Table of contentsIntroductionPlot and narrative elementsContextual factorsEndingForm and stagingConclusionIntroductionIn recent years, the Hollywood musical has enjoyed remarkable popularity thanks to the release of various widely distributed films. -acclaimed films including Moulin Rouge!, Chicago, Mamma Mia and Les Misérables. Compared to musicals produced between the 1930s and 1960s (during the so-called "golden age" of Hollywood musical films), contemporary productions have a number of differences that have encouraged experts to examine how this particular genre fits into current society and how it has evolved, paying particular attention to narrative, structural and contextual changes. As Langford observed, the musical is a unique genre, because unlike other types of film, it is not intended to depict reality, making it independent of historical authenticity and expressive naturalism. Indeed, unlike other genres, whose subjects and themes are implicit in their own definitions (e.g. war films, historical films, etc.), musical films are characterized by only one distinctive feature: music. As a result, music can be used either as a tool to support a certain story or as the main element of a film. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayFrom a general analysis of classic and contemporary musicals, it is evident that although musical numbers play a very important role in all musical films, the interaction between music and narrative content has certainly changed; While classic films seem to be structured in a way to showcase the artistic skills of the actors and actresses, contemporary films tend to use music as an explanatory and supporting tool that helps the audience better understand the plot. For example, Singin' in the Rain (1952) opens with a musical number that seems unrelated to the next scene and whose main purpose is to entertain the audience before introducing them to the story itself. To be more precise, there is an obvious divide between the initial scene, where Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O'Connor sing and dance happily in the rain against an artificial blue background, and the following scene, where a series of actors and actresses are interviewed at the premiere of a new film, in a much more realistic setting. Chicago (2002), on the other hand, opens with "All That Jazz", whose rather dark connotation and cynical sensuality are in keeping with the story, which also revolves around dark themes such as cynicism, violence, corruption and crime. Additionally, unlike the opening musical number of Singin' in the Rain, "All That Jazz" is well integrated into the film and connects to the following scene(s) in a much smoother manner, without any abrupt interruptions. As Cohan notes: the Hollywood musical is a genre born from a specific sociocultural and historical context, where spectators were accustomed to impossible numbers and plots rich in logical, spatial and temporal contradictions. Therefore, in order to understand the reasons for the newfound success of Hollywood musical films, it is important to analyze how contemporary musicals differ from their classic counterparts in terms of sociocultural meaning, style and messages. The essay will study the relationship between musicalscontemporary and classic Hollywood films by focusing on two widely famous but very different films: Singin' in the Rain and Chicago. A comparison of these productions should reveal how the musical genre has evolved since the 1930s and explain why it has seen a resurgence after years of silence. In order to understand how the musical genre evolved from a narrative and structural perspective, the plots and main features of these films must first be explored. The Plot and Narrative Elements Directed by Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen, Singin' in the Rain depicts the difficulties faced by Hollywood performers in the 1920s, when silent films began to be replaced by so-called "talkies", also known as sound films. From a narrative perspective, Singin' in the Rain features a light-hearted plot around Don Lockwood and Lina Lamont, two silent film celebrities who must make their first sound film to keep pace with other studios, also in the process transition to talking films. Although Don and Lina are not romantically involved, they lead the press and their fans to believe that they are a couple both on screen and in real life for promotional purposes. Numerous flashbacks clearly show that Don is embarrassed by his modest origins, which is why he prefers to bolster his “star” status by offering a different, more glamorous interpretation of his professional career. This is the part where the pure entertainment begins, as Don's flashbacks are presented in a way that highlights his lies and embarrassment in a satirical manner. Despite its many contrived elements, the film is actually based on a very important event that revolutionized the global film industry: the introduction of sound synchronization technology. Such a simple and straightforward story allowed a number of relatively complex elements to be incorporated into the film, such as flashbacks, power plays, excursions, dramatic turns, breaks in routine, conflicts and numerous musical numbers, without confusing the audience. Even the difficulties Lina faces while trying to record her voice are depicted in a parodic manner, thus making the entire plot entertaining, joyful and effervescent. Chicago, on the other hand, is part of a new era of the musical genre that began in the early 21st century with the release of several dark, award-winning films like Moulin Rouge! (2001), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Les Misérables (2012). Released in 2002, Chicago is set during the Prohibition era, when Velma Kelly is arrested for the murder of her husband and sister after discovering they were having an affair. Shortly after Velma's arrest, Roxie Hart is also arrested for the murder of Fred, a cheating man with whom she had an affair in order to exploit her connections to become a star. Once at the Cook County Jail, themes such as corruption, cynicism, vanity and fame are introduced through a variety of musical numbers and dances. Attorney Billy Flynn embodies most of these qualities, or flaws, as he carefully instructs his clients in ways that help them fool the jury and get released from prison despite being guilty. Unlike Singin' in the Rain, Chicago uses satire as a tool to criticize the American justice system and the media's ability to shape and manipulate public opinion (as seen in the musical numbers "Razzle Dazzle" and "We Both Reached For the Gun", rather than entertaining the audience and shedding light on difficult situations. From a narrative point of view, Chicago is certainly more complex than Singin' in theRain, because even though Roxie Hart is presented as the main character of the film, she is surrounded by other powerful and equally important characters whose stories and personal goals are intertwined with her own. Velma, for example, is aware that fame is what she needs to be found "not guilty" and is willing to do anything to upstage Roxie, to the point that she ends up testifying against her at her trial. Billy, on the other hand, is presented as a skilled lawyer who knows exactly how to manipulate the media and the legal system by setting up false connections, manipulating evidence and facts, and discrediting witnesses. While the musical is structured in a way that encourages the audience to see Roxie as a heroine, her journey to freedom is fraught with pitfalls and threats, which are not minimized by joyful musical numbers. On the other hand, Chicago is characterized by a subtle tendency to emphasize and even glorify the anxieties, concerns, conflicts, and crimes of the characters. In Cell Block Tango, for example, the stories of various murderesses are presented in a way that makes revenge and murder justifiable in certain circumstances. As Mitchell points out, Chicago aims to surprise and destabilize the audience by transforming Roxie from a victim into a cynical, fame-hungry, arrogant criminal. It follows that although the narrative content and structure of Chicago evokes various feelings and may even cause emotional conflict and anxiety, Singin' in the Rain is a musical that allows the audience to relax and enjoy of a much “purer” story. Structurally, Singin' in the Rain 'in the Rain consists of 13 musical numbers, most of which are not neatly integrated into the plot. Chicago, on the other hand, features 16 musical numbers that are well integrated into the plot, to the extent that they play an important narrative role in providing useful information about each character's intentions, history, and personality. Contextual Factors As Cohan and Kuhn point out, the satire, simple plots, cheerful stories, and happy endings reflect the utopian and escapist nature of most classic Hollywood musicals. According to Kenrick, the escapist style of classic musicals is what allowed this genre to thrive during the Great Depression, when people were more than willing to escape their everyday problems by watching light-hearted films that depicted a version more exciting and positive of the real world. However, studios eventually released more than a hundred musicals in 1930, causing audiences to tire of escapist and unrealistic films. Additionally, with the end of the Great Depression, people's needs and wants began to change, which is why only fourteen musicals were produced in 1931. However, regarding the sociopolitical importance of musicals , Woll argues that it would be wrong to reduce classic musical films to nothing more than escapist tools, since productions such as For Me and My Gal (1942) served to educate audiences about different themes related to war during World War II. As Feuer points out, since the introduction of sound in films, musicals have had to adapt to changing industry models and the needs of viewers, which is why environmental factors must be taken into account when of the analysis of musical films. Feuer's evolutionary theory is supported by the fact that while between the 1930s and 1960s musicals were aimed at families, in the 1980s Hollywood began releasing several musicals for teenagers in order toto reach a much younger audience. Musically, this resulted in a shift toward films rich in rock musical numbers; however, from a narrative perspective, the plots continued to revolve around the three main subjects Altman identified: folk, spectacle, and fairy tale. Although artificial and impossible depictions are certainly inconsistent with contemporary audiences' need for realistic narrative films, Cohan argues that musicals are largely considered artifacts of nostalgia and are valued for their artistic and spectacular value. Endings Such narrative and teleological differences are also reflected in the films. purposes; in fact, while Singin' in the Rain features a typical closed happy ending, with Kathy recognized as the true star of The Dancing Cavalier and Lina publicly humiliated, in Chicago, Roxie is found not guilty and rejects her faithful husband, Amos, who stood by him during the trial despite his infidelity. It should be noted, however, that although Roxie's story appears to have a happy ending, in reality the audience cannot be sure that she will actually achieve her goal of becoming a vaudeville star, which is why Chicago's open ending leaves the public wonders about its future. Comparing other classic musicals (e.g., Shall We Dance (1937) and An American in Paris (1951)) with their contemporary counterparts, it is evident that while the former tend to feature happy endings that honor justice , love and other positive values, the latter tend to surprise the audience with seemingly unjust endings, where love and justice rarely triumph (like Staine's death at the end of Moulin Rouge! and the ending macabre of Sweeney Todd in which the main character kills his own wife).Form and directionAs Sikov points out, the so-called direction is one of the most important factors to analyze in order to critically evaluate the performances cinematographic. The term mise-en-scene is actually very broad and refers to a variety of elements, including lighting, props, performers' makeup, costumes, and even behavior. As Smith reports, Singin' in the Rain was conceived as a way to highlight a number of songs written by MGM producer Arthur Freed and Nacio Herb Brown between 1929 and 1939. Although it may seem unrelated with the subject matter analyzed, it says a lot about the form and structure of Singin' in the Rain. In fact, the film was structured and directed in a way that placed more emphasis on the musical numbers rather than the plot, which would explain why it seems the story was adapted, or even written, around the musical numbers . This impression is given by the discontinuity and fragmentation which characterize most of the scenes. To be more precise, spectators are exposed to a wide range of different settings, colors, dresses, props, accessories, dance styles and atmospheres. For example, in the scenes in which Don and Lina star in "The Dancing Cavalier," they change from modern, contemporary clothing and settings to 17th-century costumes, wigs, and settings. Another seemingly unrelated scene that contributes to the aforementioned sense of discontinuity is that in which the musical number "Beautiful Girl" is performed, where the main characters watch another sound film being made. It is also worth noting that this scene, as well as the scenes where Don and Lina star in The Dueling Cavalier, provide audiences with an alternative perspective to cinema by taking a meta-cinematic approach. Likewise, after Don successfully transforms The Dueling,.