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Cheer Up!: British Musical Films, 1929-1945
£22.30£28.50 (-22%)
The first book to deal exclusively with the British musical film from the very beginning of talking pictures in the late 1920s through the Depression of the 1930s up to the end of World War II. Cheer Up! is the first book to deal exclusively with the British musical film from the very beginning of talking pictures in the late 1920s through the Depression of the 1930s up to the end of World War II. The upsurge in production at British studios from 1929 onwards marked the real birth of a genre whose principal purpose was to entertain the British public. This endeavour was deeply affected by the very many emigres escaping Nazi Germany, who flooded into the British film industry during this decade, as the genre tried to establish itself. The British musical film in the 1930s reflects a richness of interest. Studios initially flirted with filming what were essentially stage productions plucked from the West End theatre but soon learned that importing a foreign star was a box-office boost. Major musical stars including Jessie Matthews, Richard Tauber and George Formby established themselves during this period. From its beginning, the British musical film captured some of the most notable music-hall performers on screen, and its obsession with music-hall persisted throughout the war years. Other films married popular and classical music with social issues of poverty and unemployment, a message of social integration that long preceded the efforts of the Ealing studios to encourage a sense of social cohesion in post-war Britain. The treatmentof the films discussed is linear, each film dealt with in order of its release date, and allowing for an engaging narrative packed with encyclopaedic information.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Boydell Press (15 May 2020) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 395 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1783274999 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1783274994 |
| Dimensions | 16.51 x 3.18 x 23.5 cm |
by M H Rouse
As always with Adrian Wright’s books, eg Must Close Saturday, this is a fascinating catalogue of British Musical films written with some personal observations which add some spice to the record and make one want to watch the films. Thoroughly enjoyable and informative about something I knew little.
by david dixon
A wonderful book! Informative AND entertaining.
by Patrick Davies
Adrian Wright’s book covers the popular music culture of the 1930s and war years as it is reflected in the British films of the period. Thoroughly researched and nicely illustrated, the book is written in a lively and engaging style providing a wealth of detail not found elsewhere including the musical song and dance sequences in each film. Amazingly comprehensive, this is the definitive work on this subject. It is difficult to think of any film (over 60 minutes in length) that is not covered. Wright has clearly seen the vast majority of the films he writes about and is not afraid to give a personal opinion about his likes, or where on rare occasions, he thinks a film falls short. Well remembered personalities such as George Formby, Gracie Fields, Jessie Matthews, Frances Day, Richard Tauber, Jack Hulbert, Cicely Courtneidge, Vera Lynn and Tommy Trinder are featured prominently as well as many others who deserve to be remembered more such as Stanley Lupno, Lilian Harvey, Vera Pearce, Evelyn Dall, Violet Lorraine, Bobby Howes, the ubiquitous Sherman Fisher Girls and Frank Randle.
The majority of musical films of the period 1929 -1945 have their roots in music hall, operetta, West End musical comedy and revue and dance bands. Those who are interested in any of these areas will find much of interest here. And for a general background to British 1930s film culture Jeffrey Richards ‘The Age Of The Dream Palace’ can be recommended. It has been said that ‘the devil is in the detail’ and Adrian Wright’s book more than fits the bill in this regard. It is a great read and a superb reference source.
by RodWP
Having read and enjoyed the same author’s “West End Broadway”, I bought a copy of this book expecting it to be a useful work of reference for British musical films of the 1929-45 era, which now turn up quite often on the Talking Pictures TV channel. I was not disappointed in that regard – but the book turned out to be so well researched and so well written that I read it cover to cover with great enjoyment as soon as it arrived. It’s a most entertaining read and it made me eager to check out some of the films covered.
by Terry Pearson
This is an amazingly comprehensive listing of British musical films of the period – not only comprehensive, but affectionately written and well-informed in its approach to such a wide-ranging topic.
by Wingate
I reckon that I have seen 212/335 featured in this book.So I regard myself as an authority on the subject.However the author impressed me with the scope and breadth of his knowledge. This is one of the best books I have ever read and will be a useful reference book I agree with most of what he writes,with the exception of Frank Randle
by Mark Votier
An excellent companion for anyone who enjoys British musical films of the era. Adrian Wright’s research is thorough and this book is bursting with detail and insights. Its a fine read and heartily recommended.
by Mr. S. Boswell
Adrian Wright is a one Man(der & Mitchenson) Band. Whether it is his 3 earlier books from Boydell on West End Musical Theatre or this latest one on Musical Films, his knowledge and the skill with which he shares his research with such insight and humour, is delightful and ‘awesome’. In these dark days, “Cheer Up!” will ‘spread a little happiness’.