July 11 - 24: Movies and Music This week

Debra's Picks

Two directors that have successfully crossed over to different genres are Steven Spielberg and Woody Allen. Spielberg has been hugely successful with his sci-fi and adventure films (E.T., Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones, Raiders of the Lost Ark, ), thrillers (Jaws), dramas (Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan, Amistad, The Color Purple), kid's movies (Hook, The BFG) and now a musical (West Side Story).

Woody Allen is known for his comedies (Annie Hall, Take the Money and Run, Sleeper) but his serious movies are often less successful. Some exceptions are Crimes and Misdemeanors, Hannah and Her Sisters, Blue Jasmine and Manhattan. I also really liked Match Point and Cassandra's Dream. He even made a musical comedy, Everyone Says I Love You, which was not a commercial success, but in my opinion (and most of the critics) is a very underrated favorite.

Many contemporary popular, rock and classical artists have been blurring the line between genres. Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond is a rock artist who has written an opera. Rufus Wainwright is another artist who has written an opera, and the great folk musician Rhiannon Giddens recently premiered her opera, Omar, at the Spoleto Festival and Los Angeles Opera. Meanwhile, Metallica performs with the San Francisco Symphony.

Linda Ronstadt is a shining example of a rock star who was extremely successful in crossing over into the popular genre with her albums of standards with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra. Then, going against all the professional naysayers, she came out with 2 albums of Mexican traditional mariachi music. Canciones de Mi Padre is the biggest-selling non-English language album in American record history. She also ventured into country music with Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris with her trio albums. And let's not forget her foray into operetta with Gilbert & Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance.

George Gershwin wrote popular music for Broadway shows and Hollywood films that became standards in the great American songbook. These songs are still popular today: Someone to Watch Over Me, I Got Rhythm, They Can't Take That Away From Me, Our Love is here to Stay. But he also wrote concertos and orchestral music which have remained classics in the repertoire. His classical compositions, like Rhapsody in Blue, are known for their jazz influences, and in his opera Porgy and Bess, he melded classical, jazz, blues and spirituals. It contains Summertime, one of the most popular songs ever, covered by numerous artists, from jazz singers like Ella Fitzgerald, to opera singer Angel Blue to The Doors. And it inspired an important jazz album, the Miles Davis Porgy and Bess.

Leonard Bernstein might be the most well-known classical musician to cross over into the popular genre. His Broadway scores (Candide, West Side Story, On the Town) are iconic, while his classical output (Chichester Psalms, Symphonies 1-3, etc) is less well known. He also wrote the score for On the Waterfront, all while serving as conductor of the NY Philharmonic.