The Rough Guide to Film Musicals 1 (Rough Guide Reference) [Paperback]

Rough Guides (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 16, 2007 | Series: Rough Guide Reference

The perfect companion to cinema''s most spectacular genre, The Rough Guide to Film Musicals reveals how an escapist entertainment became Hollywood''s most ingenious art form. From such enduring classics as Singin'' In The Rain and West Side Story to recent successes like Evita and Chicago, this book reviews 50 essential musicals, including several forgotten gems. There are profiles of musical icons such as Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and George Gershwin and details of musicals from around the world. Complete with a list of the best soundtracks, websites and books for further reading, this Rough Guide takes a behind the scenes look at this magical movie genre.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Parkinson is a film critic and historian, who has written several books and reviews regularly for Empire and the Radio Times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Rough Guides; 1 edition (July 16, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1843536501
• ISBN-13: 978-1843536505
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 7.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #647,292 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Cursory Look at the Film Musical Genre Still a Fun Read, April 29, 2008

By 

Ed Uyeshima (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Film Musicals 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

As part of the expanding Rough Guide series covering the entertainment field, Empire Magazine film critic and historian David Parkinson has done a smart, admirable job documenting the history of the film musical genre within the book's 326 pages. The key to its success is the way he divides the volume, first with a cursory look at the stage shows and minstrel revues that preceded film, the concept of silent musicals before talkies arrived, and tracking how the musical film has evolved over the last century. Parkinson spotlights iconic figures both in front of and behind the camera. The usual suspects are here - Astaire, Kelly, Garland, Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein - but also "underused" figures like the Nicholas Brothers and Ethel Waters.

The most interesting section describes how musicals work in terms of plot devices and visual style. Obviously, no guide is complete without a list of the fifty essential cinematic musicals, a relatively sturdy list that combines indisputable classics (Singin' in the Rain, Swing Time, the 1936 version of Show Boat) with long-forgotten gems (Summer Holiday, The Love Parade) and films of a more recent vintage (Chicago, Evita). There is a quick rundown of international musicals broken down by country, as well as lists of the best soundtracks, genre Web sites and books for further reading on the subject. My one overriding criticism is the overly jaundiced comments Parkinson makes about musicals he considers essential but obviously detests (High Society, West Side Story). Regardless, this is a fun read for aficionados of the genre.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good information, confusingly arranged, January 3, 2008

By 

Coco Pazzo (Long Beach, CA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Film Musicals 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

This book has quite a lot of good information but its format is quite confusing mixing a chronological format with a dictionary format and not succeeding quite as either. Despite my forgivings, this book is a welcome addition to the non-academics who are interested in learning more about film musicals.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Stimulating Introduction to the Hollywood Film Musical!, November 28, 2008

By 

John Howard Reid (Wyong, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Rough Guide to Film Musicals 1 (Rough Guide Reference) (Paperback)

Like my own HOLLYWOOD MOVIE MUSICALS, this book is somewhat light on illustrations but heavy on text. It follows the usual "Rough Guide" format with a comprehensive historical survey, followed by a more detailed examination of "50 Essential Film Musicals", and then a brief selection of biographical entries, followed by a rather cursory chapter on musicals other than those made in Hollywood. It is undoubtedly the "50 Essentials" that will excite most comment and I must admit there are both surprising inclusions and exclusions in the author's list. The author also seems to have a bias against more than a few of the top box-office names in musical comedy. Icons like Alice Faye, Nelson Eddy, Bebe Daniels, Dixie Lee, Moira Shearer, Artie Shaw, Patricia Ellis, Lawrence Tibbett, Lucille Ball, Virginia O'Brien, Dennis Morgan, Rosemary Clooney, Kenny Baker, Frankie Laine are either given little space or, in most cases, none at all! Admittedly, you can't fit everybody into 326 slightly larger than pocket-sized pages, which is why I saved many of my own favorites for my follow-up book, MORE MOVIE MUSICALS.