As a seasoned movie critic with a penchant for musicals and a soft spot for quirky interpretations of classic films, I found myself utterly bewildered by Lady Gaga’s assertion that ‘Joker: Folie à Deux’ is not a musical.
On a Wednesday afternoon, Lady Gaga sent ripples as far as the Atlantic when she stated at the formal Venice press event for “Joker: Folie à Deux” that she didn’t always view the movie as a musical
“Gaga clarified that the music in the movie serves as an outlet for characters to convey their feelings, especially when regular dialogue isn’t enough. However, this might be confusing because some people might consider it as the typical definition of a musical. Also, with the promotional materials of the Joker sequel highlighting singing, it seemed like a musical. Lastly, since most of us had just watched Folie à Deux, we were certain that the film was indeed a musical.”
In “Joker: Folie à Deux,” music plays a significant role in almost every aspect of the film. There are scenes where the music is part of the story, like when Joker attends a prison arts-rehabilitation program, and the group performs “Oh When the Saints Go Marching In” more somberly than in “Sing Sing.” Additionally, there are moments where characters, such as Joker and Harley Quinn, express emotion through song, like when they sing “Get Happy,” which was also showcased in a promotional video
The film includes a few musical scenes reminiscent of classic movies, where characters transition from an ordinary world into a surreal realm through the magic of singing. For example, when Gaga’s Harley Quinn tries to free Joker from prison while singing “If My Friends Could See Me Now” from Sweet Charity, the beginning and end are realistic actions, but the middle part is a whimsical journey shared only by them. (My colleague Alison Willmore describes this scene as “ecstatic, reaching heights the movie never revisits.”)
predominantly, the film Folie à Deux incorporates dream-like sequences that are intended to portray the mental states of characters, although they don’t necessarily relate to their actual world situations. A significant portion of the scenes shown in the movie’s preview consist of these dream sequences and are among the most debated aspects of Folie à Deux. Critics such as David Ehrlich have criticized it for transforming many of the tunes into simplified cabaret arrangements and shooting them against the black backdrop of the characters’ shared imagination. Nevertheless, the majority of my audience seemed to appreciate the fantasy depicting Joker and Harley as hosts of a show reminiscent of Sonny & Cher, where they perform “What the World Needs Now Is Love.” It’s hard not to admire such an inventive plotline
Considering everything we’ve discussed, it might be interesting to ponder why Lady Gaga claimed “A Star is Born” isn’t a musical. Possible explanations could be
It’s quite possible that Lady Gaga has a unique perspective on what constitutes music for a musical. This definition might be quite particular and rigid, excluding certain elements that we typically associate with a traditional musical. For instance, the movie “Folie à Deux” may not fit her criteria because it only includes a few conventional musical numbers or because its dialogue plays a significant role in moving the story forward instead of the songs themselves. It could even be something she learned from the spirit of Judy Garland during her sleep, but ultimately, we can only speculate
The unnamed Vulture staff member suggests that Gaga was attempting to position “Folie à Deux” as a movie that surpasses the boundaries of the musical genre, similar to how “Joker” was viewed by fans as something beyond a typical comic-book film. This strategy is referred to as “elevated horror,” where the target audience is cinephiles who might not typically consider a horror film or musical, since they are already invested in the genre
It appears that Lady Gaga may have made an error in her statement during the press conference. Upon revisiting the recording several times, I’m still uncertain about the message she intended to convey. Sometimes, celebrities are put in front of microphones and they might say things without careful consideration. This doesn’t mean that every word coming from Lady Gaga needs to be taken at face value by the many people present in the room
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2024-09-04 22:54