As long as there has been genre criticism, critics have pondered the existence of genre evolution. Certainly none would argue that the content, style, and structure of genre films changes over time, but is this evidence of significant evolution, or merely variations on a theme? In examining three different movie musicals - The Wizard of Oz (1939), Jesus Christ Superstar (1973), and O Brother, Where Art Thou (2000) - I will attempt to determine the extent to which these variations constitute evolution of the genre.

The Wizard of Oz (dir. Victor Fleming) tells the simple story of Dorothy Gale, an young girl from Kansas transported to the magical land of Oz. Accompanied by three unlikely compatriots - a tin woodsman, a scarecrow, and a cowardly lion - as well as a loyal dog, Dorothy must make her way through the strange and enchanted kingdom of Oz to ask the Wizard to send her back to her beloved Auntie Em. A whimsical fable, the movie's escapist fantasy urged the downtrodden......

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Title: Evolution
Approximate Word Count: 1918
Approximate Pages: 8 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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