Abstract
This introduction lays out the focus of the book on moments in film when ‘unheard melodies’ become heard and meaningful. These filmic instances where music ‘takes over’ and the surreal often becomes the accepted filmic reality are examined in reference to two recent theoretical approaches: ‘musical moments’ (Amy Herzog) and ‘crystal songs’ (Phil Powrie). Divided up into four parts, the book’s chapters apply these two differing but overlapping theoretical concepts to their case studies and discussions. What the Musical Moment Can Do—Theoretical Approaches covers the books’ theoretical foundation by Herzog and Powrie themselves. Part two, How the Musical Moment was Created—Musical Numbers in Silent and Early Sound Cinema, discusses the history of musical numbers from silent to early sound cinema. Then, Musical Dis/Placements—Musical Moments in Global Cinema focuses on the varied manifestations of musical numbers through case studies of different national cinemas. And finally, From Romance to Dystopia looks at the social and political dimensions of musical moments embedded in contemporary cinema, with the goal of evoking further discussions of this rich and foundational filmic element.