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Music in the Shadows

Noir Musical Films

Sheri Chinen Biesen

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Some musical films use film noir style and jazz to reveal the dark side of fame and the American Dream.

Smoke. Shadows. Moody strains of jazz. Welcome to the world of "noir musical" films, where tormented antiheroes and hard-boiled musicians battle obsession and struggle with their music and ill-fated love triangles. Sultry divas dance and sing the blues in shrouded nightclubs. Romantic intrigue clashes with backstage careers.

In her pioneering study, Music in the Shadows, film noir expert Sheri Chinen Biesen explores musical films that use film noir style and bluesy strains of jazz to inhabit...

Some musical films use film noir style and jazz to reveal the dark side of fame and the American Dream.

Smoke. Shadows. Moody strains of jazz. Welcome to the world of "noir musical" films, where tormented antiheroes and hard-boiled musicians battle obsession and struggle with their music and ill-fated love triangles. Sultry divas dance and sing the blues in shrouded nightclubs. Romantic intrigue clashes with backstage careers.

In her pioneering study, Music in the Shadows, film noir expert Sheri Chinen Biesen explores musical films that use film noir style and bluesy strains of jazz to inhabit a disturbing underworld and reveal the dark side of fame and the American Dream. While noir musical films like A Star Is Born include musical performances, their bleak tone and expressionistic aesthetic more closely resemble the visual style of film noir. Their narratives unfold behind a stark noir lens: distorted, erratic angles and imbalanced hand-held shots allow the audience to experience a tortured, disillusioned perspective.

While many musicals glamorize the quest for the spotlight in Hollywood's star factory, brooding noir musical films such as Blues in the Night, Gilda, The Red Shoes, West Side Story, and Round Midnight stretch the boundaries of film noir and the musical as film genres collide. Deep shadows, dim lighting, and visual composition evoke moodiness, cynicism, pessimism, and subjective psychological points of view.

As in her earlier study of film noir, Blackout: World War II and the Origins of Film Noir, Biesen draws on extensive primary research in studio archives to situate her examination within a historical, industrial, and cultural context.

Reviews

Reviews

[Biesen's] writing is silky and engaging and will enthrall fans of musicals and film noir...

Music in the Shadows is an interesting and provocative approach to post-genre film criticism that underscores the interconnectedness of diverse media, and provides both a challenging perspective on the musical genre and a testimonial to the ongoing legacy of noir sensibility.

Biesen's relevant study provides new insight and proves a welcome addition to film noir studies.

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Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
6
x
9
Pages
224
ISBN
9781421408385
Illustration Description
21 halftones
Table of Contents

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
1. The Noir Musical
2. Preludes to the Noir Musical
3. Blues in the Night: The Noir Musical on the Brink of World War II
4. Smoky Melodies: Jazz Noir Musical Drama
5

List of Illustrations
Acknowledgments
1. The Noir Musical
2. Preludes to the Noir Musical
3. Blues in the Night: The Noir Musical on the Brink of World War II
4. Smoky Melodies: Jazz Noir Musical Drama
5. Le Rouge et le Noir: From The Red Shoes to A Star Is Born
6. Dark Musical Melodrama: From Young at Heart to West Side Story
7. The Legacy of the Noir Musical
Notes
Index

Author Bio
Featured Contributor

Sheri Chinen Biesen

Sheri Chinen Biesen is an associate professor of radio, television, and film studies at Rowan University.