This Was Entertainment

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In 1974, MGM released That's Entertainment, a compilation film showcasing musical numbers from the studio's golden age from the late 1920s to the late 1950s. Ostensibly a celebration, That's Entertainment is in fact achingly vulnerable, boisterous of the triumphant musicals of old, embarrassed of their perceived superficiality, and desperate to cling to relevance in the face of a changing American cinema. This video essay goes deep on the film, how it portrays the history of the movie musical, and how it reckons with a transforming Hollywood which would never be the same.

0:00 - Introduction
3:23 - This Was Entertainment
11:43 - Appraising The Musical
26:10 - Nostalgia and New Hollywood
29:04 - Old Hollywood
39:25 - MGM in the 70s
47:06 - MGM's Utopia
56:23 - The Cracks
1:04:57 - The End?
1:06:42 - Sequels
1:09:15 - Cinema Memories

Filmography: https://letterboxd.com/eyebrowcinema/list/this-was-entertainment-filmography/

Works Cited: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1AgJZf7x7-wFoUSf1uzk_wh24Rg8g93s-0Cax318aWPo/edit?usp=sharing

Music Featured:

Love Struck by E's Jammy Jams
A Brand New Start by Track Tribe
Blacksmith by Godmode
Setup with an E by Small Colin
Anomalous Hedges by The Mini Vandals
Confliction & Catharsis by Asher Fulero
Love Him by Loyalty Freak Music
Knowpe by Noir Et Blanc Vie
Seductress by Francis Preve
Devious Little Smile by Godmode
Higher Octane by Vans in Japan
Dream Escape by The Tides
Doc and Wyatt by Everet Almond
Elegy by Asher Fulero
Putting on the Ritz by Freedom Trail Studio
Disco Knights by Quincas Moreira
Gaiety in the Golden Age by Aaron Kenny
Vampire by Emmit Fenn
Traversing by Godmode
Surrender by Asher Fulero
Alive Evil by Hainbach
Allégro by Emmit Fenn
Northern Lights by Chris Haugen
Dreaming Blue by Sextile
Running Waters by Audionautix
Pure Potentiality by Benjamin Martins
First Light by Futuremono
La Citadelle by Komiku
True Art Real Affection Part 2 by Noir Et Blanc Vie