Ebook: Contemporary Musical Film

A reassessment of the film musical post-2000

Since the turn of the millennium, films such as Chicago (2002) and Phantom of the Opera (2004) have reinvigorated the popularity of the screen musical. This edited collection, bringing together a number of international scholars, looks closely at the range and scope of contemporary film musicals, from stage adaptations like Mamma Mia! (2008) and Les Miserables (2012), to less conventional works that elide the genre, like Team America: World Police (2004) and Quentin Tarantino’s Kill Bill (2003/04). Looking at the varying aesthetic function of soundtrack and lyric in films like Disney’s wildly popular Frozen (2013) and the Fast and the Furious franchise, or the self-reflexive commentary of the ‘post-millennial rock musical’, this wide-ranging collection breaks new ground in its study of this multifaceted genre.

Case Studies:

• Camp Rock
• School of Rock
• Rock of Ages
• Romance & Cigarettes
• Frozen
• Les Miserables
• Mamma Mia!
• Fast and the Furious franchise
• Across the Universe
• The Happiness of the Katakuris
• O Brother, Where art Thou?
• Kill Bill: Volume 1
• Team America: World Police