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Not many films can say they have 14 Oscar nominations, but this one can!
Having already won seven Golden Globes, La La Land has taken the awards scene by storm this year. Directed byDamien Chazelle, La La Land has become many a moviegoer’s favourite film in recent times. In addition, the film has just scored 14 nominations for Oscars, which ties as a record high.
However, in a movie world where superheroes, car chases and the occasional explosion are more common than breaking into song, how did this musical film come to be? To find out, we have a few several films that inspired the award-winning musical.
You might not know many of the films—some are quite old. But if you’re looking for some more of all-that-jazz that La La Land provides then look no further.
The Young Girls of Rochefort
This classic musical, which was screened for the entire film team during production, was made in 1967. One of the most famous elements is the outdoor dance sequences that inspired the creation of La La Land. Also the widescreen aspect ratio used in the The Young Girls of Rochefort closely mirrors that in La La Land.
Singing in the Rain
It is impossible to watch a musical film and not see elements of this 1952 classic in the film’s genetic make-up. Gene Kelly and Stanley Donen’s masterpiece can be seen all over La La Land, be it in the colour scheme, its surreal dream sequences, or the use of sound stages to great effect. Yet most of all it is the symbolic nature of paying tribute to the lost golden era of cinema that many thought was lost that pairs the two films together.
Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench
La La Land is the brainchild of writer-director Damien Chazelle and composer Justin Hurwitz. The two are long-time friends who came up with the idea during their years at Harvard University. Although the film has enjoyed critical acclaim, La La Land took six years to be made.
This was due to many studios wishing to change the story of the two star-crossed lovers in the wonderful world of jazz. One even suggested making the lead a rock musician.
At its heart, though, the story has never changed: it can be seen in the 2009 film Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench, also directed by Chazelle. A mixture of live jazz performance and tap dancing, this is the child that became the adult known as La La Land. The two films are about love and music and a little bit more for everyone.
Whiplash
If Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench is a younger version of La La Land then Whiplash is the angry teenage sibling. Released in 2014, the movie quickly became the talk of tinseltown, from the Sundance Film Festival to three Academy Awards.
Dropping the musical happiness of his future project, Chazelle focuses instead on the music and what drives people to follow music to greatness. The story follows a determined young jazz drummer and his tyrannical musical instructor as they battle it out to a truly amazing climax.
Although the film does not have any dream sequences, it does have an otherworldly element that is shown through the pursuit of absolute perfection—the same theme that is visible in La La Land.
