Isabella Furst
- Dec 29, 2020
- 7 min read

The magic behind ambitions and dreams portrayed in Damien Chazelle's 'La La Land'

I am quite literally bursting with happiness writing today's blog as I truly love this film so so much. It is definitely up there with my favourite films of all time and thought I would finally sit down and write a blog on it. It seemed to be an interesting film to write about as it does have quite mixed reviews and it seems like quite a marmite film; you either hate it or love it and thought this would be the perfect opportunity to fully explore and delve into the aspects of the film that many have issues with whilst at the same time, revealing what I love about this film so much and why I really do find it so entrancing and beautiful.

I am afraid there will be some spoilers as I feel I really do need to go in-depth to analyse the aspects of the film. Please do not read this before watching the film as the true experience of the film requires you to go in with as limited knowledge about the plot as possible, however, as always I know there a few who like to have films spoiled for them then I guess I can't really stop you. For those who are unfamiliar with the film and have decided to stay, the film, released in 2016, follows two individuals (Ryan Gosling as Sebastian and Emma Stone as Mia) whilst they go about pursuing their dreams in Los Angeles. The film depicts the struggle they endure in achieving their ambitions and the relationship the two have as they attempt to support both each other and themselves.

I feel I need to address the issue that many have with the film which is the fact that neither Stone nor Gosling are professional singers and dancers and so many find the musical aspect of the film is slightly wasted. Robin Pogrebin reports that 'Let’s face it, they can’t really sing or dance. And the novelty of seeing celebrities try to pull it off wears thin pretty fast.' To me, I agree that while the pair are NOT musical actors, both can sing and dance pretty well and this helps to make them as characters relatable and in some way more realistic. I understand musicals are supposed to be extremely over the top and make it seem as though we are transported into some magical world, but the whole aspects of the characters not being 'professional dancers and singers,' really helps to highlight that these two individuals are just like everybody else with a big dream of one day making it big and living their lives to the fullest in Hollywood. So, whilst many feel that this aspect of the film is not suitable for musical fans out there, I think it's a new approach to a classical musical and is quite refreshing to see.

The visuals in this film are beautiful, and as someone who loved watching films like 'Singin' in the Rain' and 'An American in Paris,' the film really captures the beauty and style of those classic Hollywood musicals we all know and love. Paired with the odd time setting, production designer David Wasco and set decorator Sandy Reynolds-Wasco, really combine the fantasy-like world of musicals with the present day to completely transport the audience whilst also retaining the realistic element of the film discussed previously. For example, the opening of the film in which the flash mob appears to dance atop cars on the highway combines both the elements of past musicals through the flash mob and the old vintage cars, with the modern-day Prius's that Mia drives - its a nice touch to see.

The colour and use of light within the film is also beautiful and Linus Sandgren has done an extremely beautiful job at evoking the emotion and connection between the characters within the film. Soft tones of light are used to assert the relationship between the two and highlight the dreamlike quality of the film held throughout. The beautiful scene in which Mia and Sebastian sit down at the piano together and sing 'City of Stars' really asserts how strong the two are becoming with the soft green light shining through the curtains. It highlights the strong emotion between the two and put simply, the fast-growing connection building between the two. Sandgren has discussed that for particular scenes, such as the one in the Italian Restaurant, "We create the spotlight on them and all the light dims away, and it becomes between us, the viewers, and the character. The camera was supposed to react emotionally, and engage the audience with visual storytelling that is also emotional," and he achieves just that. For the night scenes against the sky, Sandgren has discussed that the tones from the street lamps, "make the skies more pink, and [are used] to maintain that palette of cyans, and blues, and pinks." Below, is an image portraying just a few examples of beautiful colour used within the film, and at the end of the blog, is a link attached to a page that really goes in-depth to explore the other elements of Sandgren's cinematography for those who are interested in reading more. I could go on for hours about the various use of colour schemes, but to prevent myself from ranting, I shall move onto the next part of the blog.

Source of image: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/14918242497744302/

I feel that I have to mention the ending of this film too because it is definitely the part of the film that I have discussed the most with those who have watched it. In my opinion, I found the ending of the film beautiful because it represents that whilst the two ultimately don't end up together at the end of the film, the beauty of it lies in knowing that they had to separate in order to achieve their dreams. Without this breakup, Mia would not have become a successful and actress and Sebastian may not have been able to start his jazz club. Whilst we are left unaware that if they had stayed together, Mia would have gone to Paris to work on the film she auditioned for, it is clear from the montage at the end of the film that had they decided to go to Paris and continue their relationship, Mia would have become successful and Sebastian would not have been able to achieve his ambitions and goals. So yes I agree that it is a heart-wrenching ending but it is bittersweet too because the film encourages us as an audience to see that if they had not gone their separate ways, they would not be in their successful positions that they find themselves in at the conclusion. I have to say though upon my first watching of the film at the cinema, I absolutely balled when Mia came back to her luxurious hotel room at the Chateau Marmont, to find she was with someone other than Sebastian; as an audience, we are set up to expect that and I loved that about the film because it completely subverts our expectations but as mentioned, subverts this in the best way to depict their personal journeys.

Special mention needs to be made to Justin Hurwitz for composing the fantastic music of the film that really makes it incredible and enhances the musical aspect of the film. The songs are utterly beautiful and the combination of typical musical-like songs paired with jazz really aims to present the two themes of the film of old Hollywood glamour of the entertainment industry Mia wants to enter, and the raw jazz scene Sebastian clings to so dearly. The pairing of these styles of music really helps to tie into the overall experience both characters endure. And not to mention, 'City of Stars' is a genius song, because both beautiful and simple, it gets stuck in your head FOR DAYS. Anyone who has seen the film will know. I was wary about using it as an alarm in the morning because I was worried it would scar the song for me forever, but I honestly don't think I could grow to hate the song, it's too magical for me.

Another thing I must mention that is why I feel a personal attraction to the film is because of the time I have spent living in LA as a child - my grandparents live out there and I have such fond memories there that this film reignites the emotions and the absolute fun I had whilst living there. To others, I understand that an association like that may not be made and therefore might alter their experience watching the film, and I completely understand that too. I am not here to hate on those who don't like the film but as I am sure I have mentioned before on another film blog, I encourage those who aren't so fond of the film to consider why they did not feel drawn to it and why they didn't like it because it's important to note that down too. The nature of cinema is that some will like the film, and others won't but ultimately it offers us a range of cinematic experiences. I would definitely recommend cosying up on the sofa on a Sunday evening to best enjoy this film, it really is beautiful and heart-wrenching at the same time.

Quick Trivia:

Ryan Gosling spent two hours a day, six days a week in piano lessons learning the music by heart. By the time filming had begun, Gosling was able to play all the piano sequences seen in the film without the use of a hand double or CGI.
Only 30 dancers were used for the 'Another Day of Sun' sequence. Most of the people and cars seen in the far background are CGI.
The film was shot in eight weeks over the course of Summer 2015.
Mia's canary-yellow dress was originally used as a stand-by for dance rehearsals, but Emma Stone admired it so much that she was allowed to wear it on film.
The film's score was recorded in the same studio where 'Singin' in the Rain' (1952), 'The Wizard of Oz' (1939), and many other MGM musicals were scored.
Shares the record for most Oscar nominations (14) with 'Titanic' (1997) and 'All About Eve' (1950). 'La La Land' (2016) is the only of the three to not win Best Picture.
The plot has strong ties to Emma Stone's real-life history. The movie is based in LA, and Mia is discovered as a college dropout actress pursuing her dreams. Stone is a school dropout herself, having moved to LA at the age of 15 in pursuit of an acting career.