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By Jesse Schlofterbeck

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Narrative Music in the Pop Performer Biopic

Abstract: Since 2004, there has beena remarkable resurgence of the musi-cal biopic genre. This analysis focuseson transitions between narratives andnumbers in three contemporary musi-cal biopics-Ray (2004), Walk the Line(2005), and Beyond the Sea (2004)-andcontends that these films have deeperstructural affinities with the musicalthan earlier pop performer biopics.

Keywords: biopic, continuity, filmmusic, musical narrative, musicals,popular music, realism

Year the end of Beyond the Sea

SV (2004), Bobby Darin (KevinSF Spacey), fatigued and in ill

health, prepares for his final live perfor-mance. Although Darin's manager (BobHoskins) cautions him against singingout of obligation-he has his sanity andhealth to consider--the singer persists.Minutes before Darin goes on stage,the manager asks him, matter-of-factly,if he is prepared to sing. Darin wearilyreplies that he is simply "trying to finda heartbeat."

The song he proceeds to perform,"The Curtain Falls," connects to mul-tiple narrative interests of the film.The lyrics reflect Darin's love of sing-ing ("Nothin' else would I trade forthis"); the film's attempt to create apersonal, psychological portrait ("Offcomes the makeup / Off comes theclown's disguise"); and, finally, the factthat Darin's career is over and he isdying ("The curtain's fallin' / The musicsoftly dies"). In the second verse, thefilm responds to the lyrical content ofthe song, as Darin's final performanceis intercut with shots of him confinedto a hospital bed in his final decline.This sequence neatly summarizes atrend in recent American films based onthe lives of popular musicians. Whilemusical biopics traditionally separatelyrical content from the performer'sstate of mind, more recent films inthis genre present songs as immedi-ate expressions of the lead character'semotions. In this way, the structure ofnew musical biopics is more closelyrelated to the musical (where music is

Copyright 0 2008 Heldref Publications

commonly deployed narratively as theinstantaneous expression of a charac-ter's desires) than to previous examplesof this smaller genre.

For most contemporary spectators, itis a well-known convention of the clas-sical Hollywood musical that characterssuddenly break into song. As opposedto the musical biopic, where singing islimited to professional, onstage perfor-mances, characters in musicals transi-tion to song within a single scene,accompanied by non-diegetic music.Consider the following examples fromtwo classical Hollywood musicals ofthe 1950s.

In The Band Wagon (1953), FredAstaire's washed-up Tony Hunterexchanges pleasantries in a train stationwith the now-more-famous Ava Gard-ner, playing herself, who is mobbed bypress photographers. She says to Tony,"Honestly, isn't all this stuff a bore?"Non-diegetic orchestral music playsfaintly in the background as Gardnerleaves and a porter remarks, "Thosepoor movie stars, people just won't letthem alone, will they?" Tony replies sar-castically, "No, I don't know how theystand it." Tony segues to a performance,snapping and strutting as he sings, "I'llgo my way by myself, all alone in acrowd." Typical of classical Hollywoodmusicals, the transition from dramaticto musical sequence is effected withina single shot, within the same dramaticspace, and with non-diegetic musicalaccompaniment. The lyrical content ofthe numbers matches the narrative situ-ation. When Tony sings "By Myself"he literally is "by [himself], alone [... ]finding [his] way, alone," wonderingwhat to make of his new anonymity.The following number, "When There'sa Shine on Your Shoes," works similarlyin terms of style and narrative develop-ment as Tony reacquaints himself withthe new Broadway. At first startled thata former theater has become a pennyarcade, Tony peruses the new amuse-ments and takes this transformation instride, appropriating this location asanother stage for song and dance. Thisnumber marks the point when the "old"Tony recognizes that he can coexist inthe world of new amusements, as "shoeshining" alludes to Astaire's dancing

as well as a literal shoe-shining standat the penny arcade. In the first scene,Tony is baffled by his waning popu-larity; by the second number, he hasregained his determination, using thepenny arcade as a dynamic forum for anAstaire performance. In this way, both"By Myself' and "Shoes" work narra-tively. They are not excerptable routinesthat stand apart from the story; rather,they dramatize Tony's subjective, two-part recognition of and adjustment tounfamiliar developments in entertain-ment: first, his loneliness and bemuse-ment at his unpopularity; and second,his attempt to find a place in the newentertainment context. Rather than pull-ing the audience out of the narrative,the performances align viewers moreclosely with the central character bydynamically expressing his thoughts.

In Gigi (1958), singing performanc-es are again situated as instantaneousexpressions of subjectivity consistentwith characters' thoughts and feel-ings. Honor6 (Maurice Chevalier) singsthe carefree '"Thank Heaven for LittleGirls" while strolling through the parkin an exuberant mood, appreciative oflife's pleasures. Honor6 and Gaston(Louis Jourdan) exchange phrases inthe duet "It's a Bore," singing lines thatreflect opposing worldviews: Gastonis exhausted, while Honor6 is excited.Similarly, in "I Remember It Well,"Honor6 and Mme. Alvarez (HermioneGingold) offset each other's remem-brances: Honor6's are fuzzy, whileAlvarez's are sharp. As in The BandWagon, Gigi's transitions from speak-ing to singing are often effected uncutwithin the same space and accompaniedby non-diegetic music. Although thistendency did not seem strange to spec-tators in the classical era, the transitionsbetween dramatic and singing sequenc-es appear abrupt and awkward to con-temporary film spectators. Discussing"the new movie musical" in 1980, J. P.Telotte wrote, "In these films, it is nolonger proper for a person to suddenlyburst into song. [ ... ] Whenever anyonedoes engage in such activities, it is usu-ally within a finitely restricted arena"(2). Recent films marketed as musicals,such as Chicago (2002), Hedwig andthe Angry Inch (2001), and Moulin

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Rouge (2001), mostly limit singing anddancing to rehearsal areas or stages(and fantasy sequences sprung fromthem), rather than allowing those per-formances into the diegetic spaces ofeveryday life, which were frequentlyused for such displays in classical Hol-lywood musicals.

The most important aspect of the typ-ical relationship between the dramaticand musical sequences in the classicalHollywood musical is the fact that itallows singing to function as instan-taneous expression. Timothy Scheu-rer describes the relationship: "[T]heinner reality of feelings, emotions, andinstincts are given metaphoric and sym-bolic expression through the meansof music and dance" (308). In thisway, musical numbers indicate deeperemotional territory than the dramaticsequences. When characters really feelsomething, they sing it immediately.In West Side Story (1961), Tony sings"Maria" the moment he realizes he isin love, just as The Band Wagon's Tonysings "By Myself' the instant he con-siders his aloneness. Thomas Elsaessertakes a similar view of numbers asmoments of recognition and release: "Itis precisely when [... ] emotional inten-sity becomes too strong to bear that [theperformers have] to dance and sing inorder to give free play to the emotionsthat possess them" (16).

In contrast to the musical's closealignment between emotions and num-bers, the musical biopic has tradition-ally emphasized the ups and downs ofthe star's career, punctuating this storywith the performer's songbook withoutclosely integrating the songs into thenarrative. Such films from the 1970sand '80s position music more as anartistic form and career choice than aforum for personal expression. The per-former's knack for a particular musicalstyle leads to a career choice that forceshim to adjust to a demanding lifestyle.This life story, rather than the deploy-ment of songs to match and heightennarrative developments on screen, isthe dominant point of interest of thesefilms. Steve Rash's The Buddy HollyStory (1978) is one example of a typicalmusical biopic. Here, the star-musi-cian (Gary Busey) rises to fame and

performs in increasingly large concerts.Holly goes from performing in privategarages and public roller rinks in ruralTexas to national television specialsand the Apollo Theater. Though thefilm features twelve of Holly's songs,they are treated as interpretations of apopular form, not expressions of hisimmediate feelings. While Judith Blochspecifically criticizes The Buddy HollyStory for "writing out" other musicalinfluences-"The implication is ratherthat Holly's 'jungle music' sprang fromthe mind of a lone genius in a smallTexas town somehow cut off from com-munication with the rest of the country"(45-46)-the film also ignores any per-sonal ones. The emphasis is always on"the sound," as the managers and pro-ducers seeking product differentiation inthis and other musical biopics so oftenput it, rather than the feeling behindit. We track Holly from gig to gig andstudio to studio, and see him fall inlove and leave his hometown for the bigcity, but his music is never presentedas autobiographical. Judging from thefilm, Holly's talent is songwriting, notself-expression. Holly's brand of rockand roll is powerful precisely becauseit is communal, relatable to millions ofyoung fans, not because it is personal,individualized expression.'

Like the backstage musical, musicalbiopics such as The Buddy Holly Storyderive dramatic tension between thelead characters' onstage performancesand their private lives.2 In The BuddyHolly Story, the difficult choices thatthe singer must make are a result ofhis musical career. As he is compelledto go on tour and move from Texas toNew York, he is forced to choose newfriends, lovers, and associates. The eco-nomic necessity for the singer to contin-ually perform produces a split identitybetween the performer as individual andthe performer as public entertainer. Thenarrative content of songs is incidentalnext to the material imperative thatthe singer continue to perform them.The heartbeat of such films resides inthis tension between the performer'sattempt to sustain a professional andprivate life. Cynthia Hanson notes thatin these biopics, "the entertainer's pub-lic success has been juxtaposed with

private struggles" (15-16). Motivationssuch as economic incentive (Why DoFools Fall in Love [1998]) or addictionto the stage (The Jolson Story [1946])dictate the performers' lives, with thesingers having limited control over theirperformances. The arbitrary nature ofwhat they sing and when they performis reflected by the equally loose place-ment of songs in these films. In filmssuch as The Buddy Holly Story, thedrama does not incorporate the songsbut focuses, instead, on the frenetic life-style of the popular performer.

This tension is dramatized in a scenefrom Selena (1997), the eponymousbiopic of the late Tejano pop star. Sele-na's tour bus has broken down, andmembers of her band try to flag downpassing cars for assistance. Selena (Jen-nifer Lopez), of course, has better luckthan her bandmates. A couple of youngmen screech to a stop, wondering ifit really is "Selenas" (sic). Althoughthey ruin their car attempting to towher tour bus, they declare "Anythingfor Selenas! [ ... ] This bumper's goin'on my garage with a sign that says: thisbumper was pulled off by the bus ofSelenas." Selena is uncomfortable withsuch star-struck treatment, but the restof her band finds it hilarious. They teaseher with the boys' mispronunciation ofher name. This scene summarizes thefilm's central dramatic interest. Here,as in many other musical biopics, thestar must come to terms with her dualidentity as a private person and a publicperformer.

In the traditional pop performer bio-pic, music functions dramatically becauseof what it deprives the central characterof, not what it enables him or her toexpress. For example, in Coal Miner'sDaughter (1980), the central conflictbetween the singer/songwriter LorettaLynn (Sissy Spacek) and her husbandDoolittle (Tommy Lee Jones) intensifiesas the demands of Lynn's professionalschedule lead her husband to becomeincreasingly jealous and unfaithful. Hermusic becomes an obligation and a strainon their relationship. The deferral ofromance in Selena is another example ofthis tendency. In one significant shot, theprecociously successful singer boardsher tour bus, glancing wistfully at a

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happy, anonymous couplenecking on a park bench. The 1"]enormous personal cost ofwork and fame is the majorpoint of emphasis in thesepictures. Cynthia Rose writesthat rock biopics consistentlyrely on "some mixture ofthree formats: the struggle,the price exacted and/or thetragic fate" (15). The contentof the performers' music becomes a sidepoint to the story of their struggles. Withmusic positioned as an obligation thatcreates conflict, certain lyrics are sung tofulfill a contract, not because the charac-ter identifies with the content at the timeof performance.

Even when the content of the per-former's songs is treated as expressiverather than compulsory, the difficultprocess of songwriting is emphasized.In Coal Miner's Daughter, we see Lynnwriting "You Ain't Woman Enough(To Take My Man)" well after shecatches her husband cheating. "HonkyTonk Girl" is composed haltingly, withintentionally uncertain notes. Here, thespontaneity of the classical musical issacrificed in favor of a more faithfuldepiction of touring and songwritingas labor.

Whereas earlier musical biopics aretruer to the work involved in the pro-duction of music than to the energycontained within it, recent films in thisgenre (e.g., Ray, Walk the Line, andBeyond the Sea) are more investedin the structure of music from tradi-tional musicals. Music as a spontaneousemotional expression is drawn fromthe musical, while the more realisticdeployment of singing and performance(on stages or in recording studios andalways by professionals) is drawn fromthe biopic. Previous films in the musicalbiopic genre have worked like musi-cals, but less fully and only in raremoments.

LaBamba (1987) and The Buddy HollyStory (1978) each position just one songas an expression of personal, romanticfeeling. Holly draws "True Love Ways"from his wife's turn of phrase and later,just after phoning her in Iowa from NewYork, opens a live set with this song "forsomeone special." However, the dieget-

isicalbiopics such as The BuddyHolly Storyderive dramatic tension between

the lead characters' onstageperformances and their

ic world that W oHolly inhabits does littleto facilitate this relationship. Here, asBuddy speaks with his wife just beforethis performance, he is blocked in aclaustrophobic mise-en-sc6ne betweenbackstage technicians and an ongoingstage performance, forcing him to plugan ear and strain to communicate abovethe din. Hanson notes that even with"True Love Ways," the song performedwith the most subjective motivation inthe film, an impersonal, exterior styleis maintained, orienting the spectatormore from the crowd's perspective thanHolly's: "[Holly] perches on a stool,bathed in red light, backed by an orches-tra. As the camera circles the stool, thelow angle of the shot places the viewerat Holly's feet. This is as intimate as theperformance gets. He stows the stool,the lights come up, and he launchesinto several familiar, up-tempo tunes"(21). The song "Donna" is used simi-larly in La Bamba: Richie Valensis dating a girl of the same name.Having fallen in love, he phones herto play the tune written especiallyfor her. In both cases, these songsare tied to the singer's nonmusicaldesires. Still, the processes of per-formance (Buddy) and songwriting(La Bamba) remain the strongerpoint of emphasis, restricting theliberating quality of their music.Significantly, both dedications areissued over the phone, as Buddy andRichie are unable to be any morepresent in their romantic relation-ships because of career obligations.These dedications, as such, are auto-biographical, but not in the manner ofthe classical musical, in which songsfigure more purposefully in relationto the narrative, allowing characters torealize what they want and attain it.

private lives.

Using the per- - A oformance of Gigi'stitle song as an example, Elsaesserdescribes the emotional satisfaction thatnumbers in the classical Hollywoodmusical provide their leads: "[DirectorVincente] Minnelli's typical protago-nists are all [... ] cunning day-dreamers,and the mise-en-sc6ne follows them, asthey go through life, confusing-forgood or ill-what is part of their imagi-nation and what is real, and trying toobliterate the difference between whatis freedom and what is necessity" (15).The stars of La Bamba and The BuddyHolly Story, by contrast, are too bur-dened by their careers to realize theirdesires this fully. The performances inthese films, while still professions oflove, are imbued with an overwhelm-ing sense of "the difference betweenwhat is freedom and what is necessity"and the difficulty of sustaining a life onthe road and a romantic relationship.Holly and Valens, nascent rock starsthough they may be, are more realiststhan daydream believers. As opposed toMinnelli's musicals, the scenography ofthese biopics emphasizes the isolationand confinement of their lead charac-ters, even at the single moment theywish to use music for personal, roman-tic expression.

While La Bamba and The BuddyHolly Story each situate one song interms of the performer's desires, musi-cal biopics of the late 1990s began toassociate many of the songs used inthe films more closely with the paral-lel story of the singer's emotional life.Gregory Nava's Why Do Fools Fall inLove (1998), which chronicles the riseand fall of the 1950s doo-wop singer

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Frankie Lymon, deploys the narrativecontent of songs with greater frequencythan The Buddy Holly Story or LaBamba. First, the title-Lymon's hitsong-indicates the film's central story.Why Do Fools Fall in Love focuses ona royalty/estate court case where threewomen claim to be Lymon's ex-wifeand, thus, stand to profit from this $4million song. The title also refers tothe dominant theme of the film in thatthe women's conflict is not simply over"Why Do Fools Fall in Love," but whythey earlier fell helplessly in love withthe difficult, even abusive, entertainer.Later, when Lymon leaves his girlfriendElizabeth (Vivica A. Fox) for new loverZola (Halle Berry), the lead singer ofthe Platters, Zola appears to taunt Eliza-beth, as she watches her group perform asong with the lyrics "He is mine. Reallymine," on television.

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Lymon, portrayed asan incorrigible wom-anizer, woos eachof his lovers duringdynamic, onstageperformances withapt lyrics. Shortlyafter meeting Zola,Lymon performs"Baby Baby": "Babybaby how I want you[ . ]. I'm so gladyou want me too." Aninsert of Zola watch- Ray Charles (ing raptly offstageshows that she is beginning to share hisflirtatious sentiments (which she firstrebuffed). In a similar manner, perform-ing the first time for Elizabeth, he sings"Goody Goody": "So you met someonewho set you back on your heels [...]goody goody for me."

At the start of Ray, the 2004 biopic onthe famous soul musician Ray Charles(Jamie Foxx), the relationship betweenmusic and narrative emphasizes artistryand industry. In the first hour of Ray,music is presented in a manner com-pletely familiar to the pop performerbiopic.4 Ray rises from a rural nobodyto a towering musical figure, despitehardships and the attempts of others toexploit him. As in La Bamba and TheBuddy Holly Story, the song selectionin Ray appears arbitrary with a single

exception.5 The songs are significantas demonstrations of Charles's talentbut unconnected to any coexisting emo-tions. Ray "[depicts] a world whoseprime expressive elements-song anddance-are clearly circumscribed"(Telotte 2). Singing is done by profes-sionals and only in particular socialsettings. Music continues to be placedthroughout the film within the realistconventions of studio, onstage, or infor-mal performances. In the second act ofthe film, however, Charles's songs regu-larly intersect with the narrative.

In a radical departure from the firsthour of the film, almost every song inthe remaining 100 minutes is placednext to a dramatic scene that matchesthe content of a song performed liveor in a recording studio. With oneexception ("Unchain My Heart"), all

jamue roxx) at me piano in a scene trom Kay.

the songs that follow are connected toappropriate dramatic sequences.6 Mostoften, Charles's music is associatedwith one of three stages in a relation-ship-initial attraction, consummation,or dissolution-between Ray and a loveinterest: Della Bea (Kerry Washington),Mary Ann (Aunjanue Ellis), or Margie(Regina King).

An instance of this expressive matchoccurs when Ray suddenly bursts outof bed with the need to play a song. Astartled Bea listens as Ray plays "I Gota Woman" for his "woman way overtown that's good to me." The spontane-ous song expresses both the rapturousand risqu6 dimensions of their relation-ship: this is his first, clearest expressionof love, and Ray can visit only whenBea's preacher-landlord is gone.

Shortly after this couple is married,another song matches Ray's emotionalstate. Bea pushes Ray to the bed andsays, "You are gonna have one [fam-ily], starting right now. What do youthink?" Ray replies, "It's what I know.""Hallelujah, I Love Her So," echoinghis spoken statement, starts to playfaintly in the background: "That's howI know, yes I know, Hallelujah, I loveher so." The transition from one spaceto another is smoothly effected, withdiegetic music from a live performancein the following shot/scene beginning inthe final seconds of the last shot in theirprivate home, and Ray's repetition ofthe phrase "I know," spoken then sung,from one scene to the next.

The next scene in which Charles'smusic appears continues to link hispersonal story with his compositions:

When the newlywedsbegin to have seri-ous problems, darkersongs are aligned withtheir arguments. Beadiscovers Ray's drugsand paraphernalia justbefore he must leavefor several months.She hysterically begshim to quit the drugsand/or allow her toaccompany him on theroad. He rebuffs bothrequests and leavesBea in tears. The film

moves rapidly forward. In the followingshot, a new singer, Mary Ann, is audi-tioning for his group. She is in the midstof singing "Drown in My Own Tears,"which matches Ray's abandoned wife'sstate of mind seconds before: "I cried somuch since you've been gone, I guessI'll drown in my own tears." The factthat the audition scene begins in themiddle of the song emphasizes the con-tinuity between the previous scene andthis one. An establishing shot to easethe audience into the audition scene isunnecessary because of the thematicconnection between the previous sceneand the performed song.

The film continues to use Charles'ssongs to comment on his increasing-ly unhappy marriage. This tendencyis deployed more fluidly in the next

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musical sequence, which contrastsscenes between Ray and Mary Ann,now his mistress, with Charles returninghome to see Bea and his newborn baby.As we arrive at the bedside of the mar-ried couple, "Mary Ann" begins to play.In the next shot Ray sings, "Oh MaryAnn, you sure look fine [. .] I couldlove you all the time'" as the sinewyMary Ann dances suggestively acrossthe stage. This live performance is cross-cut with domestic "loving father" scenes:Ray bathes his child with Bea-back toMary Ann; Ray goes to the market withBea. His wife's conservative dress con-trasts with Mary Ann's glistening upperbody and sexy dance. The spectator isaligned with Ray's perspective as thecamera pans across the stage to followMary Ann in medium close-ups; Bea, bycontrast, simply moves with her husbandwithin the frame in far less compellingtwo-shots.

Ray's "Mary Ann" resembles the titlenumber of Gigi, when Gaston recog-nizes his love for the lead character bysinging in the Jardin du Luxembourg.In both cases, the musical sequence istreated as a revelation of an emotionaldilemma: How do Gaston and Ray feelabout their love affairs? In both cases,the character uses a song to answerthe question, and the given scene takeson the subjective point of view of thelead character. At the same time, how-ever, the locations that Gaston and Rayinhabit still maintain a degree of authen-ticity as actual locations: public streetsand gardens, in one case, and domesticspaces and nightclubs in the latter. Rayremains biographically consistent, mov-ing from banal activities with his wife toonstage performances with his mistress.The scene from Gigi fulfills a secondaryfunction as a picturesque tour of Paris,visiting the Jardin du Luxembourg. Inthis respect, Elsaesser misses half ofthe equation when he characterizes themise-en-sc6ne of Gaston's "Gigi" per-formance as "a wholly subjective land-scape of imagination" (16). Gaston, infact, occupies an ambiguous cinematicspace between the "wholly subjective"and an actual, identifiable place. Thisdual interest in location as both a "mea-sure of character" and an "externalcondition" is achieved through filmic

means typical of the eras in whichGigi and Ray were made (Corrigan andWhite 66).1 The subjective and objectiveare paired primarily via mise-en-sc6nein the 1958 film, with Gaston breakinginto song in a single charmed locale: therichly layered Jardin du Luxembourg.In the 2004 film, this double-sidednessis communicated by fast-paced editing,which facilitates a rapid succession ofassociated locales.

In "Intensified Continuity: VisualStyle in Contemporary American Film,"David Bordwell considers the impactof post-classical style on film narra-tives. In contrast to many contemporaryscholars, he argues that new tenden-cies in American filmmaking do notrepresent a departure from classicalfilm style, but, in fact, reinforce andintensify it. Bordwell writes that fasterediting has not "led to a 'post-classi-cal' breakdown of spatial continuity,"but the redeployment of old rules at afaster clip (17). While Bordwell con-cedes that contemporary films havefewer establishing shots and long-taketwo-shots, this lack is balanced by theintensification of other classical guide-lines: "At the same time [... ] fast-cutdialogue has reinforced premises of the180-degree staging system. When shotsare so short, when establishing shots arebrief or postponed or nonexistent, theeyelines and angles in a dialogue mustbe even more unambiguous and the axisof action must be strictly respected"(17). The continued continuity style,ultimately, refers to the way that thesefilms are read by audiences. The sty-listics of contemporary Hollywood stillwork, above all else, to support a coher-ent, linear narrative. New biopic songsequences are contiguous with actionin the manner of a classical musical,but different in how they stretch acrossmultiple times and places at an increas-ingly rapid pace.

Ray's use of "Hit the Road Jack"demonstrates the way that new biopicsposition music in the familiar way, as"performances bound by the naturallimitations which normally attend suchformal presentations," while intensi-fied continuity editing allows the songsto function narratively, as in a musical(Telotte 3). This song is used shortly

after Ray argues with his backup singerand lover, Margie. She is furious that hehas asked her to abort their child. Mar-gie shouts, "From now on it's strictlybusiness between me and you!" andRay abruptly continues their rehearsalof a new number. While Margie is stillin a dramatic mode, Ray shifts them toa musical one by playing the openingnotes to the song, encouraging Margieto channel her emotions through themusic. The song accommodates theirdivergent interests, as Ray, callouslydevoted to the art of song, relishesthe intensity that her anger brings tothe performance-"Yeah. That's it."-while Margie performs the song sin-cerely, really wishing to dismiss him:"You just ain't no good [... ] Hit theroad Jack, and don't you come backno more."

The sequence continues, flashing for-ward to a live performance of the samesong. The transition from one sequenceto another is smoothly effected, as Ray'sfirst line "What'd you say?"--carriesthe song from one space to another. Thelive performance has it both ways, reg-istering as a realistic scene, while alsopreserving the spontaneous emotional-ism of the musical. Margie continuesto stare down Ray, singing her angry,spumed-lover lines directly to him inthe manner of a musical. Cuts fromone shot to another work subjectively,as eyeline matches from Margie's per-spective. Ray and his band play thesong for an audience at the same timethat the film's audience understandsMargie to be singing the song to Ray inan angry outburst of emotion. Althoughdiegetically the audience understandsthat the performance happens well afterthe rehearsal, the pairing of these scenesallows for the spontaneity of the musi-cal to coexist with contemporary stan-dards of realism. While Telotte arguesthat the musical has suffered becauseof the success of the "realistic trend,"new musical biopics resolve many ofthe problems he and others bemoan incontemporary music-films (6). In con-trast to the critical consensus that themusical biopic is a relatively "safe"middlebrow genre that is rarely inno-vative or sophisticated, close analysesshow how structurally invested these

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films are in older genre conventions, in favor of a more faithful depiction through the teardrops / You'll find metranslating them to more contemporary of touring and songwriting as labor. at the home of the blues." The songstandards of style.' Recent examples of this subgenre, how- June performs with him next, "Time's

This analysis of Ray contradicts ever, have had it both ways, arrang- A-Wastin'," encourages the expecta-the common reading of post-1960s ing the numbers to work narratively tion of their coupledom: "[Johnny:]musicals as emptied of the romantic, and expressively (in the manner of a Now I've got arms / [June:] Andexpressive sentiment pervasive in clas- musical) without eliminating the more I've got arms / [Together:] Let's getsical Hollywood musicals. According typical narrative threads of the biopic: If together and use those arms." The nar-to Telotte, in films like The Buddy Holly the work involved in the production of rative function of these songs relies onStory, "the expressive is clearly demar- music is minimized, the difficulty of the the particularity of this arrangement.cated from the main narrative, even popular entertainer's lifestyle remains In the classical Hollywood musical,while realistically arising from it" (2). a dominant emphasis. The stories of characters sing love songs once theyFor Telotte, the new musical's adher- Ray, Walk the Line, and Beyond the recognize that they are in love. Inence to contemporary codes of realism Sea certainly continue to fulfill Rose's contrast, Johnny and June unwittinglyhas come at the expense of expressiv- summation of the rock biopic as based sing love songs that prophesy the nar-ity: "[W]henever anyone does [sing], on "some mixture of three formats: the rative. The use of love songs in thisit is usually within a finitely restricted struggle, the price exacted and/or the way relies on a unique structure inarena, the physical limits of which tragic fate" (15). which the audience knows the biogra-eventually extend to this expressive- Walk the Line deploys music narra- phies of the two entertainers and theness" (2). Ray, however, is able to fulfill tively, with music arranged primarily characters do not.contemporary expectations that song around Johnny Cash's love interests. Once Johnny and June become a cou-sequences be realistic without sacrific- The film could just as plausibly be ple, their songs function as expressionsing their expressive qualities. Though titled Johnny and June. Cash's music, of personal feeling, deployed in theRay never allows amateurs to sing or as positioned by the film, marks off manner of a classical musical. "Jack-characters to suddenly burst into song stages in their troubled relationship. son" is performed twice, first markingwithout the pretext of an appropriate Contemporary standards of realism their pairing, and later when they agreesocial forum, it absorbs and makes use are preserved by presenting Johnny to marry. This piece works as their sig-of the musical structure in which songs and June as musical partners as well nature tune, demonstrating their mutualexpress a mental state. This hybridity as romantic partners; their singing recognition of love: "[Johnny:] You'redoes not come at the expense of the is done exclusively onstage. This my big mouth woman / [June:] Andintegrity of the biopic's real-world plau- arrangement allows Johnny and June you're my guitar pickin' man." Thoughsibility or the musical's spontaneity, but to sing to each other while also sing- the song begins with marriage-"Weeffectively and simultaneously sustains ing for an audience, got married in a fever, hotter than a pep-both modes. Because we know that these charac- per sprout"-ostensibly "Jackson" is

In 1977, Richard Dyer wrote that ters are destined to become a couple about a troubled relationship. The man"[m]usicals represent an extraordinary before they do, Cash's songs acquire a and woman exchange verses of the songmix of these two modes-the historic- narrative function in terms of this antic- with the man vowing to go to Jackson toity of the narrative and the lyricism of ipated dual-focus narrative. When he "mess around," and the woman reply-numbers. They have not often taken sings "Home of the Blues" just before ing, "Go play your hand [...] See if Iadvantage of it, but the point is that inviting June to join him onstage, the care." But after a six-chorus exchange,they could, and that this possibility is lyrics work presciently, indicating the it is clear that the songalways latent in them." The recent cycle rocky love affair ahead: "Just around is moreof musical biographies approaches this the corner there's heartaches / Downpotential, but from the opposite direc- the street that losers use /tion. While Dyer emphasizes "historic- If you canity" as a neglected area of attention in wade inthe classical musical, which is too ofteninappropriately viewed as "pure

entertainment'" in termsbois suhaoheBdyf W hatthe biopic, "the lyricism has been lost inof numbers" is a less com-monly satisfied expecta- the communal performancestion (189). Earlier musical of classical Hollywood m usicals has beenHolly Story and Coal Min- gained in individual expressiveness in theseer's Daughter, sacrifice thespontaneity of the musical recent bioDics.

I

II.

Narrative Music in the Pop Performer Biopic

an exuberant ritual than a seriouslythreatening discussion.

Like Ray and Walk the Line, theBobby Darin biopic, Beyond the Sea,frequently connects music to narrativedevelopments between the lead singerand his wife, actress Sandra Dee (KateBosworth); however, unlike these otherfilms, Beyond the Sea sometimes dis-penses with performances that matchDarin's music to a particular scene,simply layering his songs over appro-priate scenes as non-diegetic music."Charade," for instance, plays over adramatic argument, with Darin andDee furiously packing their suitcases:"Oh what a hit we made / We came onnext to closing / Best on the bill / Lov-ers until [... ] Love left a masquerade."Although Darin is never seen singingthis song, it is clear that the scene'sauthorial voice is his, with the music(as in the performative scenes) reso-nating at an expressive level. Where"Charade" parallels the low point ofits associated scene, the song "Fabu-lous Places," which also notes maritaltrouble, is used contrapuntally. Beyondthe Sea makes ironic use of a tunewritten in earnest about the "so manyfabulous faraway places to see." Whilethe song is a straightforward celebra-tion of the world's attractions, its lyr-ics ("Pleasant as home is, it isn't whatRome is [... ] So why stay there [...J") take on a different meaning, asDarin's exuberant live performanceof the song is intercut with shotsthat illustrate his own exhaustion andhis wife's boredom and developingalcoholism.

Beyond the Sea also displays con-siderable self-consciousness about itsstatus as a musical. Structured looselyaround the concept of Darin starringin a movie about himself, the filmrepeatedly questions the believabilityof its story. When Darin first flashesback to his childhood, moving into asong-and-dance number through hisneighborhood, the child Bobby Darin(sometimes positioned as the actor inthe film within the film, other timesas Darin's image of himself as a boy)interrupts the scene to say, "You didn'tgo dancing down the street like that."Darin replies, "I know, it was a fan-

tasy sequence [... .] memories are likemoonbeams, we do what we want withthem." The incredulous child BobbyDarin, who directs the elder Darin'sattention to the "truth" of his childhood(disease and poverty), serves as a proxyfor contemporary film spectators andtheir skepticism of unbelievable storiesand musicals in general. As Telottenotes, music in contemporary filmsis no longer invested with the sametransformative potential: "[A]ny trans-formation which song and dance mightwork on our existence, [musical biopicfilms] suggest, is at best momentary, afleeting protest against a general lossof vitality afflicting modem society"(Telotte 13).9 The remainder of Beyondthe Sea does focus on exhausting, trau-matic truths: Darin loses his audiences,has marital problems, and learns that awoman he believed to be his sister was,in fact, his mother. The film concludeswith the nostalgic, but nonethelessdepressing, "The Curtain Falls," mark-ing the end of his career and his death.The older version of Darin, it seems,has adopted the child Bobby Darin'sskepticism about the limited power ofmusic and imagination.

An image of Darin dying in a hospitalbed, however, is followed by an imageof his son opening a suitcase to find filmreels reading "Beyond the Sea." Nowthe child Bobby Darin returns to remindhis adult self of his earlier claim, "thatmemories are like moonbeams." Thefilm transitions from the bittersweet"Curtain" to its final number: "As Longas I'm Singin'," a more optimistic,comforting duet between the child andadult versions of Darin ("Long as I'msingin' / Then the world's all right / Andeverything's swingin' / Long as I'msingin' my song"). The implication, ofcourse, is that although Darin is mortal,his music will continue to inspire thoseafter him. It is significant also thatDarin's son is introduced at the veryend of the film as a completely unde-veloped character, standing in for hisfuture audience. Music, it seems, hasredeemed Darin's life-and the livesof future singers and listeners-afterall. Regardless of whether individualviewers read Beyond the Sea's attemptto pitch music in these terms as success-

ful or unsuccessful, the film undeniablytries to invest music with a "special,romantic, quasi-religious status" (Alt-man 270).10

In answer to numerous contempo-rary critics, who discuss the demise ofthe classical Hollywood musical andthe emergence of the musical biopicwith regret, this recent cycle of bio-pics demonstrates that expressivity andspontaneity are not necessarily lost withthe realist expectations that singing bedone by professionals. Although, asAltman asserts, contemporary musicalfilms have largely dismissed "the sym-biotic relationship [of the Americanmusical tradition] which once tied themusical's canned entertainment to theaudience's potential for live, personalproduction," the musical's revivifica-tion does not need to happen throughre-embracing notions of amateur per-formance and the community (363).What has been lost in the communalperformances of classical Hollywoodmusicals has been gained in individualexpressiveness in these recent biopics. IThe idiosyncratic talents of performerslike Ray Charles, Johnny Cash, andBobby Darin displace the communal,universally accessible musical tune.Although "the financial side of musicproduction" is no longer romanticizedin these films, this has not given wayto a "malaise" (Altman 270).12 Evenif these films confirm the assump-tion that popular performers sing fora commercial audience, this does notdiminish the power of their musicto communicate on a more personallevel. Altman once noted how musicand dance function as a signifier of"personal and communal joy" in theclassical Hollywood musical; the newmusical biopic shifts the scales (109).Recent pop performer biopics placeless emphasis on music as a communalform, but these films also allow formore individual musicalities to existon screen.

13

NOTES1. The Patsy Cline biopic, Sweet Dreams

(1985), works similarly, with the lyrics ofher music only occasionally associated withthe content of her life. Her version of "YourCheatin' Heart" plays as she embraces hersecond husband-formerly her partner in

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JPF&T-Journal of Popular Film and Television

an affair. At other times, eyeline matchesfollow her first husband Charlie's point ofview as he watches her perform. A casecould be made that certain lines expresshis sentiment, but these matches happen soinfrequently and are accompanied by suchgeneralized lyrical content-"If loving youmeans I'm weak, then I'm weak"-that theyappear merely incidental.

2. In Applause (1929), for instance, weunderstand that the exhilaration of the crowdis not felt by the performers. A crucial dif-ference between the musical biopic andbackstage musical, however, is that thebackstage film involves a community ofperformers, while the biopic centers on thesingularity of the star's problems. Rick Alt-man devotes a subchapter to the backstagevariety of musicals in The American FilmMusical (210-34).

3. A radio works similarly in Walk theLine. The frustrations of Cash's first wife,a nonsinger, are carried by radio songs. "IMiss You Already (and You're Not EvenGone)" plays before Cash goes on touragain. "Time Is Slipping Away" matches thestagnancy of their relationship.

4. Strictly speaking, the shift from non-narrative to narrativized music happens 54minutes into Ray. The film's total lengthis 152 minutes. The songs used in thefirst 54 minutes of the film are: "What'd ISay," "Country Instrumental," "Route 66,""Straighten Up," "Everyday I Have theBlues," "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand,""Midnight Hour," and "Mess Around."

5. "Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand,"which plays over a montage of Ray meetingvarious women, is the lone exception (Ray).

6. The songs that are used in the secondportion of the film are: "I Got a Woman";"Hallelujah, I Love Her So"; "Drown in MyOwn Tears"; "Mary Ann"; "If You Don'tWant to You Don't Have to (Get in Trou-ble)"; "What Kind of Man Are You"; "Nightand Day"; "I Believe to My Soul"; "Georgiaon my Mind"; "Hit the Road Jack"; "YouDon't Know Me"; "I Can't Stop LovingYou"; and "Hard Times."

7. These are Timothy Corrigan and Patri-cia White's terms for opposing tendencies inscenographic design.

8. Janet Maslin writes about La Bamba,"Films like these [... ] are better admired fortheir innocence and simplicity than faultedfor their lack of sophistication" (C4). In areview of Walk the Line, A. 0. Scott writesabout the musical biopic as a middlebrowgenre that has produced few great films butalso few abysmal ones: "Movies based on

the lives of popular musicians constitutea durable genre in Hollywood, and also afairly safe one" (B11).

9. See also Altman 270.10. This phrase is appropriated from Rick

Altman, who argues, in contrast, that notjust the film musical, but popular music ingeneral since the 1960s, has indubitablylost any "special, romantic, quasi-religiousstatus" (270).

11. Susan Smith provides a concise analy-sis of the differences between rock biopicsand the musical. Using What's Love Gotto Do with It (1993) and Cabin in the Sky(1943) as typical examples, she demon-strates how biopics emphasize the isolationof one or two performers, while musicalshighlight communities. In both cases, ofcourse, music is the catalyst that isolates thestar-singer or brings together the community(108-09).

12. Altman's full sentence reads, "Once,it was the work of romance to disguise thefinancial side of music production; now thatmusic's status as a business venture has beenunveiled, no traditional image can containthe malaise associated with such a soberingrevelation" (Altman 270).

13. The Internet Movie Database (IMDB.com) reports that Ray, with a budget of $40million, grossed $73.5 million, and Walkthe Line, budgeted at $28 million, grossed$119.5 million. The profitability of thesefilms goes a long way toward explainingthe recent surge in the production of musi-cal biopics. In 2007, I'm Not There (BobDylan), El Cantante (Hector Lavoe), La Vieen Rose (Edith Piaf), and Control (the bandJoy Division) were released. Biopics aboutJames Brown, Charley Pride, Keith Moon,Iggy Pop, Janis Joplin, and the NotoriousB.I.G. are all currently in production or pre-production.

WORKS CITEDAltman, Rick. The American Film Musical.

Bloomington: Indiana UP, 1989.Applause. Dir. Rouben Mamoulian. Para-

mount, 1929.La Bamba. Dir. Luis Valdez. Columbia,

1987.The Band Wagon. Dir. Vincente Minnelli.

MGM, 1953.Beyond the Sea. Dir. Kevin Spacey. Lions

Gate, 2004.Bloch, Judith. "Review: The Buddy Holly

Story." Film Quarterly 32.1 (Autumn1978): 42-46.

Bordwell, David. "Intensified Continuity:Visual Style in Contemporary Ameri-

can Film." Film Quarterly 55.3 (Spring2002): 16-28.

The Buddy Holly Story. Dir. Steve Rash.Columbia, 1978.

Coal Miner's Daughter. Dir. Michael Apted.Universal, 1980.

Corrigan, Timothy, and Patricia White.The Film Experience. London: Bedford,2004.

Dyer, Richard. "Entertainment and Utopia."Genre: The Musical. Ed. Rick Altman.London: BFI, 1981. 175-89.

Elsaesser, Thomas. "Vincente Minnelli."Genre: The Musical. Ed. Rick Altman.London: BFI, 1981. 8-27.

Gigi. Dir. Vincente Minnelli. MGM, 1958.Hanson, Cynthia A. "The Hollywood Musi-

cal Biopic and the Regressive Performer."Wide Angle 10.2 (1988): 15-23.

The Jolson Story. Dir. Alfred E. Green.Columbia, 1946.

Maslin, Janet. "Film: 'La Bamba,' a Musi-cal Biography." New York Times 24 July1987: C4.

Ray. Dir. Taylor Hackford. Universal, 2004.Rose, Cynthia. "The Riddle of the Rock

Biopic." Sight & Sound 3.10 (Oct. 1993):14-17.

Scheurer, Timothy E. "The Aesthetics ofForm and Convention in the Movie Musi-cal." Journal of Popular Film 3.4 (Fall1974): 307-24.

Scott, A. 0. Rev. of Walk the Line, dir. JamesMangold. New York Times 18 Nov. 2005:B1+.

Selena. Dir. Gregory Nava. Warner Bros.,1997.

Smith, Susan. The Musical: Race, Gender,and Performance. London: BFI, 2005.

Sweet Dreams. Dir. Jerome Robbins andRobert Wise. United Artists, 1961.

Telotte, J. P. "A Sober Celebration: Songand Dance in the 'New' Musical." Journalof Popular Film 8.1 (Spring 1980): 2-14.

Walk the Line. Dir. James Mangold. Twenti-eth Century Fox, 2005.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love. Dir. GregoryNava. Warner Bros., 1998.

Jesse Schlotterbeck is a graduate studentand instructor in the Cinema & ComparativeLiterature Department at the University ofIowa. He has been published in Scope: AnOnline Journal of Film and Television Studiesand the Encyclopedia of Documentary Film(Roudledge, 2005). Currently, he is research-ing a dissertation on American musical bio-pics from the 1960s to the present.

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TITLE: “Trying to Find a Heartbeat”: Narrative Music in thePop Performer Biopic

SOURCE: J Pop Film Telev 36 no2 Summ 2008

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