The Ten Most Interesting Modern Film Musicals

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:47am

Here's a fun article discussing ten of the most interesting movie musicals made since the mid-60s, after the so-called "golden age" of the genre. The ten highlighted in the article:

-- A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964)

-- CABARET (1972)

-- JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973)

-- ALL THAT JAZZ (1979)

-- STARSTRUCK (1982)

-- PINK FLOYD: THE WALL (1982)

-- THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989)

-- DANCER IN THE DARK (2000)

-- MOULIN ROUGE! (2001)

-- HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH (2001)

I don't necessarily agree with all the selections (and I think the author overlooked a couple), but it's an interesting article nonetheles.

http://movies.msn.com/movies/musicals_intro

Updated On: 12/17/06 at 12:47 AM

[alwy15]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:51am

the title of the thread led me to believe that you were about to ask what we think are the ten most interesting modern stage musicals... but you didnt ask that. should we bring up that topic, then? or suggest other musicals that we think are better modern movie musicals since the golden age?

[Boq101]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:51am

Whoever wrote this apparantly doesnt know of a little person called Sondheim...Assassins should definatly be on that list

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:53am

It's about Movie Musicals not the stage.

[alwy15]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:54am

on this list I would have included "Beauty and the Beast," and "South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut,"

[Boq101]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 12:57am

in that case i'd agree with south park. Does Fantasia 2000 coutn as a musical? cause that was amazing

[JumpJumpJumpSoHigh]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 1:06am

Interesting article, although the bit about Bob Fosse "self-flagellating himself" had me wishing for a better editorial staff.

~JJJ

[TheaterAddict7652]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 1:14am

Am I the only one who never thinks of "All That Jazz" as a musical? There are a few incedents where the characters sing, but I never think of it as a musical, I simply think of it as a drama. Even the person who complied the list doesn't include one of the songs that the characters sing in the movie as it's best number- they chose the cattle call scene with George Benson's "On Broadway" playing over.

[Rentaholic2]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 1:31am

It's hard for me to imagine a list like this without Chicago (or Evita, maybe?)...but I guess it is a little too mainstream for this list.

[wickedrentq]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 1:50am

Wow, I didn't realize Fosse was against using Joel Grey in the Cabaret movie. Fascinating. Could you imagine the movie without him?

Interesting, I've never been a huge fan of the movie--more for personal taste, but I do understand why most people think it's a masterpiece. I preferred the book in the show, but I guess it was somewhat revolutionary to totally change the book. Hmmm.

And I'm so happy they picked Little Mermaid of all the Disney films. It's easy to pick Beauty, but my personal fav has always been Mermaid, and you have to give it credit for starting the new golden era for Disney. Beauty and the beast couldn't have happened without The Little Mermaid. And I never thought of it as being different from the original Disney movies but now that I think about it...it was even a bigger accomplishment than I thought, as it really was one of the first to behave like a book musical. Very interesting.

[SeanMartin]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:13am

Wow. Starstruck? I love that movie, and I'm glad to see it given that kind of recognition. But I am surprised to see Chicago not on the Top 10.

Fascinating article. Thanks for the heads up.

[Roscoe]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 8:42am

So Margo, which selections do you not agree with? What films do you think were overlooked?

I'm relieved that CHICAGO is not on the list, and would replace JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (an outrageously dated and badly acted and directed film) with the vastly more intelligent SOUTH PARK: BIGGER LONGER AND UNCUT. I enjoyed PINK FLOYD THE WALL when it first came out, but haven't revisited it in a while. I wonder how it holds up.

[best12bars]

Posted: 12/17/06 at 9:51am

Roscoe I disagree and think Jesus Christ Superstar is fairly brilliant as a film. I just watched it again last week and was surprised at how really good it was and how well it held up, far beyond the life of most film musicals of that era.

I would definitely add South Park in... and what the hell is Starstruck doing on that list.

I actually agree with Little Mermaid, over Beauty and the Beast, only because Mermaid "reinvented" the Animated film genre as a Broadway style musical. It was the innovator... even if Beast was ultimately a (slightly) better film overall.

But generally, I would say that this was a good list of "interesting" film musicals.