NONFICTION

Music in the Shadows: Noir Musical Films

by Sheri Chinen Biesen
Johns Hopkins. 2014. 224p. photos. notes. index. ISBN 9781421408378. $65; pap. ISBN 9781421408385. $29.95. FILM
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The phrase "film noir" evokes specific images: moody cinematography, smoky tendrils, femmes fatales, cynical men. Yet there's another element that is vital to this genre—the music. Whether it's the blues or jazz, crooners or torch singers, the music of these films reminds the viewer of a time and place that is rarely visited today. Biesen (Blackout) studies film noir's dark sister, the musical noir. At a time when many studios were releasing generic escapist fare, studios including Warner Bros. and Columbia released films such as Gilda and To Have and Have Not, which paved the way for Judy Garland in A Star Is Born, the "dark alternative to the idealized world of upbeat musicals."
VERDICT In exploring musical noir, the author moves from its beginnings in the 1930s to such modern examples as Moulin Rouge! and Chicago from the early 2000s. Her writing is silky and engaging and will enthrall fans of musicals and film noir and those interested in the cultural significance of the genre and its far-reaching impact on modern cinema.
Reviewed by Teri Shiel, Univ. of Connecticut Health Ctr. Lib., Farmington , Jul 01, 2014
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