Review of The Music Man (1962) by Bob W — 02 Aug 2009

I love music of all kinds, and I have full respect for its power. That's what I find so magical about this movie. I can't think of another single Hollywood musical that's about music itself.

The songs in this movie are used because they're essential to the plot as well as to the characters and their feelings. The story is all about the power of music, in this case the power to change the fortunes of a town and its people who didn't realize their fortunes needed changing, and also to mesmerize and bend people to one's will by getting them to sing.

The latter is part of the film's rich use of humor; it's not realistic, of course, but rather a hyperbolic example of good music's acknowledged ability to turn attitudes around. Harold Hill, played with scene-dominating showmanship by Robert Preston, is a successful con artist whose work depends greatly on affecting the attitudes of his marks.

By singing songs (and miraculously getting the dour River City townsfolk to sing and dance with him), Hill launches and maintains his elaborate scheme with apparent ease, although he must deftly avoid several close calls.

Everything works well until he becomes romantically involved with Shirley Jones's character, who, naturally, complicates everything. Preston plays a man who is great at what he does but is in desperate need of a healthy conscience, and Jones supplies one for him.

She plays a very dynamic character and makes the arc from beginning to end believable. Obviously, she was hired because of her tremendous singing ability, but she does an excellent job at the drama, comedy, and romance as well.

"The Music Man" is an incredible amount of fun, a fantasy set in seemingly the most unspectacular place imaginable. The songs are brilliant and beautiful, written and placed in the movie perfectly to coincide with plot developments and tell us everything we need to know about the characters.

The ballet performances are majestic and strange, adding another important layer to the effect that music has on people, who had previously given no indication they could dance. The film's finale inspires on many levels: serving as a curtain call for the great cast, as the grandest bit of fantasy in the whole film, and finally as a musical symbol for newfound joy in living, a parade that extends into infinity.