17 The Brazilian chanchada’s musical moments and the performance of identity
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Lisa Shaw
Abstract
This chapter considers the performance of songs in the musical comedy films known as chanchadas, which dominated film production in Brazil from the late 1930s to the beginning of the 1960s, and initially at least took their inspiration from the Hollywood musical. It analyses, in particular, the soundtrack of an emblematic example of this cinematic tradition, Aviso aos navegantes, to illustrate the growing aural eclecticism of the chanchada, and to suggest that its relationship with Hollywood is not simply founded on naive mimesis. The disavowal of Afro-Brazilian identity in the casting of the chanchadas is endorsed by their soundtracks, which similarly 'whiten' Brazilian demographic and musical realities. The performances of samba on screen by white stars were stripped of Afro-Brazilian ethnic markers, save the non-threatening visual cue of the stylised baiana and malandro costumes.
Abstract
This chapter considers the performance of songs in the musical comedy films known as chanchadas, which dominated film production in Brazil from the late 1930s to the beginning of the 1960s, and initially at least took their inspiration from the Hollywood musical. It analyses, in particular, the soundtrack of an emblematic example of this cinematic tradition, Aviso aos navegantes, to illustrate the growing aural eclecticism of the chanchada, and to suggest that its relationship with Hollywood is not simply founded on naive mimesis. The disavowal of Afro-Brazilian identity in the casting of the chanchadas is endorsed by their soundtracks, which similarly 'whiten' Brazilian demographic and musical realities. The performances of samba on screen by white stars were stripped of Afro-Brazilian ethnic markers, save the non-threatening visual cue of the stylised baiana and malandro costumes.
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Singing of dubious desire 17
- 2 Voicing gender 30
- 3 Bien pagá 51
- 4 El otro lado de la cama 66
- 5 On the function of punk aesthetics in Salto al vacío and Historias del Kronen 83
- 6 Mobile soundscapes in the quinqui film 98
- 7 Song-shaped cinema 114
- 8 Travelling song 134
- 9 Sound moves 151
- 10 The Afro-Cuban soundscape of Mexico City 167
- 11 Blues traveller 189
- 12 Dancing in the dark 206
- 13 Re-making Frida Kahlo through song in Frida 220
- 14 ‘Silence! Fado is about to be sung’ 235
- 15 Sounds from Brazil 249
- 16 Soundtrack to roguery 264
- 17 The Brazilian chanchada’s musical moments and the performance of identity 283
- 18 Orpheus in Babylon 298
- Index 315
Chapters in this book
- Front matter i
- Contents v
- List of figures vii
- Contributors ix
- Acknowledgements xvi
- Introduction 1
- 1 Singing of dubious desire 17
- 2 Voicing gender 30
- 3 Bien pagá 51
- 4 El otro lado de la cama 66
- 5 On the function of punk aesthetics in Salto al vacío and Historias del Kronen 83
- 6 Mobile soundscapes in the quinqui film 98
- 7 Song-shaped cinema 114
- 8 Travelling song 134
- 9 Sound moves 151
- 10 The Afro-Cuban soundscape of Mexico City 167
- 11 Blues traveller 189
- 12 Dancing in the dark 206
- 13 Re-making Frida Kahlo through song in Frida 220
- 14 ‘Silence! Fado is about to be sung’ 235
- 15 Sounds from Brazil 249
- 16 Soundtrack to roguery 264
- 17 The Brazilian chanchada’s musical moments and the performance of identity 283
- 18 Orpheus in Babylon 298
- Index 315
