Top 10 Modern Musicals

[Vic Sage]

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

This is an interesting article, but I think it defines "modern musical" much too narrowly, and I think comparing musical adaptations of stage works to original movie musicals is difficult to do, much less comparing either of them to animated musicals.

How do you call "Cabaret" modern, but not "Chicago", while leaving "Rocky Horror" completely out of the conversation? How do you champion "Dancer in the dark" without first giving kudos to "Phantom of the Paradise"? How do you promote "Little Mermaid" over the superior score of "Beauty and the Beast"?

And once you mention "Hard Day's Night", you're going beyond "musicals" into "music films", and such other works as FAME, PURPLE RAIN, SPINAL TAP, HEAVY METAL, NEW YORK,NEW YORK, STOP MAKING SENSE and VICTOR/VICTORIA enter the fray. So that should be a separate discussion.

[u:252bc9z7]My top 10 stage musical movie adaptations since 1960:[/u:252bc9z7]
*Cabaret (1972)
*Chicago (2002)
*Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, A (1966)
*Hair (1979)
*Hedwig (2001)
*Jesus Christ, Superstar (1973)
*Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
*Oliver! (1968)
*Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)
*West Side Story (1961)

[u:252bc9z7]My top 10 original movie musicals since 1960: [/u:252bc9z7]
*Absolute Beginners (86)
*All that Jazz (79)
*Moulin Rouge (01)
*Pennies from Heaven (81)
*Phantom of the Paradise (74)
*Robin & the 7 hoods (64)
*Starstruck (82)
*Tommy (75)
*True Stories (86)
*Willy Wonka (71)

[u:252bc9z7]My top 10 animated musicals since 1960:[/u:252bc9z7]
*Aladdin (92)
*Anastasia (97)
*Beauty & the beast (91)
*Lion king (94)
*little mermaid (89)
*Mulan (98)
*Pocahantas (95)
*prince of Egypt (98)
*south park (1999)
*yellow submarine (68)

[u:252bc9z7]Culling these, this is my top 10 `modern' musicals:[/u:252bc9z7]
*All that Jazz (1979)
*Beauty & the beast(1991)
*Cabaret (1972)
*Chicago (2002)
*Hair (1979)
*Jesus Christ, Superstar (1973)
*Lion king (94)
*Little Shop of Horrors (1986)
*Moulin Rouge (2001)
*Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975)

[MFS62]

What?
No Xanadu?

I guess your list is as good as anybody's.

And I like the fact that Sound of Music isn't on any of those lists. But maybe I would have found places for West Side Story and Mary Poppins.

Later

[Guest Matt Murdock, Esq.]

i DID find a place for "west side story" on the list (see above).

As for "Mary Poppins", it was on my short list of original movie musicals, but didn't make that category's top 10. I'm not a fan, but it deserves some recognition.

[RealityChuck]

My top ten since 1960 (in no particular order):

Moulin Rouge
Chicago
Cabaret
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
Everyone Says I Love You (unjustly underrated masterpiece)
Little Shop of Horrors
A Hard Day's Night definitely a musical (and Help! is even more so), not a music film
My Fair Lady
West Side Story
South Park -- Bigger Longer and Uncut (One of the few true animated musicals with a Broadway sensibility -- Beauty and the Beast is the other.)

[Guest Edgy DC]

Original musicals during the last 40 years that never come up in these discussions despite the paucity of musicals in the last 40 years:

An American Tail
Bride and Prejudice
Huckleberry Finn (1974)
Love's Labour's Lost (1973)
Newsies
New York, New York
Rooftops
School Daze
Streets of Fire
Tom Sawyer (1973)
Yentl

How much do you have to stink not to be a musical in the last 40-45 years but not get a mention in discussions about them? It's like saying, "Yeah, I got a cup of coffee in the bigs, but, you know, the 2003 Tigers were looking in a different direction."

[MFS62]

Matt Murdock, Esq. wrote: i DID find a place for "west side story" on the list (see above).

I meant it would be in my "top 10" final list (your last list).

How much do you have to stink not to be a musical in the last 40-45 years but not get a mention in discussions about them?

And then there was .... Evita
Later

[Vic Sage]

a MUSICAL is a genre of story-telling in which songs are sung by characters, in furtherance of the narrative.

a MUSIC FILM is a genre of filmmaking, in which music is either the point (ie, a "concert film" or "documentary" [or mockumentary]) or a key background element (soundtracks, montage sequences), but the particular songs are irrelevant or secondary to the narrative, and are not performed by characters in the story to further the narrative.

HARD DAY'S NIGHT is a terrific music film... one of the seminal works of the 60s (HELP is just silly, but fun). IMO, it's NOT a "musical". Paul doesn't sing a song to his groupies to express his hopes and dreams; the Beatles perform songs either in concert scenes or as background to alot of running around. Music is an essential and central element of the film, but that doesn't make it a "musical". If it were then so would all of the films of Cameron Crowe and Martin Scorsese, for example.

Edgy, i did mention NEW YORK, NEW YORK but that is clearly a "music film" insofar as ALL the musical numbers are concert performance -type numbers (what are called "source music" numbers that can pop up in a musical once in a while). There are no "musical" moments in which the characters sing as characters.

FAME is a closer call. Though most of the musical moments are of the "concert" or "performance" variety, some are ensemble numbers (in the cafeteria or on the street) which could be interpreted as character-based and narrative-driven. I could go either way on this one. Upon futher reflection, i'd put FAME in the "original movie musical" category. I'd have to look at PURPLE RAIN again too, in that context.

YENTL is clearly and solely a "movie musical" but i found it a painful experience, and was neither a commercial or critical hit sufficient to justify listing it.

if i were making a list of best "music films", i'd include

HARD DAY'S NIGHT
THE LAST WALTZ
THIS IS SPINAL TAP
NEW YORK, NEW YORK
STOP MAKING SENSE
VICTOR / VICTORIA
PURPLE RAIN
ALMOST FAMOUS
RED SHOES
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY
FANTASIA / FANTASIA 2000
PINK FLOYD: THE WALL
THE COMMITTMENTS
BUDDY HOLLY STORY
RAY

and i haven't seen WALK THE LINE yet, but i here its very good.

[Guest sharpie]

The Last Waltz or Stop Making Sense are not music films like the others, but documentary concert films which should be its own category. That list should also include films like "Gimmie Shelter" and many others.

I find "The Wall" totally unwatchable. "Quadrophenia" is a better film made from an album. So is "Tommy" though not a good film either.

[Vic Sage]

QUADROPHENIA definitely belongs on the "music film" list. TOMMY is on my "movie musicals list". I happen to love THE WALL, though i can see why some might hate it.

i've included documentary concert films within the definition of "music films" but i can see a point in breaking them out. GIMME SHELTER would definitely be included. so would WOODSTOCK. I also loved Laurie Anderson's HOME OF THE BRAVE.

also: Wim Wenders' BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB, HAIL! HAIL! ROCK N ROLL, D.O.A., DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION, DON'T LOOK BACK, IMAGINE, JIMI PLAYS MONTEREY, THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT, MONTEREY POP, NO NUKES, SAY AMEN SOMEBODY, TAMI SHOW.

[Guest sharpie]

Also LET IT BE, THE FILTH AND THE FURY, I AM TRYING TO BREAK YOUR HEART, MAD DOGS & ENGLISHMEN, THE CONCERT FOR BANGLADESH, NO DIRECTION HOME, DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION 2: THE METAL YEARS, THE ROLLING STONES ROCK & ROLL CIRCUS.

[Vic Sage]

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - "Singin' in the Rain" topped the American Film Institute's list of the "25 Greatest Movie Musicals," the movie preservation group said Sunday (9/3/06).

A jury of more than 500 film artists, composers, musicians, critics and historians selected the list, whose top 10 are, in descending order, "West Side Story," "The Wizard of Oz," "The Sound of Music," "Cabaret," "Mary Poppins," the 1954 "A Star Is Born," "My Fair Lady," "An American in Paris" and "Meet Me in St. Louis."

The remaining 15 films are "The King & I," "Chicago," "42nd Street," "All that Jazz," "Top Hat," "Funny Girl," "The Band Wagon," "Yankee Doodle Dandy," "On the Town," "Grease," "Seven Brides for Seven Brothers," Walt Disney's 1991 "Beauty and the Beast," "Guys and Dolls," 1936's "Showboat" and "Moulin Rouge!"

[Guest cooby]

I know everybody else hates Yentl, but I just love it and so does my daughter.

I recently emailed my daughter and asked her if she knew that the guy walking down the steps in the cholesteral medicine ad was Avigdar, but she didn't know what ad I meant, rats.

(Crestor, in case you didn't either)

[MFS62]

I have a sneaking suspicion that you may be adding Idlewild to one of those lists pretty soon. From the previews I've seen, it looks like a very creative attempt at blending swing and hiphop, set in a 30's speakeasy.

Also - I saw this on NCIS last night:

Three government agents are in a car on stakeout. The female one starts to sing something from The Sound of Music. One of her cohorts puts his hand over her mouth and says something like "STOP! If you sing that song, I will lock you in a room and play Its a Small World 10,000 times".

Since that's exactly how I feel, I roared.

Later

[stevejrogers]

No love for The Rutles: All You Need Is Cash?

=

I'd consider the original Producers for these lists though. Granted it only has one complete number, it has its roots in musicals.

Coal Miner's Daughter probably fits along the Ray, Buddy Holly and Walk The Line of bio pics of music artists in the last 40 years

[Vic Sage]

AFI's top 25:

1) Singin In the Rain - If not the best, certainly ONE of the best original movie musicals ever. Donen directs Kelly in his prime. Not only a great musical, its a musical ABOUT musicals, and a spoof of musicals, all at the same time, with great screenplay by Comden & Green.

2) West Side Story - Robert Wise directed this classic adaption of the Bernstein / Sondheim / Robbins show; it's still a masterpiece.

3) The Wizard of Oz - Garland becomes a star singing great Arlen/Harburg songs in one of the greatest movies ever.

4) The Sound of Music - Ugh. Perfectly good adaptation by Robert Wise of perfectly mediocre bit of R&H treacle. Warning: when viewing, have insulin nearby.

5) Cabaret - Fosse adapted and opened up Kander/Ebb work, improving on the original (1 of 3 Fosse-related movies on the list).

6) Mary Poppins - Imaginative, original, but overlong, heavy and dated. Andrews made this when she didn't get MY FAIR LADY. Some great Sherman Bros. songs.

7) A Star Is Born (1954) - Garland directed by Cukor in this touching soap opera with a few terrific songs and musical sequences.

8) My Fair Lady - Cukor' adaptation of the Lerner/Loewe hit is spectacular, but they should've cast Andrews.

9) An American in Paris - Gorgeous original movie musical based on Gershwin's music, written by Lerner, directed by Vincent Minelli, starring the inimitable Gene Kelly.

10) Meet Me in St. Louis - Garland and Minelli, quintessential Americana. Cloying, dated and overrated, but much beloved.

11) The King & I - One of the best R&H shows, well adapted, is interchangeable representative for R&H on this list.

12) Chicago - Adaptation of Kand/Ebb work, taking Fosse's threadbare staging and turning it into cinematic razzle dazzle.

13) 42nd Street - Warners made the definitive "back stage musical", with choreography of Busby Berkley. One of the original movie musicals on the list that was later adapted as a hit Broadway musical.

14) All that Jazz - Fosse's autobiographical music & dance spectacular wherein he contemplates his own death, while asking the musical question: "what's the matter, God... don't you LIKE musical comedies?"

15) Top Hat - Maybe not the best of Fred & Ginger (i prefer SWING TIME), but certainly a respectable representative, with memorable Irving Berlin songs.

16) Funny Girl - Love her or hate her, Streisand's stunning debut is a bigger than life biopic musical, with some great songs by Jule styne.

17) The Band Wagon - Arthur Schwartz/Howard Dietz songs are recycled for another "back stage musical" by Comden & Green (this time its Broadway), directed by Minelli, featuring one of Astaire's great later performances.

18) Yankee Doodle Dandy - Warners' George M. Cohan biopic shows Cagney's great talent at the top of his form. Still, more "biopic" than musical, and more a great performance than a great movie, and the songs... well, dated doesn't come close to describing them.

19) On the Town - One of MGM's numerous Kelly/Sinatra team ups, this "service comedy", based on a Robbins ballet, is a spectacular love letter to NY, shot mostly on location. Another Comden & Green show, directed by Donen, with Bernstein music.

20) Grease - hugely successful Travolta mega-musical adaptation of perennial Broadway hit; the pseudo-50s music is appropriate for a show of this crapitude. This movie makes me want to stick a pencil in my eye.

21) Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - Donen directed this original musical with great choreography by Michael Kidd. songs are forgettable, but show is energetic fun.

22) Beauty and the Beast (1991) - Menken/Ashman's great score brought Disney Animation to Broadway.

23) Guys and Dolls - Brando couldn't sing or dance, yet still pulls off this colorful adaptation of great Broadway show with Damon Runyon characters; written by Abe Borrows, with Frank Loesser's terrific score.

24) Showboat (1936) - James Whale directed this dated adaptation of a dated show (remade in 51), but it does have Paul Robeson's historic rendition of "Ole Man River", and the Kern/Hammerstein score is a classic. Still, a better show than a movie.

25) Moulin Rouge! - Spectacular Spectular! Baz Lurhman's visual feast uses pop songs in an innovative way to tell a mythic, yet moving, love story. I'd rate this much higher.

movies not on the list:

Oliver!
Fiddler on the Roof
Swingtime
The Court Jester
Willy Wonka
Rocky Horror
Hair
The Music Man
Royal Wedding
Easter Parade
5,000 Fingers of Dr. T (just checking to see if you were paying attention).

[Guest Edgy DC]

Little Shop of Horrors

17Freakin76

[Valadius]

Damn right 1776!

[MFS62]

19) On the Town - One of MGM's numerous Kelly/Sinatra team ups,

And, don't forget Jules Munshin, buster!

My late mother-in-law knew him (and Burt Lancaster) from the Henry Street Settlement House when they were kids.

Later

[Willets Point]

cooby wrote: (Crestor, in case you didn't either)

I used to bank at Crestar.

[Guest cooby]

That sounds like an outer space bank

[Willets Point]

Keeping with the celestial theme, after I moved on to another bank they changed their name to SunTrust.

[Guest cooby]

Hey, my bank used to be called Sun Bank! Now it's Omega. Before that it was Mellon, before that Central Counties, before that etc, etc, etc....