Lesson Plans - Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls
This is a musical. You may need the English subtitles to follow the film well, since the dialogue often involves singing. It’s important to prepare the students that this film feels like you’re on the stage with the characters, like you’re in the middle of a dramatic stage production. There’s a storyline, a movie. But many of the scenes are actual performances. And like in any stage production, the characters often feel “bigger than life.”
Some elements are exaggerated to make a point. Please prepare the students that there is a lot of glizzy drama in the film – sometimes the singing goes on a little too long, sometimes there are too many costumes, makeup, wigs. But try to stay focused on what point is being made.
This is the USA in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s. The music business is sky rocketing. More importantly race relations are changing. Blacks, who have always been involved in travelling minstrel shows, in the Blues and other evolving forms of Jazz on stage are beginning to enter the Pop music business and later Disco. You will often hear the word Soul in the film. What is soul music? What is soul? And what is pop? What is the difference?
So, let’s think about this. You’ve got an ethnic minority that not even 100 years ago is considered slaves with no rights as citizens, as humans – now entering the big time entertainment business. You can certainly talk about emancipation, or breaking the chains of prejudice. But is it really that easy?
To get a better idea of what I am talking about, let’s think about Italians for a minute. Do you think there is discrimination against Italians internationally speaking? Do you think Italians are stereotyped? Often we are the country only considered for its food, mafia, corruption? What if there really were success on a world level, that Italy became a business and military superpower? Do you think we’d maintain Italian values or do you think we would just enter world politics and do like American or China does? Or rather, do you think we would rule with our stereotypes in hand? Or here’s another question, would Italians have the self confidence to affront all insecurities involved in taking a leadership position?
What about the blacks themselves who have suffered so many years of discrimination, of violence? You can move forward and take advantage of the new opportunities, but there are other issues that come up.
The voices are of black Americans in the film. Listen carefully to the cadence of the sentences, the different emphasis on the words. How would you describe the conversation style? Listen carefully to how the words are pronounced. They often use “sister” and “brother” to refer to one another. Why? What effect does that have on their communication? The term “cool” or “cool it” is also used quite often. What does that mean?
BEFORE THE FILM
As the film begins, you are part of a black music talent show. The Dreamets music (the announcer makes a mistake and calls them the Creamets – an interesting choice of words given the fact there are so many plays on skin tones between the whites and blacks) is last since they were late in arriving. The background scene involves the manager for Jimmy Earl trying to find new back-up singers since the other backup singers just walked out on him. The Dreamets don’t win the talent contest but they have a consolation prize, their manager-to-be introduces himself and makes a lucrative offer. They will earn a steady salary in exchange for taking a job with Jimmy Earl as back-up singers. In protesting the idea of singing backup, Effie says “I don’t do backup, I don’t do boobs and eyes.” Do can be used liberally in English is refer to any activity.
During the opening scenes of the film observe carefully the TYPES of music that are being introduced. Can you hear Rhythm and Blues? Can you hear swing? How about Pop? Gospel? What about Effie’s voice during her performance? Is it a gospel like sound? What about Jimmy Earl’s music? How would you describe it?
Look carefully at the scenes when Curtis, the owner of the new music label, decides he wants to earn more money using illegal means to put enough money together, to pay off the radio djs for playing his records. He thinks that’s the only way to “break into the music business.” He says you have to have money, enough money to play in a corrupt system. He begins playing cards, betting on boxing matches, whatever it takes to earn. Look at the faces of the men who run the betting joints, the casino? Do they look Italian to you? This brings up an interesting topic for us to consider. During the prohibition many clubs were closed to cut down on alcohol consumption. Many of the night clubs that remained open were illegal underground operations owned by the mafia who in turn hired black musicians to play music. It would be interesting to study the connection between the Italians/mafia and music in the black community in the US.
As success continues for the Dreamets, the drama of the film develops. A record is produced with speeches by Martin Luther King Jr. Do you know who he is? What did he do during the 50’s and 60’s in America? At one point, Effie jokes that she is made second priority to amateurs like King. Watch for that joke. What is Martin Luther King saying in his speech that “he has a dream.” That is a very famous speech. What was he saying? What do the images show while you hear the speech in the film?
This is a film about music styles – what is popular, what is successful, what is light, what is heavy. Watch for references to light music. For example, at one point Curtis says that lighter sounds cross over to the pop charts. What is really going on when referring to a song as light. At a certain point in the film, the Dreamets become stars of disco music. What is their image? Have they maintained any of their original style? Is that important? Look at the theme song, Dreamgirls, which is introduced in the middle of the film. It has almost a silly feeling at first, with an emphasis on the word “girls.” The Dreamets sing it with their long white gloves and “showy” movements. At the end of the film, this song is again sung with a very different tone, a very different feel to it with more emphasis on the word “dream.” Look for the differences.
The tragic figure in the film is Jimmy Earl. His style and music is respected less and less. And he dives further and further into depression and drugs. Do you think he was used just to make the Dreamets famous? He is desperate to show his soul but what happens when the styles clash? In a last attempt Jimmy and the Dreamets create a song which they think is the perfect blend of soul and pop to get Curtis’ approval. He only responds that the song is good but light. He says he wants light but not that light. Everyone in the room protests and says that songs should also carry a message. One of the Dreamets, Michele, says “I’m angry that my brother is over in Vietnam. We need to talk about what people are feeling.” And Curtis responds that music is supposed to “sound” not send a message. What is really going on in the film? Why does Curtis tell Jimmy that his shirt is not the right image and to loose it? Why does Jimmy become desperate?
The marriage between the lead singer Deena and her husband Curtis begins to fall apart. Deena makes plans to leave her husband and mistakenly finds a record that Effie made, and discovers the song the Dreamets made famous was actually stolen from her old friend. To make amends she calls Effie and makes a deal with lawyers to stop Curtis from going any further with the song. She discovers that Effie had a daughter with Curtis even though Curtis knew nothing about it. In a sense the future lies there.
AFTER THE FILM
Once the Dreamets are off and running with their career they have their first hit – Got me a Cadillac. What happens once their song hits the pop charts? Do white musicians take the song and change it into a different sound? What sound is it? More exciting? More subdued? Curtis makes the point that Hound Dog, the song done by Elvis Prestley was written and sung by a black singer first. What is he talking about in this portion of the film? What point does Curtis want to make?
Rainbow Records is born, a label built by Curtis. He realizes his song has been stolen by the white performers and admits that more money is needed to pay the djs to play their music on the radio. Here Curtis admits that there is a certain corruption to the music sector but seems willing to do whatever necessary to enter the business. He begins doing illegal activity to acquire the necessary money to promote his music. Do you think this is right? What would you do in Curtis’ situation?
As the Dreamets receive more and more attention, the manager for Jimmy Earl starts to get nervous. He thinks the music is becoming too pop or too light for Earl. The two managers clash. Curtis tells Jimmy’s manager, I don’t want that “hustler” (another word for pimp) “chitlin” (a southern fried pork dish) stuff, I want the pop charts, I want to be booked in The Paradise. Jimmy wants both to work with his original manager AND to work with Curtis. But Jimmy’s manager walks out and Curtis wins. What kind of music is Jimmy leaving behind when he joins Curtis and does more with Rainbow Records?
What did you think about the Dreamets’ voices? Was there a more talented voice, a more neutral voice, a more subtle voice? The managers say that Effie is no longer to be the lead singer. Even though she has the strongest voice, she does not have the “looks” and with the age of tv, the physical aspect is important. How does Effie respond? What can we say about beauty vs. voice?
Do you remember the short conversation between Curtis, Effie and Deena? They are asking Curtis if he cheats on his wife and what kind of women he likes, if he likes a “real” woman or a “little bird” type woman. What does she mean by that question? How do the three Dreamets look? Is there one that’s prettier than the others? Is there one who has a more stereotype black look? Why?
Also, there is a sequence of photos shown in the middle of the film with Deena as a model. How would you describe Deena’s beauty? How would you describe Effie’s beauty? What are the differences?
Let’s look at the scene between the women, the “Miss Blame it on the World” song. What did you think of this song? It ends with a very dramatic moment for Effie when she “sings her heart out” about wanting to stay with Curtis. Have you ever had moments like this in your life? When you don’t agree with what is happening and in desperation you try to keep things the same? What was it that Effie was not seeing about herself? What was going on for her in the film?
Let’s talk for a minute about personal power. Here Effie is really showing her ability as a singer, as a woman but she feels her power lies completely in “getting the man.” Does this sound familiar? Do women often fight one another to get to a man, to have a feeling of being more powerful. At one point in the song Effie refers to the new singer and asks “how much did you give out to get in?” What does this question mean?
Do you remember the point in the film when Effie leaves the group and after a painful period of trying to find work, goes out on her own and begins to sing alone. She finds her power as a person and as a singer. Her brother, one of the protagonists in the film, writes a song for her which she sings with all her soul. Unfortunately Curtis finds out about it and does everything possible to stop Effie and her success by steeling the song and reproducing it on his own terms. Curtis is doing exactly what he accused whites of doing to blacks, steeling their music and making it their own. What do you think of this? What in fact, was the difference between Effie’s version of her song and the Dreamets’ version? How would you describe the two versions? Was there one that showed more soul? And one that showed more pop?
The success of the Dreamets has catapulted the women into stars. The lead singer, Deena is gorgeous and Curtis is determined to get her into the movies by playing Cleopatra. He tells his wife, he wants a big role for her, not a demeaning domestic-type role, “to show the generations of black women who aren’t even born yet” that they too can play big roles like this.” What is he talking about? What is a role model? And what does Deena think of this? What kind of role does she want to play?
Deena decides to meet on her own with a film producer and writer. She uses strong language and some foul words. The producer says she has a “potty” mouth. “Potty” is another word for toilet. The film producer also asks about “getting into bed on this.” What does that mean? Is this another term for making an agreement? The producer than asks if Deena is on a “tight leash” with her husband? What is he referring to?
Slowly Deena finds the strength to do what she feels is right, not what her husband is telling her. She says she’s at a “crossroads” in her life. Curtis then says that Deena’s voice has no character. What does he mean? What accusation is he making? Deena sings that she’s got to find her own voice. What is she talking about?
What did you think of the ending? There are several shots of Magic, Effie’s daughter, watching her mother perform. What message is the film