Given the international popularity of these shows, La La Land is well-timed, capitalising not only upon viewer popularity but also reaching an audience that is very familiar with the task of appraising and appreciating the merits of non-professional dance. ![]() That kind of recognition draws certain parallels with television shows like Strictly Come Dancing, Dancing with the Stars and their numerous global incarnations, which celebrate the often considerable accomplishments of trained amateur dancers as they master complex and demanding routines. Perhaps it is because Stone and Gosling dance so generously together, or perhaps it is because their lack of finessed perfection reminds us of their effort, making visible their physical achievement in every step. There is a particular joy in watching non-expert dancers produce a slightly looser but nonetheless carefully fluent series of moves, shapes and rhythms. (This might bring to mind Tom Hooper’s Les Miserables of 2012, for which all vocals were recorded live on set, though Chazelle’s use is far more selective and certainly doesn’t risk any equivalent to Russell Crowe’s notorious tuning difficulties in Les Miserables.)Īnd, of course, they dance. Indeed, although the central pair proves highly accomplished, the film doesn’t add gloss to their authentic talents in moments such as Stone singing or Gosling playing piano in live takes. Part of the pleasure in watching their performance involves an appreciation of the sheer effort required in their learning new skills with considerable success. ![]() While it should be noted that neither actor is entirely unfamiliar with these skills – Stone recently played the stage part of Sally Bowles in Cabaret, for example, and Gosling is a member of indie rock band Dead Man’s Bones – their roles in La La Land nevertheless exist outside of their previously-defined screen repertoires. Elsewhere, however, a different kind of spectacle is offered as Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone step away from their established personas to take on the intense demands of singing, dancing and playing. That energetic opening sequence might be regarded as an almost standard convention of the Hollywood musical, featuring professional dancers and exhibiting the poise, precision and finesse that can only be achieved through assured choreography and years of training. The opening sequence of La La Land certainly provides an immediate illustration of the tendency as it features traffic-jammed drivers spontaneously exiting their vehicles and using them as elaborate platforms for collective song and dance, all captured in unbroken travelling shots that serve to complete the intoxicating seamlessness of this extraordinary freeway disruption. We might say that all screen musicals negotiate this tension, offering rupture and resolution as they make the incongruous harmonious. ![]() And then there is the pleasure as music and movement come together harmoniously on screen, creating patterns of mesmerising synchronisation. There is the thrill of incongruity as people suddenly (but also gradually) break into song and dance, departing from certain prevailing codes of everyday behaviour they might otherwise adhere to. The film is an especially self-conscious Hollywood musical that seems to thrive on the tension between moments of incongruity and harmony. In the run-up to this year’s Oscar ceremony, Damien Chazelle’s La La Land has become the stand out film of the season with fourteen nominations in total, including best picture, best director best screenplay, best actress and best actor.
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