Tish Adams

Musical Fantasy as a Genre

     "Come take my hand

     You should know me

     I've always been in your mind

     You know that I'll be kind

     I'll be guiding you…

     You have to believe we are magic…

     And if all your hopes survive

     Your destiny will arrive

     I'll bring all your dreams alive

     For you."             

                          The song "Magic", from the

                          Movie Xanadu, sung by Olivia

                          Newton-John

Musical:  A theatrical or film production, often elaborately costumed and staged, with dialogue developing the story line and an integrated musical score featuring songs and dances.

Fantasy:  Imagination or fancy, illusion, highly imaginative characters or settings.

Example:  Universal Pictures, Xanadu, 1980. Starring Gene Kelly, Olivia Newton-John, and Michael Beck.

Representational Genre:  Narrator or Single Voice, speaker speaks directly to audience.  Kira (Newton-John) sings directly to the camera.

Drama or Dialogue, two or more characters speak directly with each other, which the audience overhears.  Danny (Kelly) and Kira talk and sing to each other.

Narrative Genre:  Romance, the relationship between the lovers is threatened by Zeus telling her she can not stay on Earth and she must return to her mythical home.  The lovers are reunited at the end of the movie and "live happily ever after."

Subject Genre/ Audience Appeal:  Love story, magical story, mythology, story with music and dance, fairy tale

Singing, dancing, and fantasy seem to have some appeal to all audiences. 

Imagination has no age limits.

Additional Sources:  The Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, Down to Earth

Sources:  www.onlyolivia.com/visual/xanadu/about.html

Webster's New World College Dictionary, Fourth Edition.  IDG

     Books Worldwide, Inc.  2000.

Dr. White's Genre handout

Questions:  Why do we as human beings desire to believe in fantasy? Or do we?

 Do we think of fantasy as being immature or childish?

Recorder: Aimee Anne Sexton

Aimee Anne - It's our way to get away from reality and escape our everyday life.

Dr. White - We do it all the time in our dreams.

Kelly - Even day to day. We don't want to see a movie about what we do every day. Need to get out of our world.

Susie - Look at Harlequin novels. They are pure fantasy. They are a fun escape, which allows us to go into another person's life.

Dr. White - To a degree that doesn't reflect the reality of our lives. They get branded.

Student - Sometimes we don't want people to see what we are reading.

Susie - It's personal.

Dr. White - There is a problem with audience appeal with this movie. Who wants to identify with Gene Kelly?

Kelly - I don't even remember him being in it.

Susie - I watched it again last week and was thinking about how ridiculous it is. I am sorry Gene Kelly lowered himself to be in it.

Diana - I had a professor at College of the Mainland that had us read Harry

Potter. She asked us why it was such a phenomenon for children. I didn't like the book, and the teacher was almost apologetic for making us read it.

Kelly - I was the UIL book for high school.

Janet - They had to create a new Bestseller List for Harry Potter. The problem with fantasy is that it implies leisure and we feel guilty.

Diana - I am reading because I have to otherwise I feel guilty.

Student - Asked who had read Harry Potter.

Dr. White - The continuity for today is fantasy.