Theme: Musicals

The musical is a form of entertainment where a dramatic story is interwoven with songs. Characters on screen frequently burst out into song, which is almost always accompanied by dance. The songs are usually an expression of their feelings or a celebration. As opposed to opera, which does the same, the musical uses songs in a more popular as opposed to classical idiom.

The musical film was drawn from the popularity of the form on Broadway and other venues – the earliest musicals of the sound era were simply taken direct from Broadway shows. The genre’s peak was from the beginning of the sound era though the 1950s but it had largely died away by the end of the 1960s, although musicals are still made. The musical is still alive and flourishing in Bollywood Cinema that manages to wind songs and dance routines into almost every film made.

The musical is an inherently fantastical form, although there are surprisingly few examples that intersect with genre material. Usually when they do, it is usually an eccentric and offbeat experiment – the most popular example of this is probably The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975).