My parents were addicted to cinema. They did their courting in the one-and-nines, and even after I came along they continued apace. From the age of three I accompanied them, albeit meaninglessly at first, but by age five I was able to retain data – to recognise performers, distinguish the different studios and their rosters. I maintained the habit for the bulk of my life, so that what I’m leading up to, albeit clumsily, is that when, in 2016, I watched La La Land, shortly before it was named – erroneously – best film in the 2017 Academy Awards, it was clear to me it was a homage to the golden age of Hollywood. In the opening sequence alone it offered both a nod to Busby Berkeley and what used to be known as a “meet-cute”, in which the leading man and leading lady first encounter each other in an unorthodox situation. On top of that it also gave a nod to Brief Encounter inasmuch as it featured a bitter-sweet love affair. Throughout, it was studded with scenes that allowed us to murmur “Yes, that’s a nod to Battleship Potemkin” or whatever.
Hannah Lewis makes much the same observation and says much the same thing in her book on the film. As associate professor of musicology at the University of Texas, she is not so vulgar as to employ the word “nod” when she has at her right hand the word “referential”. She also seems to like “diegetic” and “trope” too. OUP appear to have thrown down the gauntlet to the BFI, who have been churning out small volumes like these for several years, albeit on a much wider range of films. And why not? There’s good money to be made in this field. Now that we’ve reached the stage where you need a degree in order to label a can there’s much more scope for books like this.
There are several positives. If you have any questions about La La Land Ms Lewis will have an answer for you, covering the film from alpha to omega. She has taken the time and trouble to interview writer-director Damian Chazelle, composer Justin Hurwitz, lyricists Benj Pasek and Justin Paul and choreographer Mandy Moore. In this book you will learn far more than the names of cast and crew.
One thing we can all agree on without equivocation is that La La Land has a rich seam of nostalgia running right through its centre. In its simplest form nostalgia is a reflection on a far simpler age. An age of innocence where a husband and wife could walk out of the Regal at 10.20 p.m. on a Wednesday evening and, as they walked out of the foyer and back into the real world, the husband could say, “Eeeh, mother, that were a grand picture. Now, let’s get to the chippy before they close.”