Among the film industry, musical has been a popular and successful genre. Musical movies possess a deep and alluring charm created by a combination of music, dances, acting and other elements. Here, the introduced movies will be guides of the absorbing musical world.
The Young Ladies of Rochefort
Fascinating colors and joyful music, The Young Ladies of Rochefort (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) is one of the musical movies which represents the brightness of the 60s. Released in 1967, this French movie was written and directed by Jacques Demy and composed by Michel Legrand. This is their second cooperation after their collaboration film in 1964, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. Unlike the previous work, which is about a melancholic story of lovers separated by conscription, The Young Ladies of Rochefort talks about the beauty of dreams a person can own and the mystery of coincidences, which only the audience can see.
The Story
Delphine (Catherine Deneuve) and Solange (Françoise Dorléac), twin sisters teaching dance and music in Rochefort, search for their ideal lover and dream of going to Paris as a dancer and composer. One day, a carnival group comes to the city, and two workers of the troupe, Étienne and Bill, meet the twin sisters. The boys meet other people in the café owned by Yvonne, the twin’s mother. Some days later, it happens to be that some dancers had left the carnival group, so Étienne and Bill think of Delphine and Solange to perform to replace the vacant act.
The Songs
The music in this movie is based on jazz music and has a light, floating feeling in it. Some of the songs are sang by several characters, such as “Simon’s Song” and “Yvonne’s Song” with only slight difference of lyrics. Several reprises of songs appear in the film too. The music and songs help giving a connection between characters and giving more information to understand them. The famous song, “A Pair of Twins” with catchy melody might stuck in your head for a while…
The Dance
Not only the music, but also the dance has a role to create gay, dynamic atmosphere in the story. The beginning of the film starts with numerous dancers dancing on a ship, in the street and other places. With an instrumental arrange of the songs that will appear later, dancers in bright-colored clothes introduce the movie to the audience. The dancing scenes are reflections of the characters, and the dance between the female and male characters are romantic and sweet as their relationship.
Things I like
The bright colors and the daily life in a city in France give an exotic feeling. Gene Kelly, who plays an American visiting his old friend, dances splendidly and shows a perfect image of a handsome American visiting France.
The love story does not occur only with Delphine and Solange, and seeing the unexpected meeting of related people is very impressive
The Greatest Showman
“The Greatest Showman” is an original musical film about P.T. Barnum, the greatest showman on earth in a 19th-century who founded a circus troupe. Phineas Taylor Barnum was known for his hilarious “horror stories” (hoaxes) and for founding a circus (later Ringling Brothers and Barnum and Bailey Circus).
The original title of this work, “The Greatest Showman,” was taken from “The Greatest Show on Earth,” which Barnum staged.
P.T. Barnum
Hugh Jackman plays P. T. Barnum, and his partner Philip is played by Zac Efron.
Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who won an Academy Award and many other music awards for their work on “La La Land”, wrote all 11 songs used in the film. “This is Me,” the theme song for “The greatest showman,” won the 75th Golden Globe Award for Best Theme Song in a Motion Picture.
It also spent six consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the U.K. album charts and is said to be the first time since 2009’s “Hannah Montana the Movie” that a soundtrack from a non-sequel film has reached No. 1. The popularity of the album was not limited to the U.S., as it reached No. 1 in 60 countries on the overall iTunes chart, and in Japan, it reached No. 1 on the Oricon digital album ranking.
Synopsis
PT Barnum, an unemployed and impoverished visionary, becomes popular for his unprecedented show, turning the disabilities of people known as “freaks” into personalities. He then struggles to put on the biggest show on earth in New York City.
~What I love about~
Message
This film gives us a positive message about the importance of family and that we do not have to deny ourselves even if we are different from others. It is a film that gives us courage and reminds us of the essential value of human beings while depicting the suffering and struggle of people discriminated against and suppressed because of their status, race, or appearance. I believe that this image overlaps with that of many people in the real world, and it touches people’s hearts. I think the story of how Burnham comes to realize “what is truly important” is also a highlight of the film. The more he pursues his ideals, the more he loses sight of the world around him, which makes the viewer think about what is “truly important.
Music
The impressive music and encouraging lyrics that make you want to clap your hands unintentionally make the film even more appealing.
Camera Work
Not only the music but also the powerful camera work on the 19th century New York streets and at the circus is part of the film’s charm. All the seats on the screen are stylish and glamorous, including the train ride to England, the drinking scene at the tavern, and the rooftop of the apartment building where the Burnham family lives. You get a strange feeling that you are watching a movie, or as if you are watching a stage performance.
A quote from the film
Burnham goes on to praise them as “interesting because they are different from everyone else” and as people with so-called “one-of-a-kind” individuality. (In Japan, this is reminiscent of a line from a poem by Misuzu Kaneko: “Everyone is different, everyone is good.)
“Your success depends on what you do yourself, with your means” P. T. Barnum
“No one ever made a difference by being like everyone else” P.T. Barnum
Incidentally, it seems that Hugh Jackman and director Michael Gressy have stated that they are preparing a sequel. However, the title, release date, etc. have yet to be determined.