Musicals, More or Less

Links and other resources for the 7 films in the Musicals, More or Less series I showed at DEAR on alternate Tuesdays, starting on September 13, 2022.

Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933)
  • 2015 review from pre-code.com – Comprehensive and absorbing review with lots of extras from “Danny,” who is clearly way younger than I am…
  • Hays Code of 1930 – Full text of the Motion Picture Production Code, which was ignored until Joseph Breen became the administrator of enforcement in 1934.
Stormy Weather (1943)
The Red Shoes (1948)
  • Original Fairy Tale – Hans Christian Anderson’s typically disturbing fairy tale, on which the movie is based.
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)
  • 2004 Review – Thoughtful review by Jim Clark, an online film blogger. Makes several perceptive points and provides a perspective on Umbrellas within Demy’s overall career.
A Hard Day’s Night (1964)
  • The Running, Jumping and Standing Still Film (1959) – Richard Lester’s first film is an 11-minute short that cost about £70 to make and had a profound impact on Monty Python, the Beatles, and a host of others. It received an Oscar nomination for best short film.
  • Screenplay – Alun Owen’s Oscar-nominated script debunks the myth that the dialog was largely improvised. It also includes shots that are not in the final film.
This Is Spinal Tap (1984)
  • Official Website – Yes, there’s a Spinal Tap website with lists of albums and tour dates, and of course overpriced merch!
  • First Sighting – First appearance of Spinal Tap, in the 1979 pilot for an ABC sketch-comedy program, The TV Show. That’s Rob Reiner as Wolfman Jack introducing the band. Too bad the plot didn’t get picked up…
  • 2001 Review – Retrospective review by Roger Ebert, written when he included This is Spinal Tap on his list of great movies.
All That Jazz (1979)
  • Verdon Fosse Legacy – Website for the organization founded by Nicole Fosse to “promote, preserve, and protect the work of her parents, Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse.”
  • Roger Ebert

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