FILM 41.13 Women in Musicals
This course traces the representations of women in the American musical genre from the 1930s to the present. We will look at the presentation of singing and dancing as labor; demands made on women’s bodies in the musical form (including the use of doubles to produce “ideal” bodies); ethnic heritage displayed or disguised; the way the genre can undermine or explicitly challenge normative gender expectations; the representation of historical figures in musical biographies, including those underrepresented in previous eras – for example, African American performers and non-performers (women directors, songwriters, etc.). This course is not open to students who have received credit for Film 07.12