Other American movie musicals that address patriotism

By Stefan Hall

This Is the Army (1943) – Directed by Michael Curtiz and based on a Broadway musical by Irving Berlin, this story follows a father and son during World Wars I and II features a full-length rendition of “God Bless America,” sung by Kate Smith, that is probably the most famous cinematic version of the song. The musical was designed to boost morale in the U.S. during World War II. A large ensemble cast – including George Murphy, Joan Leslie, Alan Hale, and Lt. Ronald Reagan – was augmented in both the stage play and film with soldiers of the U.S. Army who were actors and performers in civilian life. Berlin himself sang his “Oh, How I Hate to Get up in the Morning.”

On the Town (1949) – Directed by Stanley Donen and Gene Kelly and featuring music by Leonard Bernstein, along with Roger Edens, and book and lyrics by Betty Comden and Adolph Green. The story of three sailors – played by Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra and Jules Munshin – on shore leave for 24 hours was enhanced by on-location shooting in New York City. Based on a Broadway musical directed by George Abbott from an idea by Jerome Robbins.

Nashville (1975) – Directed by Robert Altman. The stories of 24 characters are interwoven with the efforts of a political operative and a local businessman to stage a concert rally for a populist outsider running for president. Country and gospel music figure prominently in the ensemble satire.

Hair (1979) – Directed by Miloš Forman. This adaptation of the 1968 Broadway countercultural rock musical contained a number of narrative changes while retaining signature songs like “Aquarius” and the title song by composer Galt MacDermot and lyricist James Rado. (Rado and Gerome Ragni adapted their stage book with Michael Weller). Homegrown reaction to the Vietnam War figures into the politically-themed plot.

Across the Universe (2007) – Directed by Julie Taymor. This film uses only songs by the Beatles to tell the story of young lovers Jude and Lucy set against the backdrop of the anti-war movement and social protests of the 1960s. Notable for its rich mise-en-scène, especially the sequences set to “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “Strawberry Fields Forever,” and “Happiness Is a Warm Gun.”

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Stefan Hall (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) is an Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Studies at Defiance College in Defiance, Ohio. He’s published articles about movies, media, video games, and pop culture in ImageTexT: Interdisciplinary Comics Studies and The Greenwood Encyclopedia of Science Fiction and Fantasy. A number of his reviews appear in the Journal of the Fantastic in the Arts, and his chapter “Shaken, Stirred, Pixellated: Video Gaming as Bond” will appear in The James Bond Phenomenon: A Critical Reader (2nd edition), edited by Christoph Lindner and published by Manchester University Press, in September 2009. Hall is the Visual and Performing Arts Division Head for the International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts and is a member of Society for Cinema and Media Studies and the University Film and Video Association. Email him at shall@defiance.edu.