The Musicals History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The Musicals History - Essay Example It became a very popular genre in American cinema. Production houses making musical films sprouted and soon it was a thriving industry. Warner Bros' The Jazz Singer in 1927 was among the first musicals that deviated from mere entertainment to a strong statement. Along with the strong appeal of music in the film, the narrative struck a chord with the Americans. This was a story of a young Jewish musician who breaks with his father and runs away to pursue his dream and emerges a roaring jazz singer. This was the time when jazz singing was not entirely free of stigma as its origins (in late nineteenth century) were believed to have been the brothels of New Orleans that provided music dancing as well as sex (A Passion for Jazz Musical History and Education The American movie-goers lapped it up. In a way it also helped jazz singing come out of the shadows it was under. This reflected an eagerness in the public mind to through off the shackles of genteel society and explore new frontiers of morality. Warner Bros' success spurned it on as one of the leading production houses of America. There was good deal of money involved and it soon incorporated a rigid structure in its functioning churning out films that grossed more than anything before. It had on its rolls a regular list of directors who were dedicated to the studio and picked up directing positions by turns. In order to curtail budget of the dazzling lights and costumes that were the hallmarks of musicals, there was a special technique adopted at this studio, low flat lighting concealed the not so flashy costumes. Busby Berkeley was one of these directors. There were three films that were released in quick succession in 1933 by Warner Bros, all three choreographed by this man, 42nd Street, Gold Diggers of 1933 and Footlight Parade. These musicals are considered to be milestones both in American cinema as well as in the musical scenario per se. So what was behind their spectacular success This period is considered as one of the darkest in American History, the Great Depression. With large scale unemployment reigning across the country, the mood was indeed sombre. The American people had started questioning the virtues of hard-core capitalism on the political front as well as the prevailing codes of morality.The public yearned for strong leadership, someone who show them the way out of the economic mess. The release of the three Berkeley films coincided with the coming of Roosevelt as the new American President. He brought in the New Deal encompassing a range of economic reforms. He was a champion of liberalism and also a hero to the diverse ethnic communities like the Afro-Americans, Jews etc. To the common man he sold the virtues of honesty, hard work, and justice. Although musicals were being written off as 'escapist' entertainment by critics, there were certain elements that were born out of the prevailing spirit of that time, virtues that fed the public disposition. "Mark Roth puts forward a simil ar theory; he notes

Country report Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Country report - Research Paper Example Then we’ll also look at the government structure of UAE and how they encourage foreign policies. The trade index of UAE and their financial standings will also be looked at in this report. Furthermore their GDP of 23% and growth rate will be discussed to see exactly how stable the economy of UAE is. It was seen that the abundance of crude oil and natural gas reserves, their free port zones and the sudden construction boom in UAE are the main reasons for their economic progress and financial growth. We will also look at the imports and exports of UAE and discuss how they’ve been encouraging foreign direct investments. With GDP of $54,607 / capita at minimum as per IMF, UAE is among the top 20 growing economies in the world. As per the estimate of 2009, UAE has the population of around 6 million which makes it the 120th largest country by population and its area is 32,278 sq mile which makes it 116th largest country by area. The population can be further discussed by the following chart UAE is an Arab country with the national language as Arabic, currency as Dirham, National animal is Arabian horse, National flower is Tribulus Omanese, National Bird is Peregrine Falcon, National tree is Ghaf Trees, Sport is Camel Race Drink is Camel Milk, and national Dress is Khandura United Arab Emirates has a history from 5500 BC from the times of Neolithic. In 630 the arrivals of Islamic envoys started and Ridda war was fought here when the Non-Muslims were defeated and this area went under Muslim rule. UAE went in Portuguese control in the 16th century when Portuguese started their expansion in the Indian Ocean and they ruled this area for about 150 years. Later this area got famous with the name of â€Å"Pirate Coast† from the 17th to 19th Century as it was under Ottoman Empire. British started their expeditions in order to protect their trade of India from the raiders at Ras Al-Khaimah. That further led to British taking