1 of 1

Write now Article Tools

I will attempt to address this misconception by taking a textual analysis approach to musicals in relation to Richard Dyer's influential essay Entertainment and Utopia, where he looks at the largely dismissed concepts of "escape" and "wish fulfilment." I will look at the effectiveness of his approach by paying particular attention to the films Brigadoon and An American in Paris, both starring Gene Kelly. Mainly because I feel these two films perfectly combine exotic worlds with US values, creating a real sense of utopia and secondly because I find them the most pleasurable musicals to watch.

Firstly I will define the term utopia and briefly describe the key concepts presented by Dyer within his essay and relate them to my chosen films.

A dictionary definition of utopia is "any real or imaginary society, place, or state considered to be perfect or ideal" and Dyer echoes this by taking musicals as a definition of entertainment: all singing, all dancing films which create a utopian world. He argues that musicals are pure entertainment and their sole aim is to provide pleasure. Dyer suggests that musicals, and entertainment as a whole, offer the image of something better' to escape into, or something we want deeply that our day-to-day lives don't provide. He takes a serious approach to these key aims of "escape" and "wish fulfilment" which he feels are part of entertainments utopian core, but are all too often overlooked. Thus suggesting that entertainment responds to real needs in society. Indeed the musical most certainly exemplify this escapism because it offers the audience the idea of a utopian world, therefore suggesting that the musical offers a non-specific utopian vision.

Utopia seems to emerge when characters sing and dance, they escape from the real world and all it's problems, for the length of the musical number at least, much like when people drink alcohol to forget problems that are still there when they sober up.

Therefore this is imaginary escapism, for the viewer as much as for the character. There are no real changes for either and escapist needs and their proper fulfilments are to a large extent created by a dominant system in which entertainment operates. Dyer touches on this fact at the start of his essay calling entertainment "a type of performance for profit performed before a generalized audience", he goes on to add that because it is professional entertainers who produce entertainment "it is also largely defined by them".

I would also add here

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 8
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Commentary: Escapism in musical films?
We want to hear your view. Write now!