Greatest Movie Musicals of All Time

[munkustrap178]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 12:09am

I know there was something like this a few months ago on the main board, but I thought it might be fun to see how all of us rank the movie musicals - using all aspects for reference - direction, casting, cinematography, etc. Not just "it's so different from the stage version, therefore it's bad," or "I like the music, so it's good."

1. The Wizard of Oz
2. Singin' in the Rain
3. West Side Story
4. Oliver
5. The King and I
6. The Sound of Music
7. Cabaret
8. All That Jazz
9. Funny Girl
10. The Music Man
11. My Fair Lady
12. Fiddler on the Roof
13. Mary Poppins
14. Hair
15. Chicago
16. Hedwig and the Angry Inch
17. Carousel
18. 42nd Street
19. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
20. Hello, Dolly!
21. Oklahoma
22. South Pacific
23. Little Shop of Horrors
24. Guys and Dolls
25. Gypsy (remake)
26. Grease
27. 1776
28. Newsies
29. Kiss Me, Kate
30. Gypsy (original)
31. Brigadoon
32. How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
33. On the Town
34. The Pajama Game
35. Annie
36. Jesus Christ Superstar
37. Evita
38. The Phantom of the Opera
39. A Chorus Line
40. Bye Bye Birdie (remake)
41. Man of LaMancha
42. Victor/Victoria
43. Mame
44. Annie (remake)
45. Godspell
46. The Fantasticks
47. Bye Bye Birdie (original)
48. Annie Get Your Gun
49. The Music Man (remake)
50. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 5:41am

I really don't like a lot of movie musicals because something always gets cut and that's my biggest pet peeve. even the wizard of oz - they cut the jitterbug and the over the rainbow reprise and that just makes me so mad. and don't even get me started on cabaret or forum which are probably the most butchered on the list. the only movie musicals I can actually stomach are my fair lady, evita, hedwig, phantom, the gypsy tv remake with bette middler and the fantasticks movie with all of the deleted scenes and songs from the bonus features edited back into the film. had they released a directors cut the fantasticks could have been one of the best movie musicals of all time. but as it is now it's just a butchered mess... Updated On: 1/27/05 at 05:41 AM

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 6:01am

as far as i know i have the fantasticks special edition on dvd and the deleted songs/scenes on mine are not edited back into the film you can however access them through the special features option. was another special edition of this movie released with the footage edited back in?

EDIT: sorry CATS i just re-read your post. i figured out what you were trying to say. nevermind the above question. Updated On: 1/27/05 at 06:01 AM

[Jon]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 7:15am

Your list left off some amazing musical movies NOT based on stage shows, such as SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS, AN AMERICAN IN PARIS, and WILLIE WONKA, all of which deserve to be int he top 25. Many people put SEVEN BRIDES in thur top ten movie musicals.

And you didn't include a single Fred Astaire movie!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 7:47am

Jon--I vote for THE BANDWAGON for an Astaire movie.

[Feodor Sverdlov]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:03am

Well, Greatest, no matter how many people think so, is VERY subjective. So, my favorites:

Based on Broadway shows:

1. The Sound of Music
2. The Music Man
3. 1776 (complete laserdisc edition)
4. West Side Story
5. Hello, Dolly!
6. Bye Bye Birdie (1963 version)

Original Musicals for film:

1. Mary Poppins
2. Seven Brides For Seven Brothers
3. The Wizard of Oz
4. Singin' In The Rain (although not an original per se)

Films with songs:

1. Love Me Or Leave Me
2. Victor/Victoria
3. Star!

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:22am

Feodor, I think we are the only ones that liked STAR! I didn't think it was "brilliant" or anything and it was too long but Julie kicked butt in that movie.

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:23am

1. West Side Story
2. Chicago
3. The King & I
4. Cabaret
5. Grease
6. Bye Bye Birdie (1963 version)
7. Hair
8. Mary Poppins
9. Singin' In The Rain
10. The Wizard of Oz
11. Tommy
12. The Rocky Horror Picture Show
13. Victor/Victoria
14. Viva Las Vegas
15. Gigi
16. Daddy Long Legs
17. Coal Miner's Daughter
18. Sweet Charity
19. Carmen Jones
20. Little Shop of Horrors
Updated On: 1/27/05 at 08:23 AM

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:25am

Why am I not seeing Garland's 'A Star Is Born' on anyone's list?

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:28am

D --- I've never seen it.


RUNS AND HIDES FROM DGRANT'S RATH

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:30am

I insist that Can't Stop the Music and Xanadu be included.

[Jimmcf]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:31am

Marquise - you must see Judy's "A Star is Born"
And for camp, Barbra's

And I must inisit "Meet Me In St. Louis" be on the list

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:32am

oh sh!t i forgot "XANADU"!

YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE WE ARE MAGIC. . .

:: skates away ::

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 8:36am

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! WENT THE TROLLEY...
DING! DING! DING! WENT THE BELLS...ZING, ZING, ZING WENT MY HEART STRINGS...FROM THE MOMENT I SAW HIM I FELL...CHUG, CHUG, CHUG WENT THE MOTOR...BUMP, BUMP, BUMP WENT THE BRAKE. . .

:: RIDES AWAY :: Updated On: 1/27/05 at 08:36 AM

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:27pm

Anybody blue?
Anybody needin' someone too?
Anyone feelin' cold?
No one there you can hold?

Don't wait to get old and gray.
I'm gonna blow all the clouds away.
'Cause there is nothin' I would rather do.
Ooo...ooo...ooo!

Forget about the blues tonight.
Sweet Thing.
Forget about the rules tonight.
Sweet Thing.
I wanna dance with you.
Until the sun comes creepin' through.
I wanna dance with you.
I won't stop pleasin' you.
Ah...ah...ah...ahhhhhhh



Time to break out the Xanadu CD...

[kangaroo]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:29pm

Sound of Music IS FIRST!

Mary Poppins
Oklahoma! [with Hugh]
Music Man
Then Pirates of Penzance
and West Side STory

[Marquise]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:30pm

No other face could take you off my mind
You're so refined
You're much to kind
I have to warn you I'm never gonna set you free
Cos I was born to love you for eternity

Whenever you're away from me
Wherever you go
You're never far away from me
I want you to know
I only have to close my eyes dear
And suddenly I'm where you are
You'd better never stray
Cos I'll never be far away

On every breeze I seem to hear your name
My hearts aflame
I feel the same
I'd fall apart dear
If you let the feelin' end
Don't break a heart dear
Nobody else could mend

Whenever you're away from me
Wherever you go
You?re never far away from me
I want you to know
I only have to close my eyes dear
And suddenly I'm where you are
You'd better never stray
Cos I'll never be far away

Whenever you're away from me
Wherever you go
You're never far away from me
I want you to know
I only have to close my eyes dear
And suddenly I'm where you are
You'd better never stray
Cos I'll never be far away
You'd better never stray
Cos I'll never be far away Updated On: 1/27/05 at 03:30 PM

[sparklefairy]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 3:57pm

I know it wasn't an original stage play, but, anyone? Moulin Rouge? It has to be one of my favourite musical films ever. It has romance, tragedy and kick ass songs. I will defend it to the death.

[Jon]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 5:55pm

I must give a mention to an awful film with a brilliant song score: NEW YORK, NEW YORK. Besides the title tine, there "And the World Goes Round", "There Goes the Ballgame", and the wonderful "Happy Endings" sequence, cut fromt he original release but restored on DVD, I believe.

It's also the last time Liza was great - before she became a parody of herself.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 5:55pm

woah, woah, woha... OKLAHOMA! with Hugh Jackman cannot be included as a movie musical. otherwise then there are tons of movie musicals that I love... Sweeney Todd (concert), Kiss Me, Kate (Barrett/York), CATS, Putting It Together, Jesus Christ Superstar (new stage version), Victor/Victoria (B-way cast), Peter Pan (Rigby) ... these are all great and I love to watch them but they are not movie musicals they are filmed stage shows. Not the same.

[LetMeLeave]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 6:10pm

FROM JUSTIN TO KELLY.

[Jim Colyer]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 6:42pm

Great topic! I picked 5 to comment on.
3 West Side Story - This one is hard to top. Its singing, dancing and passion set the standard. I remember, the day I first saw it in Louisville, KY, President John Kennedy came to town. I stayed over after the movie to watch Kennedy ride down 4th Street perched on the back of his Convertible. This was in November, 1962. A year later, he was assassinated. I always associate Kennedy and West Side Story.

7 Cabaret - I am sorry but I can not watch this movie. I have tried, and it makes me physically ill. It must be some kind of curse like The Scottish play.

14 Hair - The film came out 10 years after the period which it depicts. No one cared about Vietnam and hippies in 1979. Nonetheless, Hair is a great movie. Great music, done well. Had it come out in 1969, its political implications would have been enormous.

30 Gypsy - I developed a crush on Natalie Wood and saw this movie 3 times in January, 1963. I got my high school marching band to perform "Let Me Entertain You" at football games. Gypsy was more about her relationship with her mother than it was about stripping. I was 17 and wanted to see stripping. I did compose a love song to Natalie Wood.

NATALIE

Natalie, Wo-o-o-o Natalie
Tell me that we'll never part
Natalie, Wo-o-o-o Natalie
You're gonna stay in my heart

I'm gonna find a way to love you
I'm gonna take your heart away
I'm always gonna be right by your side
Til my dying day

Natalie, Wo-o-o-o, Natalie
Things will get better when you're mine
Natalie, Wo-o-o-o, Natalie
You're gonna thrill me everytime

38 The Phantom Of The Opera - Rich and colorful, all we could have expected. I loved Minnie Driver as Carlotta. Minnie is a beautiful woman with great breasts as we have discussed before. The main theme is emotionally stirring, "Beneath the opera house, I know he's there..." Wow! At the same time, I think Andrew Lloyd Webber has one good song per show. In Cats, it is "Memory." In Evita, it is "Don't Cry For Me Argentina." Strange. If you listen to the London recording of the Chess musical which Tim Rice wrote with Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA, you will find that every song in the show is a good one. Chess flopped on Broadway. Mamma Mia! has taken away the pain for Benny and Bjorn. http://www.jimcolyer.com/music/




Jim Colyer Updated On: 1/27/05 at 06:42 PM

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 7:25pm

Mr. Coyler , while I am sure your post contained many 'interesting' thoughts, no one was able to read it.
Why, you might ask.
Because it was not in question form.
I hope you have finally learned your lesson.
Have a fantastic day.

[babygiraffeboots]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 7:40pm

There's a soft spot in my heart for Meet Me in St. Louis, and there is no reason why I love it, I just do.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/27/05 at 7:45pm

I have a soft spot for Meet Me in St. Louis as well, babygiraffeboots.

I also must add my undying love for STATE FAIR!!!!!

Updated On: 1/27/05 at 07:45 PM