Musicals
As soon as sound was introduced to the movies, the movie musical was born. The musical was one of the most popular movie entertainments from the 1930s through to the 50s, before falling out of favour at the end of the 60s for audiences now being weened on Vietnam, race riots, political assassinations, flower power and psychedelia. The musical still continued onwards, albeit in a different form, with various efforts such as "Cabaret", "The Rocky Horror Picture Show", "Grease", "Hair", "All That Jazz" and "The Blues Brothers" appearing over the next decade. More recently, "Moulin Rouge" and particularly "Chicago" hark back to the glory days of the musical.
Right: Liza Minnelli does "Cabaret"
Godspell (1973)
6.5/10
Director: David Greene
Starring: Victor Garber, Lynne Thispen, Katie Hanley
Based on the hit play, and presents The Gospal According to St. Matthew as played out in modern Manhattan. Colourfull costumes and exiting choreograph... Read more
De-Lovely (2004)
6.6/10
Director: Irwin Winkler
Starring: Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce
"De-Lovely" is an original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter, filled with his unforgettable songs. In the film, Porter (Kevin Kline) i... Read more
Vitus (2006)
7.7/10
Director: Fredi M Murer
Starring: Teo Gheorghiu, Bruno Ganz, Fabrizio Borsani, Julika Jenkins, Urs Jucker
A compelling domestic drama showing the family dynamics and ambititions surrounding child prodigy Vitus. A piano master by age six, Vitus' future seem... Read more
The Saddest Music in the World (2003)
7.2/10
Director: Guy Maddin
Starring: Isabella Rossellini, Mark McKinney, Maria de Medeiros, David Fox
Director Guy Maddin's works are like a window to an alternate film universe - this unforgettable feverish whirligig of a movie is the closest the cul... Read more
Carousel (1956)
6.9/10
Director: Henry King
Starring: Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell
An excellent filmization of Rodgers and Hammerstein's memorable adaptation of Ferenc Molnar's 'Liliom', songs include 'Soliloquy' and 'You'll Never Wa... Read more
Hans Christian Andersen (1952)
6.9/10
Director: Charles Vidor
Starring: Danny Kaye, Farley Granger, Jeanmarie
Danny Kaye stars as the Danish cobbler-turned-storyteller extraordinaire in a fanciful family favorite, loosely based on Andersen's life. Lavish sets... Read more
Grease 2 (1982)
4.2/10
Director: Patricia Birch
Starring: Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer, Adrian Zmed, Lorna Luft
Rydell High is up in the air over a new Australian student. Is he the new mysterious motorcycle master who's charming the Pink Ladies?. Read more
Show Boat (1951)
7/10
Director: George Sidney
Starring: Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel
George Sidney supplies movement and grace to the great Jerome Kern score that colours the lives of misfits and losers in a musical that deftly moves f... Read more
All That Jazz (1979)
7.8/10
Director: Bob Fosse
Starring: Jessica Lange, Ann Reinking, Roy Scheider, Leland Palmer, Ben Vereen, Cliff Gorm...
Bob Fosse casts Roy Scheider as basically himself in this semi-autobiographical musical extravaganza. He's a talented director/choreographer who loves... Read more
Across the Universe (2007)
7.4/10
Director: Julie Taymor
Starring: Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson, Dana Fuchs, Martin Luther McCoy, T...
A revolutionary rock musical, performed by the cast and inspired by the songs of The Beatles, that re-imagines America in the turbulent late 1960s, a... Read more