5) They’re generally positive, but when they’re not they can be awesome too
So many popular movies, from the action blockbusters to the prestige pictures at the end of the year, are such downers. There’s nothing wrong with that; in fact it’s an essential source of catharsis that keeps us coming back, and many dark films end in some semblance of light, and that’s terrific for them. Variety is also nice though, and happy movies are some kind of a treasure after seeing Captain Phillips and Prisoners and All is Lost in succession. I know that movies rely on conflict but sometimes that conflict can be portrayed in ways that don’t threaten you enough to dampen your smile at the sight of Alan Alda in Everyone Says I Love You.
One of the best examples of the manic and naïve positivity that musicals can bask in is Moulin Rouge, specifically the hopelessly romantic fool played by Ewan McGregor. It’s a movie that’s chaotic in every way: compositionally, philosophically, sonically, and formally, but its madness, I dare say, belongs in the same echelon of madness occupied by the likes of Apocalypse Now. It’s just that this madman was inspired by musicals rather than the Vietnam War.
And yet there is also the rare case like Sweeney Todd that somehow manages to pull off the darkness of its content without sacrificing gorgeous song and occasional grotesque revelry. Then again, it’s the type of material that Tim Burton was born to direct.
