The Development of the Hollywood Film Musical:

Its Depiction and Influence on Western and Non-Western Society

MuL 100 Music & Culture

April 23, 2019
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Ever since its conception in the 1920s, the Hollywood musical film industry has had a turbulent
ride into the era of modernity. After its initial boom in the 1930s to the 1950s, it underwent a major de-
cline in popularity and was nearly dead by the 1960s. 1 The period of the 1960s to the 1990s is generally
considered to be a low point for the Hollywood musical film industry, with only a few stand-out musicals
being released. This sudden decline of the film musical may be attributed to several reasons, such as
blindness to the era’s social issues, failure to meet audience demand, excessive production costs, changes
in ideology, technological advancements, cultural shifts, and the introduction of new mediums. However,
the change of the millennium brought with it a resurgence of musical films. Two very successful musicals
were released in the early 2000s; Moulin Rouge! in 2001 and Chicago in 2002. Since then, Hollywood
film musicals have been making a gradual return to popularity, as evidenced by the success of more recent
released films such as Les Misérables (2012), La La Land (2016), The Greatest Showman (2017), Mary
Poppins Returns (2018), and more. This study aims to take a closer look at the cultural shifts, social
changes, and significant events that ultimately shaped the history of the Hollywood film musical. The
film industry can be considered as a product of commercialism, making it a reflection of the values of the
mainstream culture it must appeal to.2 With that in mind; more focus will be placed on social climate and
how it possibly affected the rise and fall in the popularity of Hollywood film musicals. Through this
study, one may gain a better understanding of the relationship between culture, society, and art; and how
this relationship can be utilised to bring about relevant social progress. Furthermore; this relationship does
not only apply to American society, but to Philippine society as well as to several other countries. The
power of modern technology and globalization has enabled the Hollywood film industry to extend its
reach all around the world, influencing all those that have access to them, regardless of geographical loca-
tion. Sean Griffin states; “The global reach of American popular music and Hollywood cinema has re-
sulted in an international familiarity with how the United States has developed the form of musical theatre
and musical film - so much so that a number of films made in other countries adopt the patterns and
themes of the American musical.”3 This is supported by Philippine yearly box office statistics as of April
23 2019; Mary Poppins Returns ranked seventh in 2019 and has grossed 639,065 USD; The Greatest
Showman ranked seventeenth in 2018 and has grossed 2,634,809 USD; lastly, Beauty and the Beast
ranked first in 2017 and has grossed 13,501,376 USD. 4 These statistics imply that Hollywood film musi-
cals garner a significant Filipino viewership, and that these films have had an impact on Philippine soci-
ety, one that has been unrecognised and so warrant further investigation.

1 Matthew Kennedy, Roadshow!: The fall of film musicals, (New York, New York, 2014), 5.
2 Steven Cohan, Hollywood musicals, The film reader, (London, Routledge, 2007).
3 Sean Griffin, Free and easy?: A defining history of the American musical film genre, (Chich-
ester, 2018).
4 Box Office Mojo, Philippines yearly box office, (2019, 2018, 2017).
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The main concept to be applied in this study is that of the “Art World”, as constructed by Howard
S. Becker. An “Art World” is a world that consists of all the people whose activities are necessary to the
production of the characteristic works which that world, and perhaps others as well, define as art.” 5 The
existence of art worlds entails a more sociological approach to art, one that recognises art to be a collabo-
rative activity achieved through the cooperation of a large number of people. More emphasis is given to
the networks behind the production of art, rather than the final product. Firstly, there is the matter of exe-
cution; What are all the smaller tasks or “support" activities that must be accomplished in order to reach
the main objective? How much time and resources may be utilised in order to achieve these tasks? What
are the possible channels of distribution for the product? Next, the division labor is of great importance.
There are hundreds of tasks involved in the creation of an art world, from big jobs such as directing or
producing to smaller jobs such as printing out the script or getting coffee. Each task, as well as the person
who accomplishes them, is considered to have contributed to the art world. Conventionally, people are
bundled together based on their skill level and specialty, and placed under teams designated for market-
ing, creative, technical, production, and more. A good example of this are the credits for Hollywood
movies, which list down every task and person involved in the making of the film. Although each person
is given importance, certain individuals are considered to be vital than others.

Artists, in particular, are traditionally given special treatment due to their talent. The artist may be
considered the principal creator behind the art itself, and so these two things - art and artist, form an in-
separable association with each other. Oftentimes, the value of an artwork depends heavily on the reputa-
tion the artists behind it. The artist provides a special quality to an art world that allows it to be considered
“art”, but there are many more tasks that are accomplished by others for its creation and distribution.
These people, often placed in specialised professional groups or institutions, are called collaborative links.
Collaborative links may include manufacturing companies, support personnel, government institutions,
and more. Discourse between these collaborative links and the artist is aided by established standard con-
ventions. Artistic conventions regulate all decisions related to the production of art, including the materi-
als to be used, the abstractions utilised to convey certain ideas, the form in which materials and abstrac-
tions will be combined, the appropriate dimensions or length of a work, and the relations between artists
and audience.6 Conventions act similarly to guide posts, and may be modified to suit the situation. Al-
though they may be constraining to the artist, the main purpose of standard conventions is to allow for
quick and effective cooperation within the network. Taking all these aspects and elements into considera-
tion, to view something as an art world requires in-depth investigation into the activity itself, the people
and teams involved, the collaborative links, and the established conventions. With regard to the musical
films of Hollywood, the main points of study would include the producers, directors, performers, techni-

5 Howard S. Becker, Art worlds, (Berkeley, California, 2012), 34.

6 Becker, Art worlds, (Berkeley, California, 2012), 29.
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cal and sound teams, studio systems, common themes and narratives, as well as the established arche-
types, characters, and plot devices.

The study will also view the development of the Hollywood film musical as a product of social
construction, transculturation and globalization. The term “social construction” is used to promote the
idea that certain things do not exist naturally on their own, but were shaped by historical events and social
forces. In short, it defines things based on their interactions with society. Paul Boghossian states that there
are two distinguishable constructionist claims; metaphysical and epistemic.7 Metaphysical claims refer to
objects and facts, while epistemic claims attempt to explain the existence of certain beliefs and their roles
in social life. In his book The Social Construction of What?; Ian Hacking discusses the three steps often
taken by social constructionists in order to prove their theory about an object (X);

Social constructionists about X tend to hold that:

(1) X need not have existed, or need not be at all as it is. X, or X as it present, is not determined by
the nature of things; it is not inevitable.

Very often they go further, and urge that:

(2) X is quite bad as it is.
(3) We would be much better off if X were done away with, or at least radically transformed.8

However, this study will focus on the first step, using social constructionist theory to argue that
the Hollywood musical film industry exists as a result of society. The second and third steps may be used
to justify why the industry had to evolve in order to remain relevant throughout the years, especially with
regard to gender and minority representation. The evolution and expansion of the industry will also be
explained through transculturation and globalization. Transculturation was first conceptualized in 1947
and coined by Cuban anthropologist Fernando Ortiz in his article “Cuban Counterpoint: Tobacco and
Sugar”, in which he states; “…the word transculturation better expresses the different phases of the
process of transition from one culture to another because this does not consist merely in acquiring another
culture…but the process also necessarily involves the loss or uprooting of a previous culture, which could
be defined as a deculturation. In addition it carries the idea of the consequent creation of new culture phe-
nomena, which could be called neoculturation.”9 Transculturation differs from acculturation in that accul-
turation merely refers to the acquisition of a new culture, while transculturation refers to the deculturation

7 Paul A. Boghossian, What is social construction?, 2.

8 Ian Hacking, The social construction of what, (Cambridge, 1999), 6.
9 Fernando Ortiz, Tobacco and sugar, (USA, 1947), 103.
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of an old culture so that neoculturation may occur. When viewing Hollywood film musicals as a culture,
transculturation may be used to describe the change in the industry’s standard conventions from 1930 to
2019. Globalization is a concept most often used in the world of business and economics. The term refers
to the process by which businesses develop international influence and start operating on an international
scale. Often businesses and companies alter their product or strategy in order to appeal to the global audi-
ence, in the case of film; some aspects of the script, setting, characters, and narrative structure may be
changed. Beyond simply analyzing the history of the Hollywood studio system, the study will also delve
into female and minority representation in musical films. In the discussion of female representation in the
early era of the Hollywood film musical, the concepts of sexual objectification and Foucault’s theory of
gaze will be applied. In the discussion of minority representation, particularly of African-American and
Asian culture; the concepts of racial stereotyping and Orientalism will be applied. Cultural valorization;
how culture moves in responds to shifts in social structure and construction, will be used to justify the
eventual change in the depiction of these minority groups in Hollywood musical films.

The sexual objectification of women has been a point of interest for several decades. Perspectives
on the role of women in society has undergone drastic changes over the last two centuries; changes that
can be observed not just in society itself, but in art and media as well. Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann
Roberts explain sexual objectification theory as “[A] theoretical framework places female bodies in a so-
ciocultural context with the aim of illuminating the lived experiences and mental health risks of girls and
women who encounter sexual objectification… The common thread running through all forms of sexual
objectification is the experience of being treated as a body (or a collection of body parts) valued predomi-
nantly for its use to (or consumption by) others.”10 They also discuss the three arenas of the objectifying
gaze; actual interpersonal and social encounters, visual media that depicts interpersonal and social en-
counters, and in people’s encounters with visual media that give a sexual depiction of bodies and body
parts. An idea that is closely related to sexual objectification theory is Laura Mulvey’s concept of the male
gaze, which derived from Michael Foucault’s original theory of the gaze. In her study, “Visual Pleasure
and Narrative Cinema”, Mulvey explains the dynamic between man and woman as that of spectator and
spectacle. She states; “In a world ordered by sexual imbalance, pleasure in looking has been split between
active/male and passive/female . The determining male gaze projects its phantasy on to the female figure
which is styled accordingly. In their traditional exhibitionist role of women are simultaneously looked at
and displayed, with their appearance coded for strong visual and erotic impact so that they can be said to
connote to-be-looked-at-ness.” 11 Sexual objectification and the power of the male gaze is prevalent in ma-
jority of commercial media; in print advertisements, posters, commercials, TV shows, and especially in
film.

10 Barbara Fredrickson and Tomi-Ann Roberts, Objectification Theory, (USA, 1997), 174.
11 Laura Mulvey, Visual appearance and narrative cinema, (1975), 61.
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The word “stereotype” is a term in social psychology that refers to a fixed, over-generalized be-
lief about a particular group or class of people. 12 There are various kinds of stereotypes relating to race,
gender, and social status. Most forms of media depict characters in a way that further propagates these
stereotypes, especially those regarding African-American and Asian minorities. In the twentieth century;
Americans used the term “Oriental” to describe someone who was from the “Orient”, particularly the far
eastern countries of Japan and China. Edward Said introduces Orientalism as “…a style of thought based
upon an ontological and epistemological distinction made between ‘the Orient’ and (most of the time) ‘the
Occident’.” From this original usage, the concept further developed to mean the West’s distorted percep-
tion of eastern countries. Said elaborates on this; “Orientalism can be discussed and analyzed as the cor-
porate institution for dealing with the Orient — dealing with it by making statements about it, authorising
views of it, describing it, by teaching it, settling it, ruling over it: in short, Orientalism as a Western style
for dominating , restructuring, and having authority over the Orient.” 13 The final concept that will be used
in this study is that “cultural valorization”. The Oxford Dictionary defines “valorize” as the “give or as-
cribe value or validity to”, and so it follows that cultural valorization refers to building up or giving value
to a certain culture. The values ascribed to culture may be classified as Intrinsic Value; its inherent value,
or Instrumental Value; value from the purpose it serves.14 The valorization of one’s culture may lead to
better representation of the culture and its people in media.

Since the topic of discussion is quite broad, the study will be limited to a comparative analysis of
two musicals for each issue; one from the era of classic Hollywood and one from the modern era. To
highlight the shift in the Hollywood film musical industry as a whole; the musicals The Wizard of Oz
(1939) and The Greatest Showman (2017) will be used. On the progression of female presentation in mu-
sical film; the musicals Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933) and Mary Poppins Returns (2018). Finally, for the
issue of minority representation; the musicals Cabin in the Sky (1943) and Annie (2014). Aside from the
internal changes that occurred in the world of musical film, there will also discussion on how Filipinos
responded to these films. This will be done based on movie reviews, box office statistics, and overall re-
ception in the Philippines. For clarity, the study will only cover Hollywood film musicals that were re-
leased between 1920 to 2019. It does not include film musicals produced outside Hollywood, such as in
other parts of the United States nor in other countries. Likewise, it does not include stage or theatre musi-
cals such as the ones performed on Broadway, West End, and other theatres. However, film musicals and
stage musicals from different regions and countries may be referenced in order to justify or expound upon

12 Mike Cardwell, Dictionary of psychology, (USA, 1999).

13 Edward Said, Orientalism, (New York, 1978), 2-3.
14Manar A. El Gammal, Economics and valorization of cultural heritage: Evaluation of cultural
heritage benefits to urban-socio-economic development and sustainability, (2007), 7.
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certain points in the study. The concepts used will be limited to those previously mentioned, namely; art
worlds, social construction, cultural valorization, sexual objectification, theory of the gaze, racial stereo-
typing, appropriation, Orientalism, transculturation, and globalization.