NONFICTION

Dangerous Rhythm: Why Movie Musicals Matter

by Richard Barrios
Oxford Univ. May 2014. 288p. photos. notes. bibliog. index. ISBN 9780199973842. $34.95. FILM
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Film historian Barrios (A Song in the Dark; Screened Out) chronicles music musicals as they move in and out of popular and critical favor, from The Jazz Singer to The Wizard of Oz to TV's Glee. The book often circles back to the polarized nature of movie musicals: trivial subjects, produced at tremendous expense; awkward episodes of nonsingers singing and nonactors acting; plots or presentations that are clueless and even offensive, yet garner devoted followers. The author isn't afraid to call them as he sees them, sharing his encyclopedic knowledge, in a style free from academic jargon and sporadically laced with stinging criticism or effusive praise. Occasional black-and-white photographs accompany the text.
VERDICT Barrios's work offers little that is "dangerous" (the title is taken from a song) but much that will interest movie musical buffs looking for detailed analysis of singers, actors, directors, songs, budgets, notable flops, animated musicals, and comments about what triumphs in a musical, what doesn't, and why.
Reviewed by Maggie Knapp, Trinity Valley Sch., Fort Worth, TX , Apr 01, 2014
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