EVDOL 31 - Directors of the Movie Musical: From Busby Berkeley to Baz Luhrmann

Edward Barnes
This four-session course explores the filmmakers who shaped the movie musical from the early sound era to the twenty-first century. Focusing on the work of Busby Berkeley, Vincente Minnelli, Bob Fosse, Rob Marshall, and Baz Luhrmann, the course examines how directors have used choreography, editing, design, and cinematic storytelling to bring songs to life on screen.

Beginning with Berkeley’s kaleidoscopic spectacle in films such as 42nd Street and Gold Diggers of 1933, the course moves to the visual elegance of Minnelli’s MGM classics including Meet Me in St. Louis and The Band Wagon. The darker, psychologically driven musical language of Fosse appears in Cabaret and All That Jazz, before the final session examines the modern revival of the genre through two contrasting approaches: Marshall’s Broadway adaptations in films Chicago and Into the Woods, and Luhrmann’s exuberant, music-driven spectacles Moulin Rouge! and Elvis.

Through close viewing, film and musical analysis, and historical context, the course explores how these directors shape the way songs function in film—and how the movie musical continues to reinvent the relationship between music, performance, and storytelling.

Biography: Edward Barnes

Two Sections Available | 4 Classes Total | Extension Holiday Schedule

EVDOL 31 01:

Sundays 4–6pm ET

November 8–December 6

Mode: In Person

*This class is presented in a hybrid setting. Students registered for in-person sections commit to attending all sessions on site at Juilliard. Access to online participation (via Zoom) will not be provided except under special circumstances approved at the discretion of Juilliard Extension administration. Class recordings will be available on Canvas to all students.

$320

Register by Phone: (212) 799-5000 ext. 273

Our phone line is open Monday–Friday (excluding holidays), 9:00 am–5:00 pm ET.