Music and cinema go hand in hand with art. Although cinema, unlike music, is a much younger branch, it has managed to get closely linked to music production. Today, you can rarely find a movie that does not contain music at all. The most obvious result of such a collaboration is films of a separate genre — musicals. I have loved them since childhood, just like all Disney cartoons with numerous songs. I welcome you to familiarize yourself with a few of my favorites.
1. “Les Misérables”
- Year: 2012
- Country: United States, United Kingdom
- Director: Tom Hooper
- Cast: Hugh Jackman, Russel Crowe, Anne Hathaway, Amanda Seyfried, Eddie Redmayne, Helena Bonham Carter, Sacha Baron Cohen
- Imdb: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes: 70%
- Metacritic: 63%
This dramatic musical by Tom Hooper based on Victor Hugo’s immortal novel has always been a success in any of its screen versions. I really love the story and the cast. Actors perform all songs live.
2. “La La Land”
- Year: 2016
- Country: USA
- Director: Damiene Chazelle
- Cast: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone
- Imdb: 8.0
- Rotten Tomatoes: 91%
- Metacritic: 94%
Damien Chazelle’s brilliant work, which he had planned for years, was overshadowed by the Oscar scandal. However, this musical is forever in my heart thanks to a simple idea that was realized in a magical way.
3. “Chicago”
- Year: 2002
- Country: USA
- Director: Rob Marshall
- Cast: Richard Gere, Renée Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones
- Imdb: 7.1
- Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
- Metacritic: 81%
The classic 2002 musical has definitely stood the test of time. While today, the Film of the Year Oscar award may seem doubtful, I still consider Chicago one of the best musicals in history.
4. “Singin’ in the Rain”
- Year: 1952
- Country: USA
- Director: Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
- Cast: Gene Kelly, Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds
- Imdb: 8.3
- Rotten Tomatoes: 100%
- Metacritic: 99%
This is definitely a classic of not just the musical genre, but cinema in general. Gene Kelly’s funny and smart musical quickly became popular in the United States, and then, outside the country. The title song performed by the director himself has become something of a household name.
5. “The Phantom of the Opera”
- Year: 2004
- Country: USA
- Director: Joel Schumacher
- Cast: Gerald Butler, Emmy Rossum
- Imdb: 7.2
- Rotten Tomatoes: 33%
- Metacritic: 40%
Among all film adaptations of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s 1986 musical, the 2004 version featuring Gerald Butler is my favorite. This was a breakthrough role for a Scottish actor in Hollywood. And it was this film that introduced me to the story of the ghost, for which I am grateful to Joel Schumacher.
6. “The Greatest Showman”
- Year: 2017
- Country: USA
- Director: Michael Gracey
- Cast: Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams
- Imdb: 7.6
- Rotten Tomatoes: 56%
- Metacritic: 48%
As you already understood, I adore Hugh Jackman and I especially love him in musicals, so I was looking forward to the premiere of The Greatest Showman. The story of P. T. Barnum creating his museum and collecting his exhibits was very interesting and heart-warming.
7. “Mamma Mia!”
- Year: 2008
- Country: United Kingdom, Germany, United States
- Director: Phyllida Lloyd
- Cast: Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Stellan Skarsgård
- Imdb: 6.4
- Rotten Tomatoes: 55%
- Metacritic: 51%
I am madly in love with ABBA’s songs, so it is not surprising that I am fond of the film. A magnificent cast, which absolutely any large-scale Hollywood project will envy, complemented this amazing story and made the film unique.
This was the list of my favorite musicals. If you enjoy watching films of this genre, feel free to check the above masterpieces. And of course, share your top picks with me.