrounding musicals as a primarily forms of entertainment. While they would certainly agree entertainment is found in this structure, there are more layers to the flashy musical numbers than Dyer gives credit. In M. Owen Lee’s A Season of Opera he discusses for one chapter each the functionality of each song from Oklahoma!. Although not a film scholar, his musical insight provides support to the arguments the film scholars make. In his discussion of “The Surrey with the Fringe on Top”, he states that music of the romantic comedy musical should not be taken as less artful than what is considered to be serious music (Lee 195). He details the function of each song musically, much like Dunne details each section of the “Dream Ballet” in his writings. This gives the songs validity both musically and as part of the narrative whole. His discussion of “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’” is centralized on the genius catchy lyrics that open the show on a good note (Lee 196). This brings in the audience and sets them up for a musical of catchier tunes and feel good melodies. One could say that this could be used in support of Dyer’s argument. Superficial catchiness like this can be viewed as an entertainment device, only enticing the audience from gimmicks like this. M. Owen Lee’s work can be used in many contexts. Since his analysis primarily focuses on musical qualities of the songs themselves, it leaves room to be brought into several different contexts. In the grand scheme of the scholarly discussion of Oklahoma!, the validity of musicals as a narrative form is constantly brought into question. Dyer’s argument of musicals serving primarily as entertainment sits in direct opposition of McMillin’s. Generally speaking, it seems as if most scholars directly agree with McMillin. They support that music is a unique narrative

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device that functions to further the plot of musical films; however, Dyer’s views make a different and a bit bolder claim in his discussion of function just for entertainment purposes. All around, the function of music is often discussed in the narrative structure of Oklahoma!. Scholars like Dyer may differ on the functionality of the musical numbers, but there is certainly enough discussion to fuel different viewpoints.

Llewellyn Works Cited Dunne, Michael. American Film Musical Themes and Forms. Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2004. Dyer, Richard. Only Entertainment. London: Routledge, 2002. Lee, M. Owen. A Season of Opera: From Orpheus to Ariadne, University of Toronto Press, 1998. McMillin, Scott. “INTEGRATION AND DIFFERENCE.” The Musical as Drama, Princeton University Press, 2006 Mordden, Ethan. The Hollywood Musical. Newton Abbot: David & Charles, 1982.

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