American Film Musical

Finally, I found in "The American Film Musical" a critic who takes this genre seriously and has worked to understand its intricate and complex layers and patterns. Altman divides his study into three "subgenres" - the fairy tale musical, the show musical, and the folk musical - and demonstrates how most every example of the genre falls into one of these categories to some extent. As well as being devoted to the musical, Altman also provides a method for genre study in general, which some readers will want to skim or even skip if their only interest is research on the musical. However, to truly understand the workings of the genre it is beneficial to read the whole book, because the musical is surely one of the most complex art forms ever, and Altman does so much to break into the problems that many critics have ignored that it's worth being enlightened as to his process. The book makes you reconsider all the presuppositions you may have about the film musical and what constitutes a musical. The patterns and workings he reveals, particularly with regard to the dual-focus narrative, are fascinating: instead of just the old "how many songs?" question, Altman uses the criteria of "coupling" to form his theory of what constitues a musical. A definite YES for anyone searching through the dark for a more modern study of the genre.

This book may not be what the average fan of film musicals is after, but there are plenty of picture books and reference works on the musical for such readers. This is the most significant and wide-ranging study of the musical as a narrative and cinematic form anyone has yet attempted. No other serious work on the musical comes close, and despite another reviewer's complaint about academic writing, Altman's prose is in fact clear and witty -- which is not to say that he doesn't work through some sophisticated ideas: indeed, half of the book is a consideration of the notion of genre itself, with the musical the specific example for the book's deeper investigation. But for all the "serious" thought and research that went into this work, one always senses Altman's enthusiasm about the musical. Academic writing gets a bad rap: this is what academic writing is supposed to do -- explore, expand, and force the reader to grapple with, rather than just accept, ideas.