Spring Semester, 2021
This issue contains analyses of Les Misérables (2012), Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood (2019), Rocketman (2019), Mac Miller (1992-2018), Hoy no me puedo levantar (2005), Avenue Q (2003), and Moulin Rouge! (2001).
Abstract: This paper aims to identify the complicated relationship between the story of Les Misérables and its female characters by reviewing pieces by authors Stacy Wolf and Bradley Stephens and comparing their view-points with my own analysis of the 2012 Les Misérables film by Tom Hooper. Author Stacy Wolf highlights the dissonance between the way the plot treats female characters in the story and what modern audiences expect of female characters. Bradley Stephens examines the objectification of the literal face of the story, Cosette, but points out that the character may be re-deemed through adaptation. Using Stephens’ analysis of modern adaptations of Cosette as a guideline, I analyze the casting choices and actresses’ portrayal of the female characters in the Les Misérables film and the impact those decisions have on the story.
The Counterfactual History of Quentin Tarantino's Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood
William Aippersbach
Abstract: This essay analyzes the way Quentin Tarantino’s film Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood is a picturesque rendition of classic Hollywood from the 1960s that comments on present day issues depicted in the past that inspired the writer in his hobbies and interests. I examine Quentin Tarantino’s political and social opinions displayed in his films and the controversial ways he goes about putting them in not only this film but others. I break down these problems to determine whether or not these actions are only blown out of proportion and just a part of the time he’s writing in, such as the treatment of women in his films and just a conspiracy created by the media. I draw on Emily VanDerWerff, Mel Campbell, Caroline Guthrie, and Quentin Tarantino for analysis and commentary. I also conduct an analysis on Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood based off of Guthrie’s research on Tarantino’s films, where I explore the possibilities of the connection of nostalgia and political movements. I comment on the strong connection of family in film and outside of film research of Campbell’s work that create a deeper understanding of the film. Finally, this essay analyzes the controversies produced by Quentin Tarantino and Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood by examining the divide it creates amongst viewers and the dramatized depictions of the past created by fictional historical revisions.
Abstract: In the biopic made about Elton John called Rocketman (2019), some of the leading performers include Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden, and Bryce Dallas Howard. The plot of the movie is the life of Elton John, starting first at his youth when he discovers his musical talents of being able to pick up piano instantly and composing music. I claim Rocketman to be the more authentic musical biopic than Bohemian Rhapsody by combining the psychological aspects of being famous and all the trials and tribulations that brings as well as using authenticity to amplify every part of Elton John that is flawed and candid. Rinske Lerk would have agreed that having used the Internal Family System only adds to the authenticity of this representation of Elton John, though he does not consider the authentic inner psychological representation in his argument. Realism isn’t the end-all-be-all when it comes to authenticity; a metaphor can be more authentic than a literal interpretation, and Rocketman executes this metaphor beautifully, using every member of Elton John’s actual family and finding the correlation with their roles within Elton John’s IFS and how it affects his life (Crystal L. Hughes, Emily Horton, and Tonya R. Hammer).
Mac Miller's Urban Authenticity and Social Awareness
Emily Russell
Abstract: Mac Miller’s music spans copious genres, emotions, and struggles. His music is loaded with immense urban authenticity and his bare truth. There is no question whether Mac Miller was a successful musician in the rap industry. However, the way Mac Miller tackles topics of race, gender, and other political and social issues explains his prosperity as a person and therefore his success in the media and music industry. I dive deep into Mac Miller’s music and career, the urban origins of rap, and the role of race and politics within the rap industry and Miller’s music. Michael P. Jeffries and Matthew Oware both make great points regarding the beginnings of rap and the economic and social issues throughout rap music. Michael P. Jeffries acknowledges Mac Miller’s racial awareness, and Matthew Oware even gives Miller credit for taking political actions throughout his career. However, they both fall short in connecting Mac Miller’s racial, political, and social sensitivity to his accomplishments and success as an artist. This sets Miller apart from other white rappers whose success comes from ignoring the politics of race, such as Iggy Azalea and Machine Gun Kelly. Jeffries goes as far as arguing that Mac Miller has the privilege of deracializing his music. However, I believe that Mac “deracializing” said material is the key in appreciating the culture rather than appropriating it; this is something Mac Miller has always executed very well. Oware makes the claim that Mac Miller quickly changed his mind on Donald Trump when Trump announced his presidential campaign. However, I believe and argue that in the right context Mac Miller’s views on the politics of race never changed in the first place.
Hoy no me puedo levantar: the Spanish-Speaking Musical that Revolutionized the Industry
Andrea Azomoza Guerrero
Abstract: I will present to you the research on jukebox musicales (Charles D. Adamson) and essays on Hoy no me puedo levantar, Spanish resources that I will translate (Alejandro Postigo) and explain (Duncan Wheeler). I argue that Hoy no me puedo levantar is not only a jukebox musical that seeks nostalgia to make money, it is a project that revolutionized the industry and all of Spain.
Abstract: I love puppets, whenever I see one it captures my attention. I can imagine them being truly alive. I saw Avenue Q last February off-Broadway with my sister at a New World Stages Theatre, and it became my favorite musical. Avenue Q is a musical featuring puppets and human actors, with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and a book by Jeff Whitty. It tells the story of Princeton, a recent college graduate and his neighbors on Avenue Q. The show’s format is a parody of PBS’s Sesame Street, featuring three human actors and eleven puppet characters animated by four unconcealed puppeteers. It talks about racism, internet pornography, sexuality, sexual orientation, and schadenfreude. Puppets have been used since the earliest times to animate and communicate the ideas and needs of human societies, they allow you to represent a wide spectrum of identities and realities. What I loved about the show is that it creates a reality where different people, from different backgrounds, ethnicities, races, religions, and sexual orientation live and interact with each other, and this helps to open the conversation about different topics. I am going to talk about how Avenue Q represents racial difference or Otherness and sexuality by using puppets, humans, monsters, etc. and how the puppets help to open the conversation and make the audience reflect about their own relationship with racism and sexuality. Furthermore, based on what Ryan Luévano and Christopher M. McCoy say about race and sexuality in their analysis of Avenue Q and my interview with Kenita Miller, an actress in one of the productions, I will take it further and analyze the representation of interracial relationships in the play. There are two interracial relationships in the play, Princeton (puppet) and Kate (monster puppet); and Brian (white) and Christmas Eve (Japanese). On the one hand, Kate and Princeton’s interrelationship is shown in a stereotypical way. On the other hand, Avenue Q chooses to portray this relationship in a non-stereotypical and complex way by using puppets, which are animated by unconcealed puppeteers as their protagonists. When it opened on Broadway in 2003, it was new and avant-garde, and it still is today.
Abstract: Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge! is a jukebox musical featuring popular songs of the mid-to-late 20th century. I first encountered this film at the age of four; Moulin Rouge! has remained a cherished film in my life, and as I’ve grown and matured, I developed more appreciation for the film beyond its visuals. Everything I loved at age four means the film remains enjoyable even after numerous viewings, however, I believe it is more than simply spectacle that causes viewers such as myself to return. At the time of its release, the movie musical was a dying genre that had not been popular since the 1950s. However, Moulin Rouge! went on to win an Academy Award for both its vibrant set and costume design and grossed $184,935,320 worldwide (IMDb.com). In 2019, a stage musical adaptation of the film debuted on Broadway. It suffices to say that Luhrmann managed to bring the movie musical back to popularity. For me, the film is underrated in its feat of being a transnational work, both within its fictional storyline and its real-life production team. The plot is based on the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice and takes place in Paris, France. Luhrmann, an Australian director, borrows stylisations from Indian Bollywood as well as 1940/50s Hollywood musical tropes. Moulin Rouge!’s ability to traverse continents is important to me as I consider my identity to be transnational, too. Australia is often referred to as a “melting pot of cultures;” everyone that lives there is either an immigrant, refugee, or Indigenous. My grandparents came to Australia as refugees following WWII: I am half Polish and half Hungarian but also Australian since I was born there. With its cross-continental influences, Moulin Rouge! is directly reflective of the Australian “melting pot” identity. Luhrmann being an Australian director that achieved international acclaim was and still is another source of inspiration to me. As someone who aspires to work in the performing arts on a global scale, only seeing American artists finding this success made it feel as though it was not possible for a small-town Australian girl like me; Moulin Rouge! changed that. But outside of the Australian cultural identity, it was the nostalgic form of the jukebox musical that drew audiences in. I propose that Luhrmann utilised this form to expose the mainstream to his subversion of popular media: through the study of Elizabeth Hudson, I will explore the unique way in which Luhrmann employs song devices and postmodern cinematic techniques such as camp, with the support of Susan Sontag’s “Notes on ‘Camp.’” I will then use Kathryn Connor Bennett to establlish the gender stereotypes present in the film’s predecessor, La Bohème, and present my own contributions to illustrate how these stereotypes are transcoded in Moulin Rouge! via the presence of camp and postmodernism, ultimately criticising gender norms and commercialized performance.