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"
Beyond the Sea (2004)
6.7/10
Director: Kevin Spacey
Starring: Kevin Spacey, Kate Bosworth, John Goodman, Bob Hoskins, Brenda Blethyn, Greta Sc...
Kevin Spacey's unusual ode to crooner Bobby Darin is a stylised, though warts-and-all, portrayal of a man who simply wanted to be bigger than Sinatra.... Read more
As It Is In Heaven (2004)
7.6/10
Director: Kay Pollak
Starring: Michael Nyqvist, Frida Hallgren, Lennart Jahkel, Ingela Olsson, Niklas Falk
Daniel (Michael Nyquist) is an internationally acclaimed, though temperamental and lonely, conductor when a physical break-down prompts him to return... Read more
A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004)
6.5/10
Director: Arthur Seidelman
Starring: Kelsey Grammer, Jesse L Martin, Jane Krakowski, Jason Alexander, Jennifer Love H...
This elaborate musical re-telling of Dickens' Christmas story is based on a stage version that was performed for ten consecutive years in New York's M... Read more
Broadway: The Golden Age (2004)
8.4/10
Director: Rick McKay
Starring: Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Ben Gazzara, Shirley MacLaine, Carol Burnett, Car...
Filmmaker Rick McKay's tribute to the Broadway legends of the past was made with no crew and no budget. With just his digital camera, McKay interview... Read more
The Famous Five: The Musical - Smuggler's Gold (2004)
7.5/10
Director: Roz Storey
Starring: Elizabeth Marshland, Lyndon Ogbourne, Matthew Johnson
A musical interpretation of the Enid Blyton adventure "Smuggler's Gold" featuring the inimitable quintet, the Famous Five. Join George, Dick, Julian,... Read more
Ray (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Howard, Lar...
Jamie Foxx stars as the one-of-a-kind innovator of soul who overcame impossible odds to become a music legend. "Ray" is the triumphant and remarkable... Read more
Ray (Blu-ray) (2004)
7.7/10
Director: Taylor Hackford
Starring: Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington, Clifton Powell, Harry Lennix, Terrence Howard, Lar...
Jamie Foxx stars as the one-of-a-kind innovator of soul who overcame impossible odds to become a music legend. "Ray" is the triumphant and remarkable... 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
The Phantom of the Opera, Andrew Lloyd Webber's (2004)
Director: Joel Schumacher
Starring: Gerard Butler, Emmy Rossum, Patrick Wilson, Miranda Richardson, Minnie Driver
Musical Drama based on Andrew Lloyd Webber's celebrated musical phenomenon, which was adapted from the novel by Gaston Leroux. "The Phantom of the Ope... 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