@article{ART003373017},
author={Shim, Soojin},
title={The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance},
journal={Journal of Modern English Drama},
issn={1226-3397},
year={2026},
volume={39},
number={2},
pages={41-58}
TY - JOUR
AU - Shim, Soojin
TI - The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance
JO - Journal of Modern English Drama
PY - 2026
VL - 39
IS - 2
PB - 한국현대영미드라마학회
SP - 41
EP - 58
SN - 1226-3397
AB - This paper demonstrates through an analysis of the musical film On the Town (1949) that the inherent contradiction of the musical film is not a flaw to be overcome, but rather a key characteristic that defines the genre. The musical film is contradictory in that it must simultaneously accommodate the sense of realism generated by cinema and the non-realistic mode of expression characteristic of musical theater, in which characters abruptly stop speaking to sing and dance. On the Town maintains this contradiction by juxtaposing strategies of concealing and revealing dance. The opening number “New York, New York” combines location shooting and editing techniques with Bernstein’s music, concealing dance by presenting it as an ordinary act of walking. In contrast, in the later choreographic sequence “A Day in New York: A Comedy in Three Acts,” the dance that had previously been concealed suddenly comes to the forefront. “A Day in New York” adopts the form of the dream ballet, a convention of the Golden Age musical, thereby providing a context in which dance can be incorporated into the film, while deliberately refraining from fulfilling the dream ballet’s conventional function of integrating dance with the plot. As a result, dance, separated from the plot, becomes an object of appreciation in itself. Ultimately, On the Town allows different modes of expression to coexist within a single work by preserving the expressive conventions of cinema without eliminating those of the performing arts.
KW - dream ballet;musical choreography;musical film;Michel Chion;synchresis;André Bazin;On the Town
DO -
UR -
ER -
Shim, Soojin. (2026). The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance. Journal of Modern English Drama, 39(2), 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. 2026, "The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance", Journal of Modern English Drama, vol.39, no.2 pp.41-58.
Shim, Soojin "The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance" Journal of Modern English Drama 39.2 pp.41-58 (2026) : 41.
Shim, Soojin. The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance. 2026; 39(2), 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. "The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance" Journal of Modern English Drama 39, no.2 (2026) : 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance. Journal of Modern English Drama, 39(2), 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance. Journal of Modern English Drama. 2026; 39(2) 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance. 2026; 39(2), 41-58.
Shim, Soojin. "The Contradiction of the Musical Film On the Town: The Juxtaposition of Hidden and Revealed Dance" Journal of Modern English Drama 39, no.2 (2026) : 41-58.
