I’m Jeff Collins, and in this week’s Movies with Jeff we are discussing “La La Land.”
It seems to be the growing trend in Hollywood to at least feature, if not entirely base, a film on nostalgia. It’s the rehashing of an old theme that makes the spectator feel comfortable, just like the old times. This is exactly the feeling of Damien Chazelle’s 2016 Academy Award nominated film.
“La La Land” is a musical-drama film about an aspiring actress, Mia (Emma Stone), and struggling jazz pianist, Sebastian (Ryan Gosling). The two meet each other multiple times throughout the film, yet nothing comes of these interactions. The two even sing a song, “A Lovely Night,” about the lack of a spark between them; however, in true Hollywood fashion, the pair ends up together and tries to help each other achieve their goals.
In order to fully understand the nostalgia of “La La Land,” the viewer must be aware of the classical mode of Hollywood narration. This mode of narration is the main style that was used during the Hollywood studio system, or a time in Hollywood’s history when actors and directors were under contract for only one Hollywood studio.
The system later fell, but this is not a Media, Culture, & Society class so we’ll skip that. You have all seen and are aware of the classical mode of narration. The narrative is twofold, one being a quest or goal and the other a romantic, usually heterosexual, relationship.
The heterosexual relationship at the center of “La La Land” was textbook classical Hollywood. The narrative of boy-meets-girl, boy and girl do not like each other, boy and girl meet again, and then like each other is not a new theme. In fact, one of the films that Mia and Sebastian brings up in conversation, Howard Hawks’ “Bringing Up Baby” (1938), has a very similar boy-girl re-meeting relationship.
One glaring difference between “La La Land” and classical films is the use of long takes. Instead of relying on editing and the cutting back and forth between characters when talking, “La La Land” uses long takes. These takes allow for the audience to focus on different things in the screen. It also permits the film to feel like a real stage musical. If any of the actors make a mistake, then the entire scene needs to be reshot.
The film did break from its classical style in two specific moments: Mia and Sebastian’s first kiss, and the prologue musical number. Although it is hard to say that a musical is grounded in reality, because of the periodic spectacle moments of spontaneous song and dance, “La La Land” seems to stay in reality until Mia and Sebastian fly into the sky to dance in the universe.
The other spectacle of the film is the ending prologue. Without giving too much away, the ending verges on a dramatic retelling of the plot in an artistic, Hollywood style. It is beautifully shot and showcases vibrant colors.
As nostalgic as “La La Land” is, the film does the theme well. Other films rely too heavily on viewers’ fondness of the past alone to drive the movie. “La La Land” uses the genre of “musical” to guide its navigation of nostalgia, which creates a good flick.
Until next time, take care of each other and yourself, I’m Jeff at the Movies.