To continue getting breaking news and the full stories from The Boston Globe, subscribe today.

The Boston Globe

Arts

Boston.com

Film series that steps out

A look at musicals famous - and obscure

By Ty Burr

 |  Globe Staff  

  January 15, 2012

When we think of the American movie musical, we think of its perfect moments. Gene Kelly singin’ in the rain. Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers dancing cheek to cheek. Busby Berkeley’s insane terpsichorean fractals. ArtsEmerson’s five-month film series “Gotta Dance: A Survey of the American Film Musical’’ has those moments and more, but it’s more welcome for rescuing a number of rarely-seen and hardly-ever-seen early film musicals and bringing them to the Bright in restored prints.

Stay with the story. Get full access to BostonGlobe.com for just 99¢

Unlimited access to BostonGlobe.com for only 99¢ for the first 4 weeks. You can cancel at any time.

  • The FULL story all day: Enjoy all of the high-quality, in-depth journalism in the print edition of the Boston Globe — plus breaking news that's updated 24/7.
  • A truly reader-friendly format: It's online news that looks and reads just like the newspaper — uncluttered, uninterrupted.
  • Breakthrough technology: The responsive design automatically adapts content so it always reads perfectly on the digital device of your choice.
Get started today

Free access for home delivery subscribers.

Just need to link your home delivery account; one easy step.

Link my home delivery account

BostonGlobe.comSubscriber Log In

Contact us for help