When technological advancements towards the end of the 1920's meant that films could be produced with a soundtrack, the genre of musicals was a natural development within films and became instantly popular with audiences. The Jazz Singer (1927) was a precursor of a true musical, having just a few sound sequences rather than a full soundtrack, but it was the first such film to be produced and was a box office hit. This encouraged other studios to produce musicals and a large number, 125, were made between 1929-1930 to take advantage of this new market. This was at the time of the Great Depression, but the films continued to show rich and happy people living in opulent surroundings, with audiences keen to enjoy this fantasy life. Warner Bros, however, did start to produce films which reflected the poor economic state of the country at the time, with films such as 42nd Street (1933) and Gold Diggers of 1933 commenting on the struggle for employment and of everyday living. Also in 1933 Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers appeared in their first film together - Flying Down to Rio - a pairing which caught the audience's imagination and they went on to star in a total of 9 musicals in the 1930's, with music written by well respected songwriters of the time, including George and Ira Gershwin and Irving Berlin, ensuring musicals were a highly regarded and popular genre. Towards the end of the decade, in 1939, The Wizard of Oz was released; still one of the most popular of all genres of film of all time.
Unlike some other genres, musicals remained popular during World War II, and they enjoyed another 'golden era' of popularity between 1944 and 1958, with stars including Judy Garland, Gene Kelly and Leslie Caron performing in classic films such as Gigi (1958) and Singin' in the Rain (1952). However, their popularity began to wane in the late 50's/early 60's when most musicals were merely screen adaptations of popular Broadway musicals which failed to bring anything new and exciting to the genre. Around this time most of the few original musicals that were made were aimed at the youth market, such as films starring Elvis Presley, including Hawaii and Las Vegas.
In the late 1970's two musicals starring John Travolta, Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978), were massive hits. They were both aimed at younger audiences, showing them how they could use dance to affect their lives and friendships, and were the beginning of a group of similarly structured films, such as Flashdance (1983) and Footloose (1984). The musical then became particularly popular again with a new audience when Disney began producing a series of very successful animated musicals, such as The Little Mermaid (1989), Beauty and the Beast (1991) and The Lion King (1994), aimed at a much younger audience. Similarly, Disney went on to develop the highly successful High School Musical brand between 2006 and 2011, which was again aimed at a specific young age group, rather than having the broader appeal of the original musicals, which were aimed at a much wider age group.
Musicals this century have had mixed success. Hairspray (2007), Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Miserables (2012), which received 8 Oscar nominations and won 3, including Makeup and Hairstyling, were all box office hits; whereas Rent (2005) and Sweeney Todd (2007) were both badly received. Unlike in their 'golden eras', producing a musical at the moment does not guarantee success, with each film being judged on its own merits and individual appeal.
When the genre 'musicals' was first introduced, a film which included three or more songs was considered to be a musical. More recently, the songs must be an integral part of the film and actually help to tell the story or move the story along. However, as with other genres, musicals often incorporate elements of other genres, such as Westerns (Annie Get your Gun 1950) or romantic comedies (Grease). There have been two main attempts to categorize musicals further than just the musical element. The original subdivisions were: the revue; the operetta; the backstage story; the star vehicle; the musical biography; the integrated musical. In his book The American Film Musical published in 1987, Rick Altman suggested different categories: the fairy-tale musical; the show musical; the folk musical - which managed to incorporate the previous categories into just 3 new categories. Across all these sub-categories, however, there is one element which is common to most musicals; bringing two people together against the odds.
When the genre 'musicals' was first introduced, a film which included three or more songs was considered to be a musical. More recently, the songs must be an integral part of the film and actually help to tell the story or move the story along. However, as with other genres, musicals often incorporate elements of other genres, such as Westerns (Annie Get your Gun 1950) or romantic comedies (Grease). There have been two main attempts to categorize musicals further than just the musical element. The original subdivisions were: the revue; the operetta; the backstage story; the star vehicle; the musical biography; the integrated musical. In his book The American Film Musical published in 1987, Rick Altman suggested different categories: the fairy-tale musical; the show musical; the folk musical - which managed to incorporate the previous categories into just 3 new categories. Across all these sub-categories, however, there is one element which is common to most musicals; bringing two people together against the odds.
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