Subgenre Sampler

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Emilia Perez (2025): Dir. Jacques Audiard
Feat. Zoe Saldana, Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez…; Set in Mexico but made in France, this exciting Trans–Gangster–Musical has polarized audiences but is best appreciated as a modern…
Better Man (2024): Dir. Michael Gracey
Feat. Robbie Williams, Steve Pemberton, Alison Steadman; An outlandish musical biopic about Robbie Williams who enjoyed early success with ‘Take That’ and greater heights as a solo performer (Angels,…
Wicked (2024): Dir. Jon Chu
Feat. Cynthia Erivo, Ariana Grande, Jonathan Bailey…; Loosely inspired by the L. Frank Baum novels, and the iconic 1939 film. An 'untold' Oz origin story of sees the Wicked Witch of the West as the…
Carmen (2023): Dir. Benjamin Millepied
Feat. Melissa Barrera, Paul Mescal, Rossy de Palma…; Melissa Barrera (In The Heights) and Paul Mescal (Normal People, Aftersun) star as strangers who become shackled to each other's fates after a tragic…
There's Still Tomorrow (2023): Dir. Paola Cortellesi
Feat. Paola Cortellesi, Valerio Mastandrea, Vinicio Marchioni; An audacious, bittersweet comedy–drama that swept the Italian Oscars and broke domestic box–office records. Directed, co–written…
Wonka (2023): Dir. Paul King
Feat. Timothée Chalamet, Hugh Grant, Keegan-Michael Key…; Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the…
Elvis (2022): Dir. Baz Luhrmann
Feat. Austin Butler, Tom Hanks, Richard Roxburgh; Baz Lurhmann is back with his first feature film since “The Great Gatsby” (2013) exploring the life and music of Elvis Presley in his own…
I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody) (2022): Dir. Kasi Lemmons
Feat. Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders…
Lyle, Lyle Crocodile (2022): Dir. Will Speck, Josh Gordon
Feat. Javier Bardem, Constance Wu, Scoot McNairy; Comedy directors Will Speck and Josh Gordon (Blades of Glory, Office Christmas Party) turn their hand to the family genre, in this musical based on…
Weird: The Al Yankovic Story (2022): Dir. Eric Appel
Feat. Daniel Radcliffe, Evan Rachel Wood, Rainn Wilson; Daniel Radcliffe stars in this aptly playful biopic of musical comedian 'Weird Al' Yankovic that charts his meteoric rise to fame with early hits…
Annette (2021): Dir. Leos Carax
Feat. Adam Driver, Marion Cotillard, Simon Helberg…; A magnificent musical–drama which marks the English language debut of French director Leos Carax (HOLY MOTORS). Adam Driver gives another…
Cyrano (2021): Dir. Joe Wright
Feat. Peter Dinklage, Haley Bennett, Kelvin Harrison Jr.…; Peter Dinklage and Haley Bennett are terrific in this musical take on the iconic French romance, Cyrano de Bergerac, based on Erica Schmidt's 2018…
Encanto (2021): Dir. Jared Bush, Byron Howard; Colourful Disney musical following a multi–generational Colombian family who recieve magical gifts that help them serve their rural community,…
In The Heights (2021): Dir. Jon Chu
Feat. Anthony Ramos, Corey Hawkins, Leslie Grace…; Dazzling musical drama from director Jon M. Chu (CRAZY RICH ASIANS) based on the Broadway musical of the same name by Hudes and Lin–Manuel…
Respect (2021): Dir. Liesl Tommy
Feat. Jennifer Hudson, Forest Whitaker, Marlon Wayans…; Musical biopic starring Jennifer Hudson as singer Aretha Franklin in the first two decades of her life, culminating with the recording of her…
West Side Story (2021): Dir. Steven Spielberg
Feat. Rachel Zegler, Ansel Elgort, Ariana DeBose…; Steven Spielberg's dazzling adaptation of the 1957 musical, an American fairy tale of doomed love and the rivalry between Puerto Rican and white…
Man in the Hat, The (2020): Dir. Stephen Warbeck, John-Paul Davidson
Feat. Ciaran Hinds, Stephen Dillane, Maïwenn …; Road–trip comedy–musical about a man who sets off from Marseilles in a small Fiat 500, with five angry men in a Citroën Dyane…
Sing 2 (2020): Dir. Garth Jennings; Sequel to the endearing children's musical comedy SING, set in a world of anthropomorphic animals who are involved in the theatre industry. Buster…
Trolls World Tour (2020): Dir. Walt Dohrn; Sequel to the Dreamworks animation TROLLS (2016) that no one was asking for, notable if only for it's sheer comedic stamina and eye–watering…
Cats (2019): Dir. Tom Hooper
Feat. James Corden, Judi Dench, Idris Elba…; Vilified remake of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical about a group of cats competing at an elaborate ceremony to decide who will be reincarnated. A…
Daffodils (2019): Dir. David Stubbs
Feat. Rose McIver, George Mason, Kimbra; Ambitious screen musical based on the stageplay of same name that threads a bittersweet romantic narrative over several decades through a setlist of…
Ema (2019): Dir. Pablo Larrain
Feat. Mariana Di Girolamo, Gael Garcia Bernal, Santiago Cabrera…; A bold and distinctive film from director Pablo Larrain (NO), with newcomer Mariana Di Girolamo playing a young dancer who is coping with an adoption…
Judy (2019): Dir. Rupert Goold
Feat. Renee Zellweger, Jessie Buckley, Finn Wittrock; Renee Zellweger's thoroughly committed and well–researched portrayal of Judy Garland elevates this biopic set in 1968 during the last year of…
Rocketman (2019): Dir. Dexter Fletcher
Feat. Taron Egerton, Jamie Bell, Richard Madden…; Musical biopic with Taron Egerton playing Elton John, capturing the flamboyant and troubled extremes of his life. Set in his early years when he was…
A Star is Born (2018): Feat. Lady Gaga, Bradley Cooper, Sam Elliott…; Bradley Cooper debuts impressively as director while sparking the right chemistry in front of the camera with real–life pop…
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018): Dir. Bryan Singer
Feat. Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Ben Hardy…; A stonking, irrepressibly popular chronicle of Freddie Mercury and the band Queen's ascension to popular music royalty through the years leading up…
Mary Poppins Returns (2018): Dir. Rob Marshall
Feat. Emily Blunt, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Ben Whishaw…; Emily Blunt couldn't be more perfectly cast as the delightful Mary Poppins in this sequel that proves it's worth. Set in 1930's London, 25 years…
Smallfoot (2018): Dir. Karey Kirkpatrick; An intelligent animated musical movie about a bright young yeti who discovers that a human exists beyond his snowy village, with each species…
Anna and the Apocalypse (2017): Dir. John McPhail
Feat. Ella Hunt, Malcolm Cumming, Marli Siu…; Big–hearted Xmas themed zombie musical set in the sleepy town of Little Haven, where Anna and her friends go up against the undead. A…
Beauty and the Beast (2017): Dir. Bill Condon
Feat. Emma Watson, Dan Stevens, Luke Evans…; A live–action re–telling of Disney's own animated classic which refashions the original French fairy tale for a contemporary audience,…
Greatest Showman, The (2017): Dir. Michael Gracey
Feat. Hugh Jackman, Zac Efron, Michelle Williams…; Unashamedly cheesy and infectious musical with Hugh Jackman leading an all–star cast. Inspired by the story of P.T. Barnum (Jackman), the…
Pitch Perfect 3 (2017): Dir. Trish Sie
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld…; Adds nothing new to the formula, but it's a winning one – The Bellas reunite after finishing college and return to their a capella roots after…
Emo the Musical (2016): Dir. Neil Triffett
Feat. Benson Jack Anthony; Unashamedly cliched adolescent angst musical, developed from Australian writer–director Neil Triffitt's 16–minute short. A suicidal emo…
La La Land (2016): Dir. Damien Chazelle
Feat. Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, Rosemarie DeWitt…; The wunderkind director of WHIPLASH fashions another bold, contemporary love letter to the Jazz age, this time as a widescreen, technicolor romantic…
Miss Saigon (2016): Spectacular 25th Anniversary Gala Performance of an acclaimed new stage production by Boublil & Schonberg that tells the tragic tale of a young…
Opening Night (2016): Dir. Isaac Rentz
Feat. Topher Grace, Anne Heche, Taye Diggs…; Raunchy backstage musical comedy with Topher Grace suffering all manner of calamity as a failed Broadway…
Sing (2016): Dir. Garth Jennings, Christophe Lourdelet
Feat. Matthew McConaughey, Reese Witherspoon, Seth MacFarlane…; Zany animated musical about a struggling impresario who enters a singing competition in a last ditch attempt to save his beloved decaying theatre…
Sing Street (2016): Dir. John Carney
Feat. Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Lucy Boynton, Aidan Gillen…; A more commerical but no–less–engaging Irish music film from the dir. of ONCE, about a boy growing up in Dublin during the 1980s who…
Trolls (2016): Dir. Mike Mitchell, Walt Dohrn
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Zooey Deschanel…; Exuberant Dreamworks animation based on the toy franchise, where blissfully happy Trolls must defend themselves against the Bergens, who want to eat…
Chi-Raq (2015): Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Nick Cannon, Wesley Snipes, Teyonah Parris…; Brilliant Spike Lee musical transposing the classical Greek play Lysistrata by Aristophanes into the setting of a Chicago neighbourhood beset by gang…
London Road (2015): Dir. Rufus Norris
Feat. Olivia Colman, Tom Hardy, Anita Dobson…; An audacious but audience–dividing musical devised around the unlikely premise of Ipswich community members who are drawn together to come to…
Lure, The (2015): Dir. Agnieszka Smoczynska
Feat. Marta Mazurek; Utterly beguiling musical horror set in Poland in the 1980's, following the fate of a pair of mermaid sisters as they struggle to integrate into a…
Pitch Perfect 2 (2015): Dir. Elizabeth Banks
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Hailee Steinfeld…; Agreeable sequel takes place after a humiliating performance at Lincoln Center forces the Barden Bellas to enter an international competition in…
Annie (2014): Dir. Will Gluck
Feat. Quvenzhané Wallis, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx…; Modernized, hip–hop version of the Broadway classic tells the tale of a foster kid, who sees her life change when a business tycoon and mayoral…
God Help the Girl (2014): Dir. Stuart Murdoch
Feat. Emily Browning, Olly Alexander, Hannah Murray…; Belle & Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch writes and directs this 60s–inspired musical set in Glasgow about an emotionally troubled young woman whose…
Into the Woods (2014): Dir. Rob Marshall
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Meryl Streep, Chris Pine…; Stephen Sondheim's exuberant musical gets the gleaming big screen treatment from dir. Rob Marshall (CHICAGO, NINE), with Meryl Streep as the witch…
Muppets Most Wanted (2014): Dir. James Bobin
Feat. Ricky Gervais, Ty Burrell, Tina Fey…; The latest sing–a–long Muppet adventure finds the gang embroiled in a European jewel–heist lead by a Kermit the Frog imposter.
Song of the Sea (2014): Dir. Tomm Moore; From the director and production team behind THE SECRET OF KELLS comes another distinctive hand–made animated feature from Ireland that serves…
That Day We Sang (2014): Dir. Victoria Wood
Feat. Michael Ball, Imelda Staunton, Christopher Jordan; TV adaptation of the beloved musical written and composed by Victoria Wood, who also directs. Set in 1969 and based on a true story, the plot…
Tokyo Tribe (2014): Dir. Sion Sono
Feat. Akihiro Kitamura, Ryôhei Suzuki, Hitomi Katayama; Dystopian action–musical set in an alternate Japan where territorial street gangs form opposing factions collectively known as the Tokyo Tribes.
Walking On Sunshine (2014): Dir. Max Giwa, Dania Pasquini
Feat. Greg Wise, Hannah Arterton, Lobna Futers…; GLEEf–fully cheesy British musical shamelessly following the MAMMA MIA template. Beautiful Italian locales, a wedding, and…
Frozen (2013): Dir. Chris Buck, Jennifer Lee
Feat. Kristen Bell, Idina Menzel, Jonathan Groff…; Phenomenally successful Disney animated fairytale musical based on Hans Christian Andersen's 'The Snow Queen', about the quest to free a kingdom from…
Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return (2013): Dir. Will Finn
Feat. Lea Michele, Dan Aykroyd, James Belushi…; A lightweight animated 'sequel' to the original Wizard of Oz film finds Dorothy returning to help her old friends Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man to…
Romeo and Juliet: A Love Song (2013): Dir. Tim van Dammen
Feat. Derya Parlak, Christopher Landon; The Bard's most iconic play is performed with colloquial gusto in this inventive musical transposing of the tale of star–crossed lovers to an…
Six by Sondheim (2013): Dir. James Lapine, Todd Haynes
Feat. Jeremy Jordan, America Ferrera; Very highly regarded HBO television documentary which explores the back–stories of six timeless Sondheim songs. Featuring a rare musical…
Sunshine on Leith (2013): Dir. Dexter Fletcher
Feat. Antonia Thomas, Peter Mullan, Jason Flemyng…; Bouncing off the solid catalogue of hits from died–in–the–wool Scots popsters The Proclaimers, this jubilant musical inspires with…
Imaginaerum by Nightwish (2012): Dir. Stobe Harju
Feat. Marianne Farley, Quinn Lord, Francis X McCarthy; Based on the album of the same name by Finnish metallers Nightwish. A coma sends an old man into his childhood's sinister fantasy world, where he…
Jesus Christ Superstar (2012): Feat. Tim Minchin, Melanie Chisholm, Ben Forster; The latest stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's classic rock–opera, featuring Aussie cult comedian Tim Minchin and former Spice…
Joyful Noise (2012): Dir. Todd Graff
Feat. Dolly Parton, Queen Latifah, Keke Palmer…; Bright, uplifting show choir musical from the dir. of CAMP concerns the rivalry between two big–voiced divas (Parton and Latifah) who must work…
Les Miserables (2012): Dir. Tom Hooper
Feat. Hugh Jackman, Russell Crowe, Anne Hathaway…; Victor Hugo's classic novel set during the French revolution receives its latest big screen musical adaptation courtesy of dir. Tom Hooper (THE…
Pitch Perfect (2012): Dir. Jason Moore
Feat. Anna Kendrick, Skylar Astin, Brittany Snow…; New girl on campus Anna Kendrick joins an all–female a cappella group determined to win the male–dominated national competition in this…
Rock of Ages (2012): Dir. Adam Shankman
Feat. Julianne Hough, Diego Boneta, Tom Cruise…; Tom Cruise hams it up something shocking ahead of a star musical cast in this big singing, big strutting hair metal revival set to the music of Def…
Smash (TV Series) (2012): Feat. Debra Messing, Jack Davenport, Anjelica Huston…; A superior, adult–minded alternative to GLEE, this focuses on the creative talent both on–stage and behind–the–scenes of a…
Beloved (2011): Dir. Christophe Honore
Feat. Chiara Mastroianni, Catherine Deneuve, Ludivine Sagnier…; An expressive, cosmopolitan musical about the life and loves of a mother and daughter spanning four decades, played by the Real McCoy, Catherine…
Hunky Dory (2011): Dir. Marc Evans
Feat. Minnie Driver; Feel–good period drama plays it safe in its rose–tinted remembrance of the '70s, where an earnest drama teacher (Driver) brings together…
Lemonade Mouth (2011): Dir. Patricia Riggen
Feat. Bridgit Mendler, Naomi Scott, Adam Hicks…; FIzzy teen musical about five struggling high school students who meet in detention and empower themselves through forming a rock band. Tolerably…
Love Never Dies (2011): Dir. Brett Sullivan
Feat. Ben Lewis, Anna O'Byrne; Spectacular sequel to Andrew Lloyd Webber's PHANTOM OF THE OPERA sees The Phantom relocated to an amusement resort in Coney Island, where he lures…
Muppets, The (2011): Dir. James Bobin
Feat. Jason Segel, Amy Adams, Chris Cooper…; Jim Henson's beloved family of puppets make a long–overdue comeback in this buoyant musical–comedy reunion of Kermit, Miss Piggy, Gonzo…
Phantom Of The Opera 25th Anniversary Concert (At The Royal Albert Hall) (2011)
Basilicata: Coast to Coast (2010): Dir. Rocco Papaleo
Feat. Alessandro Gassman, Giovanna Mezzogiorno, Paolo Briguglia; Energetic musical about a band and a music journalist who decide to cross the region of Basilicata by foot to attend a music festival.
Burlesque (2010): Dir. Steve Antin
Feat. Christina Aguilera, Cher, Eric Dane…; Christina Aguilera plays a small–town singer transformed into a diva by Cher, the owner of a glamorous L.A. nightclub in this flamboyant…
Butterfly Crush (2010): Dir. Alan Clay
Feat. Courtney Hale, Hayley Fielding, Sally Kelleher; Poppy local drama packed with tunes has the titular song and dance duo thrown into turmoil when one member becomes ensnared in a cult.
Chico & Rita (Chico and Rita) (2010): Dir. Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba; A date move with a difference, this sensuous animated tale for adults traces the love affair of a big–dreaming piano player and a gifted singer…
Les Miserables - 25th Anniversary Concert (2010): Featuring more than 500 actors this spectacular tribute concert marks the 25th anniversary of “the people’s musical” and reunites the casts…
Starstruck (2010): Dir. Michael Grossman
Feat. Danielle Campbell, Sterling Knight, Maggie Castle…; Dippy tale of a young girl visiting her grand parents in Los Angeles where she bumps into a dreamy teen mega star. Romance ensues. Undemanding…
Bran Nue Dae (Brand New Day) (2009): Dir. Rachel Perkins
Feat. Geoffrey Rush, Magna Szubanski, Rocky McKenzie…; Lively comedy adapted from the stage musical that follows a teenage Aborigine who runs away from Catholic boarding school in the mid…
Fame (2009): Dir. Kevin Tancharoen
Feat. Kay Panabaker, Naturi Naughton, Kherington Payne; Surprisingly savvy remake of the 1980s original, centered around the passionate young students of the New York Academy of Performing Arts. Easily…
Glee (TV Series) (2009-2012): Feat. Matthew Morrison, Jane Lynch, Lea Michele…; Gleefully irreverent musical television series following an idealistic Spanish teacher who becomes director of The Glee Club, a musical–choir…
Hannah Montana: The Movie (2009): Dir. Peter Chelsom
Feat. Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus, Emily Osment…; Musical spin–off of wholesome kids series Hannah Montana sees Miley 'Stewart' (Cyrus) escape to her hometown in Tennessee in order to escape…
Heart and Soul (TV Series) (All the Small Things) (2009): Feat. Sarah Lancashire, Neil Pearson, Sarah Alexander; Novel musical drama set in small town England after her husband – the local choir master – leaves her for choir's soprano, a woman and…
Marc Pease Experience, The (2009): Dir. Todd Louiso
Feat. Jason Schwartzman, Ben Stiller, Anna Kendrick…; Remorseless comedy of the deluded with Schwartzman as a sad–sack limo driver desperate to relive his glory days as a high school music star.…
Moonlight Serenade (2009): Dir. Giancarlo Tallarico
Feat. Amy Adams, Alec Newman, Moon Bloodgood…; A piano player discovers that the lovely girl at the coat–check of a jazz club has the voice of an angel, and persuades her to form a musical…
Nine (2009): Dir. Rob Marshall
Feat. Daniel Day-Lewis, Marion Cotillard, Penelope Cruz…; A stonkingly glamorous screen musical based on FELLINI'S 8 1/2, with famous film auteur Guido Contini struggling to realize his cinematic masterpiece…
Sister Smile (2009): Dir. Stijn Coninx
Feat. Cecile De France, Sandrine Blancke; The poignant, still resonant true story of 60s popstar The Singing Nun, vividly played by actress Cécile de France.
Spectacular! (2009): Dir. Robert Iscove
Feat. Nolan Gerard Funk, Tammin Sursok, Victoria Justice; Hardly spectacular but decent showbiz musical based around a high school 'show choir' who recruit a reluctant wannabe rocker to help them win a…
American Mall (2008): Dir. Shawn Ku
Feat. Nina Dobrey, Autumn Reeser, Rob Mayes; Fluffy teen pop–fest set in a mall concerns the budding romance between two mall denizens – an aspiring singer/songwriter and a janitor…
Britannia High (TV Series) (2008): British twist on the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL phenomenon, centred on a fresh–faced cast of young ones pursuing their dream of theatrical and dance…
Every Little Step (2008): Dir. Adam Del Deo, James D. Stern; Dreams are realised and shattered in this incisive, nail–biting showbiz doco that sits the audience on the casting couch of the 2006 revival of…
Flight of the Conchords - Season 2 (TV Series) (2008): Feat. Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby…; Second series of the hit musical sitcom starring Kiwis Jermaine Clement and Bret McKenzie as they continue to haplessly chase success in New York…
High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008): Dir. Kenny Ortega
Feat. Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale…; More than delivering on fan expectations, this ambitious concluding chapter to Disney's HCM phenomenon sees the well–loved characters approach…
Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History (2008): Toe–tapping documentary, presented by actress Shirley Jones, exploring the timeless genre of Hollywood Musical from Busby Berkeley's…
Mamma Mia! (2008): Dir. Phyllida Lloyd
Feat. Meryl Streep, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth…; A knowingly cheesy yet still irresistible movie version of the smash–hit stage musical about a girl trying to find her father before her…
Our Beloved Month of August (Aquele Querido Mês de Agosto) (2008): Dir. Miguel Gomes
Feat. Sonia Bandeira, Fabio Oliveira; Beautifully idiosyncratic film blending documentary with drama, from distinctive Portuguese director Miguel Gomes (TABU). A summery and romantic…
Paris 36 (Faubourg 36) (2008): Dir. Christophe Barratier
Feat. Gerard Jugnot, Clovis Cornillac, Kad Merad; This period 30s French drama is set in a struggling music hall that seems destined for closure until a new star comes along to save the day. A love…
Repo! The Genetic Opera (2008): Dir. Darren Lynn Bousman
Feat. Alexa Vega, Paul Sorvino, Anthony Head…; Gore–soaked goth opera set in a future necropolis where worldwide organ failure has necessitated a global organ–selling empire with an…
Across the Universe (2007): Dir. Julie Taymor
Feat. Evan Rachel Wood, Jim Sturgess, Joe Anderson…; Thirty–three tunes from the Beatles songbook are excitably re–constituted for this lavish 'jukebox' musical that threads together a story…
Bad Girls - The Musical (2007): Feat. Sally Dexter; The scandalous TV series BAD GIRLS about woman doing time has been translated to the stage in this musical production filmed at London's Garrick…
Crazy (2007): Dir. Rick Bieber
Feat. Ali Larter, Waylon Payne; Unlikely musical biopic of legendary guitarist Hank Garland, charting the instrumentalist’s career highs, troubled relationships and personal…
Flight of the Conchords - Season 1 (TV Series) (2007): Feat. Jemaine Clement, Bret McKenzie, Rhys Darby…; Local heroes Jemaine Clement and Bret McKenzie's unique two–man 'digi–folk' routine finds its way onto American screens in this applauded…
Hairspray (2007): Dir. Adam Shankman
Feat. John Travolta, Michelle Pfeiffer, Christopher Walken…; Sweet, plump Tracey Turnblad (newcomer Nikki Blonsky) twists and do–wops her way into her own dream – a place in the core cast of the…
High School Musical - The Concert (2007): Feat. Vanessa Anne Hudgens; The HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL phenomenon migrates to the stage in this lavish live production, performed by the bulk of the original core cast.
High School Musical 2 (2007): Dir. Kenny Ortega
Feat. Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale…; Exuberant sequel to the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL phenomenon leaps into its senior year, concerning East High’s summer vacationing students who face…
Jump In! (2007): Dir. Paul Hoen
Feat. Corbin Bleu; More teen boppin’ from the HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL crowd, with a boxing Brooklyn teenager (Bleu) taking time out from boxing training to learn jump…
Naked Boys Singing! (2007): Dir. Troy Christian, Robert Schrock; Truth in advertising! This raunchy revue rife with risque show tunes performed by a cast of men with literally nothing to hide is raucous fun with a…
New Orleans: Music in Exile (2007): Dir. Robert Mugge; On–the–ground documentary that follows New Orleans musicians as they try to piece their lives and careers back together after the…
Om Shanti Om (2007): Dir. Farah Khan
Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Deepika Padukone; From the dir. of MAIN HOON NA, this super–lush, mega–lavish Bollywood spectacular tells the story of a love that overcomes death (through…
Razzle Dazzle (2007): Dir. Darren Ashton
Feat. Kerry Armstrong, Ben Miller, Tara Morice…; Family–friendly Australian mockumentary goes behind the scenes of kids’ dance competitions, spinning the BEST IN SHOW concept to reasonably…
Stomp the Yard (2007): Dir. Sylvain White
Feat. Columbus Short; A stomping ghetto melodrama that follows a gangbanger's transformation into a champion hip–hop krump dancer, set in a fictional all–black…
Sweeney Todd - The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007): Dir. Tim Burton
Feat. Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Alan Rickman…; Johnny Depp is centre stage once again for dir. Tim Burton in this fiendish screen rendition of Stephen Sondheim's twisted musical about a…
BoyTown (2006): Dir. Kevin Carlin
Feat. Glenn Robbins, Mick Molloy, Sally Phillips; Likeable, if unexciting music spoof has aging PE–instructor Glenn Robbins set out to reform his 1980s Australian 'boy band' for the chance to…
Cheetah Girls 2 (2006): Dir. Kenny Ortega
Feat. Raven -Symone, Adrienne Bailon, Sabrina Bryan…; All–grrrl teen band the Cheetah Girls travel to Spain for a talent contest, encountering various speed bumps along the way before uniting to…
Dreamgirls (2006): Dir. Bill Condon
Feat. Jamie Foxx, Beyonce Knowles, Eddie Murphy…; Dazzling musical numbers and sassy performances jive in this acclaimed Motown musical charting the rise of fictional girl group, 'The Dreamettes', in…
Gucha (Guca!; Distant Trumpet) (2006): Dir. Dusan Milic
Feat. Marko Markovic, Mladen Nelevic; A catchy successor to Emir Kusturica's gypsy theatrics, this ingenious, musically–infused jive on Serbian ethnic tensions frames a…
High School Musical (2006): Dir. Kenny Ortega
Feat. Zac Efron, Vanessa Anne Hudgens, Ashley Tisdale…; Top–notch Disney telemovie brims with youthful energy in telling the tale of two teens meeting at a party, being suddenly inspired by Karaoke…
Prairie Home Companion, A (2006): Dir. Robert Altman
Feat. Meryl Streep, Lily Tomlin, Tommy Lee Jones…; Reviving the musical scope of his 70s watermark NASHVILLE, Robert Altman’s last film lovingly dramatizes the backstage quandary of a live radio…
Putting It Together: A Musical Review (2006): Feat. Carol Burnett, George Hearn, Ruthie Henshall…; Live performance of a variety of songs from theatrical composer/lyricist Stephen Sondheim, performed by a prolific ensemble cast. Sondheim…
TranSylvania (2006): Dir. Tony Gatlif
Feat. Asia Argento, Birol Unel, Amira Casar; Tony Gatlif tones his freewheeling musical romanticism down a notch, but doesn’t discard the ramshackle sensuality of his earlier films, in this…
War of the Worlds - Live on Stage (2006): A suitably spectacular multi–media stage version of Jeff Wayne's musical version of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds", filmed at Wembley Arena in…
Adam and Steve (2005): Dir. Craig Chester
Feat. Parker Posey, Chris Kattan, Malcolm Gets…; Romantic farce, with the odd song–and–dance number, follows the second–chance love between two men, and the ups and downs in the…
Lackawanna Blues (2005): Dir. George C. Wolfe
Feat. S. Epatha Merkerson, Mos Def, Delroy Lindo…; An evocative series of linked vignettes set around the memories of playwright Ruben Santiago–Hudson, about a New York boarding house in the…
Little Einsteins (TV Series) (2005): Colourful pre–school adventurism combines sing–a–long music and participatory elements in the worldly pursuits of five young…
Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School (2005): Dir. Randall Miller
Feat. Robert Carlyle, Marisa Tomei, John Goodman…; Old–fashioned melodrama, shading into elegaic whimsy, in which a widowed baker (Carlyle) helps and learns the story of a car crash victim…
Mrs Henderson Presents (2005): Dir. Stephen Frears
Feat. Judi Dench, Bob Hoskins, Christopher Guest…; Set in the grey drabness of 1930s England, this charming wee feel–gooder tells the true story of an eccentric, somewhat difficult dowager…
Princess Raccoon (Operetta tanuki goten) (2005): Dir. Seijun Suzuki
Feat. Zhang Ziyi, Joe Odagiri; Wacky musical rumpus stars Zhang Ziyi as a 'raccoon dog' who falls in love with a prince banished to her enchanted forest. A fanciful swansong for…
Producers, The (2005): Dir. Susan Stroman
Feat. Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Uma Thurman…; Lively remake of Mel Brooks' classic blackly comedy in which two Jewish Broadway producers (Broderick and Lane) develop a musical which they are sure…
Rent (2005): Dir. Chris Columbus
Feat. Rosario Dawson, Taye Diggs, Anthony Rapp; An ambitious and mostly comfortable adaptation of the 1990s Broadway update of Puccini's LA BOHEME, in which a multi–racial mixture of New York…
Romance and Cigarettes (2005): Dir. John Turturro
Feat. James Gandolfini, Susan Sarandon, Kate Winslet…; Actor John Turturro wrote, directed and self–released this bawdy and often brilliant 60's–pop–anthem–fuelled comedy musical,…
U-Carmen Ekhayelitsha (2005): Dir. Mark Dornford-May
Feat. Pauline Malefane; An inspired contemporary rendition of George Bizet's classic opera, with events relocated to the rich cultural hotbed of modern day South Africa.…
Walk the Line (2005): Dir. James Mangold
Feat. Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon, Robert Patrick; Better–than–expected biopic of iconic American country singer Johnny Cash (Phoenix), especially focusing on his intense relationship with…
Bride and Prejudice (2004): Dir. Gurinder Chadha
Feat. Martin Henderson, Naveen Andrews, Aishwarya Rai; Bollywood meets Hollywood in this rather original Jane Austen adaptation, with ex–pat Kiwi Henderson playing a blueblood American who falls…
De-Lovely (Delovely) (2004): Dir. Irwin Winkler
Feat. Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce; Refined and dandy musical biopic of legendary tunesmith Cole Porter, who composed some great music while leading a gay double–life during his…
Fighting Temptations, The (2004): Dir. Jonathan Lynn
Feat. Cuba Jr. Gooding, Beyonce Knowles; Enjoyable musical comedy with Cuba Gooding Jr. as a New York ad exec, who must pass himself off as the leader of a Southern gospel choir before he…
Phantom of the Opera, The (2004): Dir. Joel Schumacher
Feat. Gerard Butler, Minnie Driver, Miranda Richardson…; An opulently kitschy version of the amazingly successful Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, in which the shadowy, disfigured 'phantom' (Butler) tries to…
Wayward Cloud, The (2004): Dir. Ming-liang Tsai
Feat. Kang-sheng Lee, Shiang-chyi Chen; Eye–popping musical numbers burst forth from this outré Tsai Ming–liang offering, which couples the Taiwanese director’s usual…
Broadway: The Golden Age (2003): Dir. Rick McKay
Feat. Bob Fosse, Carol Channing, Carol Burnett…; Comprehensive documentary about America's most celebrated indigenous art form, Broadway theatre, covering an entire century of New York theatre, and…
Camp (2003): Dir. Todd Graff
Feat. Daniel Letterle, Joanna Chilcoat, Don Dixon; A heart–on–its–sleeve musical set an American summer camp for 'artistic' teenagers, in which individual fears and hopes find group…
Kal Ho Naa Ho (Tomorrow May Never Come) (2003): Dir. Nikhil Advani
Feat. Shahrukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta; Sporting a string of hit songs and featuring a troika of India's most popular stars, this giddy swirl of romantic comedy, musical, family melodrama…
Masked and Anonymous (2003): Dir. Larry Charles
Feat. Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, Bob Dylan…; In a near–apocalyptic future America, a popular singer (Bob Dylan) sets out on a nationwide tour to revive his career before heading into a…
Mighty Wind, A (2003): Dir. Christopher Guest
Feat. Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Michael McKean…; Writer–director Christopher Guest and his repertory of actors return for another cheerful send–up of an American subculture – this time…
Saddest Music in the World, The (2003): Dir. Guy Maddin
Feat. Mark McKinney, Isabella Rossellini, Maria de Medeiros…; Another stunning tableaux from dir. Maddin's ongoing series of fantasies inspired by the musty, spectral qualities of early cinema, this time setting…
Singing Detective, The (2003): Dir. Keith Gordon
Feat. Robert Downey Jnr., Robin Wright, Jeremy Northam…; A not unthoughtful remake of Dennis Potter's iconic 1980s TV Series, in which a psoriasis–afflicted crime writer hallucinates mystery plots and…
Chicago (2002): Dir. Rob Marshall
Feat. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Richard Gere…; A screen adaptation of Bob Fosse’s 1970s smash hit stage musical that measures up to the legendary director–choreographer’s exacting…
Elvira's Haunted Hills (2002): Dir. Sam Irvin
Feat. Cassandra Peterson, Richard O'Brien; "Mistress of the Dark" Elvira returns – paying homage to the Corman–Poe horrors with a camped–up musical set in 1850s…
Swing (2002): Dir. Tony Gatlif; The latest excursion into the music–rich culture of Europe's 'gypsy' population from dir. Gatlif (GADJO DILO), this time set around its…
8 Women (8 Femmes) (2001): Dir. Francois Ozon
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Isabelle Huppert, Emmanuelle Beart…; In the classic whodunnit mould, this whimsical French "thriller" starts with a man’s dead body in a snowbound Alpine manse in the 1950s, and eight…
American Astronaut, The (2001): Dir. Cory McAbee
Feat. Cory McAbee; Wobbling unusually between satire, male angst and experimental derring–do, this slice of outer orbit cinema is set in a grungy future existence…
By Jeeves (2001): Dir. Alan Ayckbourne
Feat. John Scherer, Martin Jarvis; Apart from the American accents, this is an well–nigh flawless performance of Alan Ayckbourne and Andrew Lloyd Webber's stage musical based on…
Crying... Silicon Tears (Klama) (2001): Dir. Thanassis Papathanassiou; One of the biggest hits of recent Greek cinema, this is a lavish parody of 1960s Greek movie melodramas, mixing musical, comedy and suspense into a…
Happiness of the Katakuris (2001): Dir. Takashi Miike
Feat. Kenji Sawada, Keiko Matsuzaka, Kiyoshiro Imawano…; A delirious confection from Japanese bad boy dir., Takashi Miike, this “zombie musical” is his most benevolent yet purely entertaining…
Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001): Dir. John Cameron Mitchell
Feat. John Cameron Mitchell; Robbed of his rightful place in rock history by a former protégé, transsexual rocker Hedwig is resigned to playing on the lowest rung of the tour…
Jekyll and Hyde: The Musical (2001): Dir. Don Roy King
Feat. David Hasselhoff, Coleen Sexton, Andrea Rivette; The unlikely David Hasselhoff stars as Dr.Jekyll in his crazed alter–ego Mr.Hyde in this rock n roll adaptation of Robert Louis Steveson's…
Lagaan (2001): Dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
Feat. Aamir Khan, Gracey Singh, Paul Blackthorne…; Bollywood epic that broke through to international awards and audience with its ‘test–match’ running–time, lavishness and periodic…
Moulin Rouge (2001): Dir. Baz Luhrmann
Feat. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, Richard Roxburgh…; Arch–romantic whizz–kid Baz Luhrmann celebrates truth, beauty, freedom, and Love, set in the infamous, decadent Paris nightclub, circa…
One Night the Moon (2001): Dir. Rachel Perkins
Feat. Paul Kelly, Kaarin Fairfax, Kelton Pell; A unique short feature, which tells the story of a true 1930s mystery using the songs of Paul Kelly, who also stars. A young girl disappears one…
Smokey Joe's Cafe (2001): Dir. Don Roy King; Broadway celebration of the rock n' roll songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, who wrote hits for Elvis Presley, The Drifters, Ben E. King…
Annie (2000): Dir. Rob Marshall
Feat. Kathy Bates, Alan Cumming, Alicia Morton; Remake of the love–it–or–hate–it original, again finds the feisty carrot–top fleeing her orphan home (and a mean Kathy…
Dancer in the Dark (2000): Dir. Lars Von Trier
Feat. Bjork, David Morse, Catherine Deneuve; The third successive ‘masterpiece’ from the Danish wunderkind, who has that rare gift of being able to consistently realise the wildly ambitious…
Groove (2000): Dir. Greg Harrison
Feat. Mackenzie Firgens, Lola Glaudini, Denny Kirkwood; A night out at a San Francisco rave, evoking with dope–fuelled delirium the chaos as various party–goers either groove, burnout, get lost…
Jesus Christ Superstar (2000): Feat. Rik Mayall, Glenn Carter; Filmed stage version of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice's rock–opera which dramatises the life of Jesus Christ. Glitzy, 'Las…
Vengo (2000): Dir. Tony Gatlif
Feat. Antonio Canales, Orestes Rodriguez, Antonio Dechent; Another celebration of Spanish–Gypsy culture from the dir. of LATCHO DROM, whose tale of Andalusian vendetta thrums with the sound of flamenco…
Fantasia 2000 (1999): Dir. Various; Conceived for the IMAX giant screen, this eco–themed revision of Disney's 1940 milestone marries more classical music excerpts to whimsical…
Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (1999): Dir. Steven Pimlott, David Mallet
Feat. Donny Osmond, Joan Collins, Richard Attenborough; Early, Bible–story musical from the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice team and taken from the London Palladium production.
Love's Labour's Lost (1999): Dir. Kenneth Branagh
Feat. Kenneth Branagh, Alicia Silverstone, Timothy Spall…; Untiring Shakespearean–enthusiast Kenneth Branagh, labours his latest adaptation: the Bard’s sparkling early comedy made over as a 30s Irving…
Little Voice (1998): Dir. Mark Herman
Feat. Jane Horrocks, Brenda Blethyn, Michael Caine…; The creator of BRASSED OFF trumps up another salty, crowd–pleasing musical of aspirations, survival and opportunism in the English…
Swing (1998): Dir. Nick Mead
Feat. Hugo Speer, Clarence Clemmons, Lisa Stansfield…; Thoroughly in the mould of THE COMMITMENTS, this comic celebration of how music can relieve the drudgery of life casts Hugo Speer as an incarcerated…
Brassed Off (1997): Dir. Mark Herman
Feat. Tara Fitzgerald, Ewan McGregor, Pete Postlethwaite; Witty and warm–hearted comedy set in a Yorkshire mining community threatened with closure. Leading the town colliery brass band, Tara…
Bring Me the Head of Mavis Davis (1997): Dir. John Henderson
Feat. Rik Mayall, Jane Horrocks; Rik Mayall delivers one of his oily variations in what is only his second feature. As a jaded music manager he decides to have his…
On Connait la Chanson (Same Old Song) (1997): Dir. Alain Resnais
Feat. Pierre Arditi, Sabine Azema, Jean-Pierre Bacri…; A winner of seven Cesar awards, this light–hearted homage to Dennis Potter applies his musical–cinematic ideas to the…
Sweeney Todd (1997): Dir. John Schlesinger
Feat. Ben Kingsley, Joanna Lumley; Based on the true story of the demon barbers of Fleet Street, Ben Kingsley and Joanna Lumley attend this gruesome tale of the esteemed barbershop in…
Cannibal! The Musical (Alfred Packer: The Musical) (1996): Dir. Trey Parker
Feat. Trey Parker, Dian Bachar, Stephen Blackpool; This fiendishly inventive 'student' film from SOUTH PARK creator Trey Parker is one of those no–budget labour of loves like say, BAD TASTE,…
East Side Story (1996): Dir. Dana Ranga; Enchanting curiosity draws back the Iron Curtain to detail the history of the Communist musical! Focus on the Russian, East German, and…
Everyone Says I Love You (1996): Dir. Woody Allen
Feat. Alan Alda, Goldie Hawn, Julia Roberts…; Woody Allen finds refreshing harmonies amongst his familiar cast of upper–crust Manhattan–ites, with a wide–eyed take on the…
Evita (1996): Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Madonna, Antonio Banderas; The Broadway Extravaganza, complete with Madonna, wall–to–wall songs and political melodrama, is bravely swallowed whole by Hollywood. …
Kansas City (1996): Dir. Robert Altman
Feat. Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte; An all–star cast jam out on the multiple storylines of Robert Altman's homage to the 30s jazz–mecca of Kansas City. The old master stirs…
Mr. Holland's Opus (1996): Dir. Stephen Herek
Feat. Richard Dreyfuss, Glenne Headly; A would–be composer who settled for a career in teaching reflects on an inspirational life's work. Though steeped in nostalgic sentiment,…
That Thing You Do! (1996): Dir. Tom Hanks
Feat. Tom Everett Scott, Liv Tyler, Johnathon Schaech; Tom Hanks makes a solid if squeaky–clean writing/directing debut in charting the one–hit success of fictitious pop band, The Wonders.…
Billy's Holiday (1995): Dir. Richard Wherret
Feat. Max Cullen, Kris McQuade, Richard Roxburgh; A melan–comic tale of a bored middle aged shopkeeper who discovers he has a voice of as sweet and soulful as Billie Holiday. It's never too…
Flamenco (1995): Dir. Carlos Saura
Feat. Joaquin Cortes; Definitive showcase of Spain's national passion, displays the talents of more than 300 artists versed in the art of song, guitar–playing and…
Les Miserables (Stage version) (1995): Popular stage spectacular, based on the Victor Hugo novel, is seen here in a Gala 10th Anniversary performance at the Royal Albert Hall.
Sinderella Live (1995): Feat. Jim Davidson; Bawdy pantomime show filmed during Davidson's sellout 1995 tour. "Sinderella with a capital SIN!".
Carmen Miranda: Bananas Is My Business (1994): Dir. Helena Solberg; Catch fever Brazilia (followed by a dose of true story reality) in this all–you–need–to–know expose of the exuberant Samba…
Lush Life (1994): Dir. Michael Elias
Feat. Forest Whitaker, Jeff Goldblum; Forest Whitaker and Jeff Goldblum bring this modest jazz film to vibrant life as top session horn players whose lives come to a cross–roads,…
Magic Flute, The (1994): A princely couple protect their love and honour from corrupt monarchs in this enchanting musical fairytale, fashioned from Mozart's classic opera.
That's Entertainment III (1994): Feat. June Allyson, Cyd Charisse, Lena Horne…; Starlets of the golden age recall their heyday and bring fresh insight to this third showcase of infectious musical highlights.
Backbeat (1993): Dir. Iain Softley
Feat. Stephen Dorff, Sheryl Lee, Ian Hart; A fascinating insight into the enigma that was the 'fifth' Beatle, Stuart Sutcliffe, who threw in the musical towel to pursue art and love.…
Gypsy (1993): Dir. Emile Ardolino
Feat. Bette Midler, Peter Riegert, Cynthia Gibb; Fresh screen version of the Broadway perennial set during the dying days of Vaudeville. Bette Midler was born for the part of obsessive…
Nutcracker, The (1993): Dir. Emile Ardolino
Feat. Macaulay Culkin; You'll have the best seat in the house for this splendid filmed version of Balanchine's Yuletide ballet. Stars Macauley Culkin in a refreshing change…
Sarafina! (1993): Dir. Darrell James Roodt
Feat. Whoopi Goldberg; Screen version of the anti–apartheid stage musical posits Whoopi Goldberg as a Soweto school–teacher who liberates an impressionable…
Newsies (1992): Dir. Kenny Ortega
Feat. Christian Bale, Bill Pullman, Ann-Margret…; Disney musical based loosely on the 1899 New York City Newsboys' strike, in which the young newspaper hawkers of the city rose up to demand fair…
On the Town (Stage version) (1992): Leonard Bernstein's classic Broadway musical, following the misadventures of three sailors is captured here in a recent stage version, accompanied by…
Strictly Ballroom (1992): Dir. Baz Luhrmann
Feat. Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Barry Otto…; An extraordinary comedy set in the world of ballroom dancing, appropriately loaded with glitz, self–mocking and brashness. While at its…
Doors, The (1991): Dir. Oliver Stone
Feat. Val Kilmer, Kyle MacLachlan, Meg Ryan; Val Kilmer gives an extraordinary visual and aural imitation of Jim Morrison in this spell–binding biopic of America's most influential rock…
For the Boys (1991): Dir. Mark Rydell
Feat. Bette Midler, James Caan; Bette Midler portrays the ebullient Dixie Leonard, a brassy cabaret–style performer who helped raise the spirits of American troups through…
Mambo Kings, The (1991): Dir. Arne Glimcher
Feat. Armand Assante, Antonio Banderas; Armand Assante and Antonio Banderas play sibling Mambo freaks who spin out of the fast lane en route to the American Dream. The dance sequences are…
Rock-A-Doodle (1991): Dir. Don Bluth; A lively animated musical based on the French fable, Chanticleer, the rooster who raises the sun. The feathered hero is updated as a…
Stepping Out (1991): Dir. Lewis Gilbert
Feat. Liza Minnelli, Julie Walters, Shelley Winters…; Liza Minnelli slips on her dancing shoes as a part–time instructor who introduces a group of disparate housewives into the world of tap.
Cry-Baby (Cry baby) (1990): Dir. John Waters
Feat. Johnny Depp, Amy Locane, Susan Tyrrell…; Another stylish, camp classic from the infamous director who made Divine a cult sensation. Depp heads a super cast in a tribute to the juvenile…
Meet the Feebles (1990): Dir. Peter Jackson
Feat. Donna Akesten, Stuart Devenie, Mark Hadlow; "The Muppets meets Blue Velvet in hell" was Fangoria's accurate description of this perversely funny satire featuring an all–puppet cast. From…
Mo' Better Blues (1990): Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Denzel Washington; This male flipside to Lee's SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT sees talented musician caught between two women and his passion for jazz. A cinematic feast for the…
Without You I'm Nothing (1990): Dir. John Boskovich
Feat. Sandra Bernhard; Sandra Bernhard struts her stuff on various New York stages with music, dance and humour packaged into something that's gloriously sexy, flamboyant,…
Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989): Dir. Howard Brookner
Feat. Matt Dillon, Jennifer Grey, Julie Hagerty…; An American Playhouse adaptation of four Damon Runyon tales which intersect on New Year's Eve 1928 in a milieu of jazz–age hedonism. A good…
Mack the Knife (1989): Dir. Menahem Golan
Feat. Raul Julia, Richard Harris, Julie Walters…; Muddled adaptation of The Threepenny Opera is notable for some pretty inept dance sequences and some rather overt mugging by some well–known…
Bird (1988): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Keith David; Eastwood's biopic tribute to legendary jazz saxophonist Charlie 'Bird' Parker. His turbulent and extraordinary life is sympathetically characterised…
Earth Girls Are Easy (1988): Dir. Julien Temple
Feat. Geena Davis, Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey…; Under–rated campy musical about a trio of goofy aliens (incl. Jim Carrey in an early role) who crash–land in Geena Davis's swimming pool.
School Daze (1988): Dir. Spike Lee
Feat. Laurence Fishburne, Giancarlo Esposito, Bill Nunn…; Spike Lee's black high–school musical is perhaps over–ambitious, but the disorder is compensated in sheer exuberance and…
Dirty Dancing (1987): Dir. Emile Ardolino
Feat. Jennifer Grey, Patrick Swayze, Jerry Orbach…; Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze set the woods on fire with their passionate dance–moves in a 1960s American holiday resort. Wildly successful…
Absolute Beginners (1986): Dir. Julien Temple
Feat. David Bowie, Sade Adu, Patsy Kensit…; Glitzy musical pastiche that takes its inspiration from British jazz, mod, and beatnik culture to tell its barely coherent tale of teen angst.
Crossroads (1986): Dir. Walter Hill
Feat. Ralph Macchio, Jami Gertz, Joe Seneca…; Great Ry Cooder music peps this light drama in which Ralph Macchio seeks lost blues tunes in the Deep South.
Little Shop of Horrors (1986): Dir. Frank Oz
Feat. Rick Moranis, Ellen Greene, Vincent Gardenia…; Excellent film version of the off–Broadway musical based on the 1960 horror/comedy of the same name. The story of the man–eating plant is…
Singing Detective, The (TV Series) (1986): Dir. Jon Amiel
Feat. Michael Gambon, Joanne Whalley, Patrick Malahide…; Ground–breaking fantasy–drama from the unique genius of Dennis Potter. Michael Gambon is brilliant as a bed–ridden, frustrated…
Under the Cherry Moon (1986): Dir. Prince
Feat. Prince; Prince stars in this stylistic melodrama as an American gigolo/entertainer in France who is, of course, irresistable to women. Features songs from…
A Chorus Line (1985): Dir. Richard Attenborough
Feat. Michael Douglas; Michael Douglas plays the cantankerous Broadway director in Sir Richard Attenborough's perfunctory adaptation of the highly successful stage musical.…
Cuckoo Land (1985): Quirky Margaret Mahy–scripted telemovie of an aspiring songwriter mother and her two children who live in a strange, metamorphosing house.
Parking (1985): Dir. Jacques Demy
Feat. Francis Huster; Little–seen Jacques Demy musical fantasy that transposes Jean Cocteau's "Orpheus" into the world of 1980s rock.
That's Dancing! (1985): Dir. Jack Haley, Jr.
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, James Cagney…; A compilation of splendid dance sequences from dozens of Hollywood films. Includes over fifty top dancers, with the best of the crop generally dating…
Amadeus (1984): Dir. Milos Forman
Feat. Tom Hulce, F. Murray Abraham; Academy–award winning biopic of Mozart's illustrious but brief existence that spawned much of the greatest music ever written. A humourous yet…
Beat Street (1984): Dir. Stan Lathan
Feat. Rae Dawn Chong, Guy Davis; Key film in the history of hip–hop culture, this urban musical may show its age and derivation (SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER), but still comprises an…
Breakdance - The Movie (Breakin’) (1984): Dir. Joel Silberg
Feat. Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, Michael Chambers; The excellent, highly athletic breakdance performances will be the prime value to hiphop enthusiasts in this FLASHDANCE–clone, which now has a…
Breakdance 2 - Electric Boogaloo (Breakin' 2) (1984): Dir. Sam Firstenberg
Feat. Lucinda Dickey, Adolfo Quinones, Michael Chambers; Less–hokey sequel to BREAKDANCE, with a storyline centred on a group of teens and dancers who try to save a community rec–centre from a…
Carmen (1984): Dir. Francesco Rosi
Feat. Placido Domingo, Julia Migenes Johnson; The definitive Carmen on film has Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes Johnson perform against a scorching Spanish backdrop. Lorin Maazel conducts…
Cotton Club, The (1984): Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Feat. Richard Gere, Diane Lane, Gregory Hines…; Richard Gere heads the ensemble for Coppola's glossy musical melodrama set in the thick of New York's glitzy gangster culture of the 1930s.
Footloose (1984): Dir. Herbert Ross
Feat. Kevin Bacon, John Lithgow, Christopher Penn…; Rock'n'roll city kid Kevin Bacon fights for his right to party in the face of small town conservatism in this infectious, under–rated musical…
Purple Rain (1984): Dir. Albert Magnoli
Feat. Prince; The project that would elevate His Purpleness to superstar status is a silly yet enjoyable drama about love, lust and ambition. The plot merely…
A Night on the Town (1983): Dir. John Vernon
Feat. Elaine Paige, Frank Gorshin, Lewis Collins…; Lighthearted musical revue has a photographer and a designer transported through time back to the 1930's. Featuring the music of Gershwin, Cole…
Carmen (1983): Dir. Carlos Saura
Feat. Antonio Gades, Laura Del Sol; A choreographer casting Bizet's opera falls for a woman who transpires to be as passionate and treacherous Carmen herself. Carlos Saura's mesmerizing…
Flashdance (1983): Dir. Adrian Lyne
Feat. Jennifer Beals; Glossy mid 80s musical has Jennifer Beals holding down the day–job as a welder, so as to realise her dreams dancing to hits like Flashdance and…
Meaning of Life, The (Monty Python's Meaning of Life) (1983): Dir. Terry Jones
Feat. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle…; Hilarious, oft–times bilious Monty Python hit that examines The Big Issue in a series of loosely–connected sketches. Arguably more…
Orpheus in the Underworld (1983): Dir. Derek Bailey
Feat. Denis Quilley, Honor Blackman, Christopher Gable; Handsomely mounted production of the famed operetta with Orpheus and his lyre meeting much opposition as he searches the underworld for his dead wife.
Staying Alive (1983): Dir. Sylvester Stallone
Feat. John Travolta, Cynthia Rhodes; Engagingly tacky sequel to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER, fashioned by dir. Sylvester Stallone as a ROCKY–style vehicle for John Travolta, who juggles…
Yentl (1983): Dir. Barbra Streisand
Feat. Barbra Streisand; Barbra Streisand directs herself in this musical/drama as an Eastern European woman at the turn of the century who masquerades as a boy in order to…
Annie (1982): Dir. John Huston
Feat. Albert Finney, Carol Burnett, Tim Curry; Rumbunctious Broadway musical, set in the Depression–era, follows the young moptop's orphanage experiences, and fateful encounter with…
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, The (1982): Dir. Colin Higgins
Feat. Burt Reynolds, Dolly Parton, Dom DeLuise…; Dolly Parton is the buxom madam of Texas’ famous Chicken Ranch whorehouse (portrayed less flatteringly in Nick Broomfield’s documentary) in this…
Fame (TV Series) (1982-1987): Feat. Lori Singer, Debbie Allen; Based on the 1980 hit movie, this series charts the ambitions, joys and heartbreaks of assorted dance and music students and teachers at New York's…
Grease 2 (1982): Dir. Patricia Brich
Feat. Maxwell Caulfield, Michelle Pfeiffer; Enjoyably bad reprise of the hit musical of 50s High School Americana, still gets by with a handful of good tunes and Michelle Pffiefer.
Honkytonk Man (1982): Dir. Clint Eastwood
Feat. Clint Eastwood, John McIntire, Verna Bloom; One of director–star Eastwood's more unusual efforts, playing a TB–stricken country singer in the Great Depression, who tries to make one…
Le Bal (1982): Dir. Ettore Scola; A unique ‘concept ballet’, where a revolving cast of dancers wordlessly act out the 20th century history of France in a ballroom. As…
One from the Heart (1982): Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Feat. Frederic Forrest, Teri Garr, Raul Julia; A lavishly mounted curiosity loosely following the romantic plight of an estranged couple, set against an impressively stylised backdrop of Las…
Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982): Dir. Alan Parker; Based on Roger Waters' personal vision that was the mega–selling Pink Floyd album of 1980, this feature brings the concept of a rock star's…
Pirates of Penzance (1982): Dir. Wilford Leach
Feat. Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Rondstadt…; Kevin Kline and Angela Lansbury star in this hammy screen version of Gilbert and Sullivan's famous operetta.
Privates On Parade (1982): Dir. Michael Blakemore
Feat. John Cleese; John Cleese stars in this perky adaptation of the play about a gay Song and Dance Unit of the Brtish army stationed in 1940s Singapore.
Starstruck (1982): Dir. Gillian Armstrong
Feat. Jo Kennedy; A fabulous, overlooked Aussie musical in which an ambitious barmaid lives out her dreams to be a singing star in the new wave–inflected early…
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (1982): Dir. Terry Hughes
Feat. Angela Lansbury, George Hearn, Cris Groenendaal; TV movie of the 1979 Broadway hit, originally staged by Harold Prince, with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Set in London in 1846, where Barber…
Une Chambre en Ville (1982): Dir. Jacques Demy
Feat. Dominique Sanda, Danielle Darrieux, Michel Piccoli; Another entirely sung–through French musical from the director of THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG, this time set against the backdrop of a workers'…
Victor Victoria (1982): Dir. Blake Edwards
Feat. Julie Andrews, James Garner, Lesley Ann Warren…; Blake Edwards boudoir–farce with Julie Andrews playing a male impersonator in 30s Paris.
Yes, Giorgio (1982): Dir. Franklin J. Schaffner
Feat. Luciano Pavarotti, Kathryn Harrold; Enjoyable romance has Pavarotti as an Opera singer (what else?) who loses his voice but finds love with throat specialist Harrold.
Blood Wedding (1981): Dir. Carlos Saura
Feat. Antonio Gades; The first of Saura's hot–blooded flamenco dance films captures the preparation and performance a tragic ballet by choreographer/actor Antonio…
Cats (1981): The blockbuster Broadway musical authored by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, based on T S Eliot's 'cat' poems.
Grendel Grendel Grendel (1981): Dir. Alexander Stitt
Feat. Peter Ustinov, Keith Michell, Arthur Dignam; Lively animated version of the Beowulf legend, but this time told from the perspective of the monster.
Les Uns et Les Autres (Bolero) (1981): Dir. Claude Lelouch
Feat. James Caan, Geraldine Chaplin, Robert Hossein…; Sprawling extravaganza of questionable taste is not without its devotees. It charts the impact that music has made on the lives of four…
Pennies from Heaven (1981): Dir. Herbert Ross
Feat. Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Christopher Walken…; Dennis Potter’s provocative, 1930s–set melding of drama and musical is spot–on in this US version of the BBC TV–series, which…
Pippin: His Life and Times (1981): Dir. David Sheehan
Feat. Ben Vereen, William Katt, Leslie Denniston; TV movie adapted from the 1972 musical, itself an adaptation of the Bob Fosse Broadway production. Music and lyrics are by Stephen Schwartz and book…
Shock Treatment (1981): Dir. Jim Sharman
Feat. Jessica Harper, Cliff De Young, Patricia Quinn…; Richard O'Brien and co. camp through the Rocky Horror premise again without the magic, but not without charm. Brad and Janet return as a…
Blues Brothers, The (1980): Dir. John Landis
Feat. John Belushi, Dan Aykroyd, Carrie Fisher; Smash comedy with great soul music and epic sight–gags.
Breaking Glass (1980): Dir. Brian Gibson
Feat. Hazel O'Connor, Phil Daniels, Jon Finch…; Grievously under–rated and singular rock music drama from the post–punk era offers more than just nostalgic interest, with an impassioned…
Can't Stop the Music (1980): Dir. Nancy Walker
Feat. Steve Guttenberg; Attempt to revive the musical in disco garb comes off somewhat flat, but worth seeing for some eccentric details – The Village People acting…
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980): Dir. Michael Apted
Feat. Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones; Biopic of country legend Loretta Lynn.
Fame (1980): Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Irene Cara; Young wannabees get ready for their big break at a New York performing arts college. Funny how none of the cast have since achieved it.
One Trick Pony (1980): Dir. Robert M Young
Feat. Paul Simon, Blair Brown, Rip Torn…; Interesting tale of rock–star, played by Paul Simon, undergoing personal crises.
Pirates of Penzance, The (1980): Dir. Wilford Leach, Joshua White
Feat. Kevin Kline, Angela Lansbury, Linda Ronstadt…; A lively version of the Gilbert and Sullivan show, performed live at Delacorte Theatre in Central Park.
Xanadu (1980): Feat. Olivia Newton-John, Gene Kelly; Diabolical disco–kitsch with a plot as thin as a plastic–wrapper. Designer Michael Beck is visited by ethereal muse Olivia…
All That Jazz (1979): Dir. Bob Fosse
Feat. Roy Scheider; Audacious, some would say self–indulgent, musical–comedy – a semi–autobiography of celebrated New York choreographer and…
Elvis (1979): Dir. John Carpenter
Feat. Kurt Russell, Shelley Winters, Bing Russell…; Made just two years after Elvis's death, the king of rock 'n' roll's life is traced from dirt poor beginnings to becoming the most loved entertainer…
Hair (1979): Dir. Milos Forman
Feat. John Savage, Treat Williams; Belated screen version of the popular stage musical celebrating the era of free love and drugs. The laughably dated philosophy is redeemed by those…
Quadrophenia (1979): Dir. Franc Roddam
Feat. Phil Daniels, Michael Elphick, Ray Winstone…; Brilliant portrait of alienated youth, inspired by The Who's concept album, focuses on a young Mod's personal crises and his gang's violent agenda…
Rock 'n' Roll High School (1979): Dir. Alan Arkush
Feat. P.J. Soles, Vince Van Patten, Clint Howard…; Pop–crazy student and 'Ramones' no. 1 fan, Riff Randell (PJ Soles) fights for her right to party against dragonlady principal Togar (Mary…
Rose, The (1979): Dir. Mark Rydell
Feat. Bette Midler; Bette Midler's acting debut was this raunchy rock biopic based loosely on the antics of Janis Joplin. She is given plenty of room here to display her…
Buddy Holly Story, The (1978): Dir. Steve Rash
Feat. Gary Busey; An exceptional Hollywood biography of the seminal rock 'n'roll star, with an uncanny lead performance from Gary Busey.
FM (1978): Dir. John A Alonzo
Feat. Michael Brandon; No static at all, and no commercials either (well, not too many) if the liberal, music–dedicated broadcasters get their way over the interests…
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (Kiss In Attack Of The Phantom!) (1978): Dir. Gordon Hessler
Feat. Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley…; Filmed at the height of KISS's popularity, this glorious piece of 70's rock 'n' roll camp pits the cosmic, cosmeticized crusaders against a…
Pennies From Heaven (Mini Series) (1978): Dir. Piers Haggard
Feat. Bob Hoskins, Cheryl Campbell, Gemma Craven…; The original television version of Dennis Potter's acclaimed and much–remembered musical drama, set around philandering sheet–music…
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1978): Dir. Michael Schultz
Feat. The Bee Gees, Peter Frampton, Steve Martin…; A blushing musical turkey that contrives a potty narrative from Beatles’ songs interpreted by The Bee Gees and Peter Frampton, along with guest…
Thank God It's Friday (1978): Dir. Robert Klane
Feat. Jeff Goldblum, Debra Winger, Donna Summer; Disco Sucks! Essential 70's retro viewing in this one–night–on–the–town comedy. Appearances by the Commodores, Donna Summer…
Wiz, The (1978): Dir. Sidney Lumet
Feat. Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, Richard Pryor; Much maligned 'black musical' version of L. Frank Baum's classic fairytale (best known through the Judy Garland version). Here, New York City was…
Grease (1977): Dir. Randal Kleiser
Feat. John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing…; Musical sensation set in a 1950s high–school was a box–office phenomenon, now an enduring classic. John Travolta, Olivia…
Hobbit, The (1977): Dir. Jules Bass, Arthur Rankin Jnr
Feat. Orson Bean, Richard Boone, John Huston…; A homebody demi–human in Middle Earth gets talked into joining a quest with a group of dwarves to recover their treasure from a dragon.…
New York, New York (1977): Dir. Martin Scorsese
Feat. Robert De Niro, Liza Minnelli; This imaginative yet famously abrasive tribute to the Hollywood musicals of the 1940s focuses on the tumultuous relationship between a saxophonist…
Pete's Dragon (1977): Dir. Don Chaffey
Feat. Mickey Rooney, Shelley Winters, Jim Dale…; Young orphan Pete (Sean Marchall) bonds with animated green dragon Elliot in this lesser–Disney live–action movie. Sentimental songs…
A Star Is Born (1976): Dir. Frank Pierson
Feat. Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Paul Mazursky…; The third screen version of an eminently watchable story, this time set in the fickle rock music scene with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson…
Bugsy Malone (1976): Dir. Alan Parker
Feat. Scott Baio, Jodie Foster, John Cassini; Alan Parker's directing debut was this startlingly original feature debut reinvents the gangster movie as a musical pastiche cast entirely with…
That's Entertainment II (1976): Dir. Gene Kelly
Feat. Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly, Spencer Tracy…; A second helping of musical nostalgia, with Astaire and Kelly again hosting while also contributing a number of brand new dance numbers together.…
Funny Lady (1975): Dir. Herbert Ross
Feat. Barbra Streisand; Barbra Streisand grows up and reprises her role in this sequel to FUNNY GIRL.
Lisztomania (1975): Dir. Ken Russell
Feat. Roger Daltrey, Ringo Starr, Fiona Lewis; Ken Russell's erotic send–up of the bawdy life of virtuoso composer Franz Liszt – whose piano performances were attended by hordes of…
Nashville (1975): Dir. Robert Altman
Feat. Lily Tomlin, Keith Carradine, Geraldine Chaplin…; An American classic, 70s watermark and widely considered Altman's masterpiece. Story of 24 characters gathered for a political rally in the country…
Rocky Horror Picture Show, The (1975): Dir. Jim Sharman
Feat. Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick…; The Godfather of cult movies – a highly original, kinky horror/spoof musical that still maintains a curious brilliance. Written by and starring…
Slipper and the Rose, The (1975): Dir. Bryan Forbes
Feat. Richard Chamberlain, Gemma Craven, Sir Michael Hordern…; Middling musical retells the Cinderella story from the prince's point of view. An unlikely Richard Chamberlain plays the all–singin, all dancin…
Tommy (1975): Dir. Ken Russell
Feat. Ann-Margret, Oliver Reed, Eric Clapton…; The Who's ground–breaking rock opera about the deaf, dumb and blind kid who plays a mean pin–ball. It's a bad taste extravaganza that…
American Film Theatre - Lost in the Stars (1974): Dir. Daniel Mann
Feat. Brock Peters, Melba Moore, Raymond St. Jacques…; The innovative 1930s musical collaboration between Maxwell Anderson and Kurt Weill was ambitiously adapted in this American Film Theatre…
Phantom of the Paradise (1974): Dir. Brian De Palma
Feat. Paul Williams, William Finley, Jessica Harper…; A genuine oddity, this musical/horror spans both dir. De Palma’s satirical and horror periods, with the story of the PHANTOM OF THE OPERA updated…
Stardust (1974): Dir. Michael Apted
Feat. David Essex, Adam Faith, Larry Hagman…; Musical biopic of fictional 60s British popsters The Stray Cats (the name later adopted by 80s rockabillies) and their invasion of America. 70s pop…
That's Entertainment (1974): Dir. Various; A jolly good compendium of MGM musical highlights that nutshell the magic of the productions and the times they were made, and judiciously cut out…
Godspell (1973): Dir. David Greene; Musical version of the Gospel of St Matthew, which unlike Andrew Lloyd Webber's version, takes place in the modern world of New York City. With a…
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973): Dir. Norman Jewison
Feat. Ted Neeley, Carl Anderson; A screen adaptation of Lloyd–Webber's stage musical which retains the original score but adds an extra sheen of kitsch to the much maligned…
Oliver Twist (animated) (1973): Dir. Hal Sutherland; Warner Brothers' merry musical feature based on Charles Dicken's classic.
Tom Sawyer (1973): Dir. Don Taylor
Feat. Johnnie Whitaker, Celeste Holm, Warren Oates…; Award–winning musical version of Mark Twain's classic raggamuffin adventures. A youthful Jodie Foster appears as Tom's girlfriend.
Cabaret (1972): Dir. Bob Fosse
Feat. Liza Minnelli, Michael York; Scintillating musical with Liza Minnelli as the American showgirl caught up in the phony glitter of pre–war Berlin. Eight–time Oscar…
Harder They Come, The (1972): Dir. Perry Henzell
Feat. Jimmy Cliff, Carl Bradshaw; A classic that has found lasting significance as a music film, political film, and above all as a unique, authentic product of Jamaica. A young,…
Man of La Mancha (1972): Dir. Arthur Hiller
Feat. Peter O'Toole, Sophia Loren, James Coco…; Peter O’Toole ‘dreams the impossible dream’ as Cervantes’ Don Quixote in this much–maligned adaptation of the popular Broadway musical.…
Boy Friend, The (1971): Dir. Ken Russell
Feat. Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Max Adrian…; Unavailable on any format until recently, this long lost flight of fancy finds Ken Russell remodeling the golden age of musicals in his own…
Fiddler On the Roof (1971): Dir. Norman Jewison
Feat. Topol, Molly Picon; Epic folk tale of community survival is given a vivid musical setting, as a Jewish family travel from pre–revolutionary Ukraine to America in…
Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory) (1971): Dir. Mel Stuart
Feat. Gene Wilder, Jack Albertson; Roald Dahl adapts his own book for this lively, almost psychedelic musical adaptation about a boy's desire to see inside a chocolate factory run by…
Darling Lili (1970): Dir. Blake Edwards
Feat. Julie Andrews, Rock Hudson; Julie Andrews goes undercover as an all–singing, all–dancing German spy in this deceptively peachy WWI musical. Also starring the…
Donkey Skin (Peau d'âne) (1970): Dir. Jacques Demy
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Jean Marais, Delphine Seyrig…; A vibrant, whimsical and genuinely fantastic adaptation of Perrault's classic 17th century fairy tale in which a Princess (Deneuve) disguises herself…
On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand, Bob Newhart…; Hi–gloss screen version of the Broadway musical with Barbra Streisand as a kooky chain–smoker who is told by psychiatrist Yves Montand…
Scrooge (1970): Dir. Ronald Neame
Feat. Albert Finney, Alec Guinness, Dame Edith Evans…; Enchanting musical version of Charles Dickens' tale of the old miser who is taken through Christmas past, present and future to realise his selfish…
Change of Habit (1969): Dir. William A. Graham
Feat. Elvis Presley, Mary Tyler Moore, Barbara McNair…; Elvis Presley's final acting role was this musical drama in which he plays a doctor who falls in love with Mary Tyler Moore, playing one of three…
Hello Dolly! (Hello, Dolly!) (1969): Dir. Gene Kelly
Feat. Barbra Streisand, Walter Matthau, Michael Crawford…; Barbra Streisand is the attraction of this Gene Kelly musical, as a meddling matchmaker.
Oh! What a Lovely War (1969): Dir. Richard Attenborough
Feat. John Rae, Corin Redgrave, Maurice Roeves…; Powerful anti–war musical adapted from the play by Charles Chilton, which depicts the mass blunder of WWI through the experiences of the poor…
Paint Your Wagon (1969): Dir. Joshua Logan
Feat. Lee Marvin, Clint Eastwood, Jean Seberg…; Entertaining musical epic based on the popular Lerner–Loewe play. Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood play gold prospectors who share a wife they…
Trouble With Girls, The (1969): Dir. Peter Tewksbury
Feat. Elvis Presley, Marlyn Manson, Nicole Jaffe…; Behind the misleading title, this atypically quirky late Elvis movie sees him running a 1920s travelling circus sideshow, with an excellent…
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968): Dir. Ken Hughes
Feat. Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, Lionel Jeffries…; Dick Van Dyke stars as eccentric inventor and who gives a run–down race car a magical new lease of life. This musical comedy masterpiece…
Finian's Rainbow (1968): Dir. Francis Ford Coppola
Feat. Fred Astaire, Petula Clark, Tommy Steele; Completely whimsical latter–day musical sees Irishman Fred Astaire popped–down in the American South to tackle racial injustice with the…
Funny Girl (1968): Dir. William Wyler
Feat. Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif; Barbra Streisand's bravura debut, playing real–life showbiz celeb Fanny Brice, won her an Oscar. Rates also as a well–executed musical.
Live a Little, Love a Little (1968): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley, Michele Carey, Rudy Vallee; Another musical comedy pairing director Norman Taurog with The King. Elvis plays a playboy pin–up photographer whose carefree life is…
Oliver! (1968): Dir. Carol Reed
Feat. Ron Moody, Oliver Reed, Mark Lester; Perfect screen adaptation of the 1960 stage musical by British writer and composer Lionel Bart, based on Charles Dickens' timeless tale. For a…
One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band, The (1968): Dir. Michael O'Herlihy
Feat. Walter Brennan, Buddy Ebsen, Lesley Ann Warren…; A rambunctious Disney musical in which the large Bower family band sets off to the 1888 Democrat Party convention in St. Louis to support Grover…
Star! (1968): Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, Michael Craig…; A commendably lavish biopic of the stage–comedienne Gertude Lawrence, who wooed the British stage in the first half of the 20th…
Sweet Charity (1968): Dir. Bob Fosse
Feat. Shirley Maclaine, Ricardo Montalban, John McMartin…; Neil Simon's Broadway version of Fellini's NIGHTS OF CABIRIA makes a smashing musical film thanks to the director's razzamatazz, late 60's chic, and…
Camelot (1967): Dir. Joshua Logan
Feat. Richard Harris, Vanessa Redgrave, Franco Nero…; This King Arthur musical was a disastrous, expensive–looking flop. Good performances though.
Double Trouble (1967): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley, Annette Day, John Williams…; Elvis goes on tour in Europe and gets embroiled with a besotted heiress and an espionage plot. Some good tunes (including "Long Legged Girl") hardly…
How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967): Dir. David Swift
Feat. Robert Morse, Michele Lee, Rudy Vallee; Skillfully treading the line between silliness and satire, this adaptation of the lauded Broadway musical sees Morse play an ambitious young window…
Jack and the Beanstalk (1967): Dir. Gene Kelly
Feat. Gene Kelly; Gene Kelly and his live–action cast interact with animated characters and backgrounds for this musical version of the fairytale favourite.…
Young Girls of Rochefort, The (Les Demoiselles de Rochefort) (1967): Dir. Jacques Demy
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Francois Dorleac, Gene Kelly; The carrot of love is dangled in Jacques Demy's positively radiant follow–up to UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG: an unbridled, colour–saturated…
Frankie and Johnny (1966): Dir. Frederick de Cordova
Feat. Elvis Presley, Donna Douglas, Harry Morgan…; The King and Donna 'Elly May' Douglas (of The Beverly Hillbillies) hitch up in Mississippi, only for a wily seductress (Kovack) to crach their party.…
Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum, A (1966): Dir. Richard Lester
Feat. Zero Mostel, Buster Keaton, Jack Gilford…; Wild spoof–musical set in Roman times, is somewhat spotty but still generates plenty of comic gas courtesy of some old pros. Mostel plays a…
Paradise, Hawaiian Style (1966): Dir. Michael D. Moore
Feat. Elvis Presley, James Shigeta, Suzanna Leigh…; A touristy musical that sticks to the Elvis Presley formula of songs and romance with the added bonus of lush tropical scenery.
Spinout (1966): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares; Musical comedy starring Elvis as a race car driver and singer in a band, whose carefree single life is threatened by the romantic advances of three…
Beach Blanket Bingo (1965): Dir. William Asher
Feat. Paul Lynde, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello…; Most successful and best known of the ‘Beach Party’ movies, though it shows signs of being fifth in a series by straying quite a way from the…
Girl Happy (1965): Dir. Boris Sagal
Feat. Elvis Presley, Shelley Fabares, Harold J. Stone; Elvis escorts the daughter of a mobster to a Florida beachside resort for a holiday. Enjoyably kitsch Presley musical.
Harum Scarum (1965): Dir. Gene Nelson
Feat. Elvis Presley, Mary Ann Mobley, Fran Jeffries; A journey to the deserts and casbahs of the Middle East gives this Elvis vehicle a bit of life, with Presley playing a screen–idol on holiday…
Incredibly Strange Creatures Who Stopped Living and Became Mixed Up Zombies (1965): Dir. Ray Dennis Steckler
Feat. Ray Dennis Steckler, Brett O'Hara; Classic curiosity combines weird monsters, exceedingly bad acting and a musical into one laughable stew.
Sound of Music, The (1965): Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Eleanor Parker…; Enduring Rogers and Hammerstein musical based on the real–life Von Trapp family, who deserted their homeland to escape the Nazis.…
Christmas Television Classics (Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town) (1964-1970): Feat. Fred Astaire; Three festive features garanteed to bring nostalgic cheer to any child of the sixties.
Kissin' Cousins (1964): Dir. Gene Nelson
Feat. Elvis Presley, Arthur O'Connell, Glenda Farrell…; Elvis both an Air Force officer and his hillbilly cousin, and negotiates the affections of two other female cousins, in this cheerfully hick musical…
My Fair Lady (1964): Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison; Ever–popular, though rather long musical version of George Bernard Shaw's 'Pygmalion', starring Audrey Hepburn as riffraff transformed into…
Roustabout (1964): Dir. John Rich
Feat. Elvis Presley, Barbara Stanwyck; Relatively pleasing Elvis Presley vehicle. The King joins a carnival run by Barbara Stanwyk.
Umbrellas of Cherbourg, The (1964): Dir. Jacques Demy
Feat. Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo; Gorgeous French musical with Catherine Deneuve, in her acting debut, one of its many pleasures. A bittersweet romantic story is allied to a lush…
Unsinkable Molly Brown, The (1964): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Debbie Reynolds, Ed Begley, Harve Presnell; Rags to riches musical based on the eventful life of Margaret Brown who survived flooding, snobbery and a trip on a boat called the Titanic. One of…
Viva Las Vegas (1964): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Elvis Presley, Ann-Margret; Elvis Presley is paired with Ann–Margret in this rumbunctious Vegas–set musical.
Bye Bye Birdie (1963): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Dick Van Dyke, Ann-Margret, Janet Leigh…; Fluffy yet fabulous film version of the hit Broadway musical with rock 'n' roller Dick Van Dyke traveling to small town Ohio to make his final…
I Could Go on Singing (1963): Dir. Ronald Neame
Feat. Judy Garland, Dirk Bogarde, Jack Klugman…; A successful singer visits her estranged son while on tour in England. Teary melodrama was Garland's last film and featured arguably her best acting.
It Happened At The World's Fair (1963): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley, Yvonne Craig, Gary Lockwood…; The King plays a pilot–for–hire who hitchhikes to the World's Fair in Seattle to earn some cash after his plane is seized by the local…
Live it Up! (Sing and Swing) (1963): Dir. Lance Comfort
Feat. David Hemmings; Low–budget, but historically fascinating musical wraps some great mid–60s pop music around its slender plot. Hemmings plays a…
Summer Magic (1963): Dir. James Neilson
Feat. Hayley Mills, Burl Ives, Dorothy McGuire; Sweetly sentimental Disney version of the Kate Wiggins novel 'Mother Carey's Chickens', about a poor Boston family who make a drafty Maine homestead…
Billy Rose's Jumbo (1962): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Doris Day, Stephen Boyd, Jimmy Durante…; Cracking musical extravaganza based around the real–life Billy Rose stageshow and doctored with brilliant Rodgers and Hart songs, plus dance…
Gypsy (1962): Dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Feat. Rosalind Russell, Natalie Wood, Karl Malden; Eye–catching musical comedy–drama based on the memoir of burlesque entertainer Gypsy Rose Lee, whose career was driven by her aggressive…
Kid Galahad (1962): Dir. Phil Karlson
Feat. Elvis Presley, Charles Bronson, Joan Blackman…; Musical remake sees Elvis enter the ring as an upstart boxer under the tutelage of grizzly Charles Bronson, who's not about to put the champ in…
Music Man, The (1962): Dir. Morton DaCosta
Feat. Robert Preston, Shirley Jones, Buddy Hackett…; A lively and delightful Broadway musical adaptation with conman Robert Preston (reprising his stage role) diddling a small Iowa town in 1912. Full of…
Blue Hawaii (1961): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley; Lush setting for this Elvis vehicle is easy on the eye. The King's least Rock'n'Roll effort.
Flower Drum Song (1961): Dir. Henry Koster
Feat. Nancy Kwan, James Shigeta; Amiable if overlong musical comedy telling the story of a Chinese girl who smuggles herself into San Francisco as a "picture bride" to marry a young…
West Side Story (1961): Dir. Robert Wise
Feat. Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn…; Oscar–sweeping, hugely influential film version of Bernstein and Sondheim's landmark Broadway musical, updating Romeo and Juliet to dockland…
Wild in the Country (1961): Dir. Phillip Dunne
Feat. Elvis Presley, Hope Lange, Tuesday Weld…; Unusual Elvis Presley vehicle, playing a country hothead with a literary bent.
Young Ones, The / Summer Holiday (1961-1962): Dir. Sidney J. Furie, Peter Yates
Feat. Cliff Richard, Robert Morley, The Shadows; A pairing of delightfully dated musical vehicles for Brit pop sensation of the day, Cliff Richard. THE YOUNG ONES has Cliff organising a fundraising…
Bells are Ringing (1960): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Judy Holliday, Dean Martin, Fred Clark…; Winning musical rom–com from Vincente Minnelli (MEET ME IN ST LOUIS), with Judy Holliday playing a fictionalised version of real–life…
Can-Can (1960): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Shirley Maclaine, Maurice Chevalier…; Agreeable Cole Porter musical by way of Old Blue Eyes' Rat Pack croon. Sinatra teams up with Shirley Maclaine, here the proprietor of Parisian cafe…
Cloud-Capped Star, The (1960): Dir. Ritwik Ghatak
Feat. Supriya Choudhury; The kind–hearted daughter of a middle–class refugee family from East Pakistan sacrifices her own happiness for her unappreciative family,…
Expresso Bongo (1960): Dir. Val Guest
Feat. Cliff Richard, Laurence Harvey; Brash and colourfully classic 'beat' musical with Cliff Richard as a struggling bongo–playing nightclub act who is snatched from obscurity by a…
G.I. Blues (1960): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley; A fond Elvis vehicle in which his guitar–playing G.I. meddles with things a young cadet shouldn't while stationed in Germany. Presley sings…
Let's Make Love (1960): Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Marilyn Monroe, Yves Montand; An under–rated Marilyn Monroe comedy with Yves Montand as a millionaire who joins her theatre company, then hires a host of real–life…
Black Orpheus (1959): Dir. Marcel Camus
Feat. Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Lourdes De Oliveira; Get caught up in the rhythms and colour of Rio De Janiero at Carnival time for an exotic, utterly unique spin on the Greek legend of doomed lovers…
Five Pennies, The (1959): Dir. Melville Shavelson
Feat. Danny Kaye, Barbara Bel Geddes, Louis Armstrong…; Cheery Red Nichols biopic with Danny Kaye turning in a heartfelt performance as the famed jazz trumpter. Contains many soapy moments between Kaye…
Girls Town (1959): Dir. Charles Haas
Feat. Mamie Van Doren, Mel Torme, Paul Anka…; Wayward teen Mamie Van Doren is sent to a girls' home after being ratted out by 'greaser' Mel Torme. Loaded with rock'n'roll.
Damn Yankees (Whatever Lola Wants) (1958): Dir. George Abbott, Stanley Donen
Feat. Tab Hunter, Gwen Verdon, Ray Walston…; Supremely entertaining musical rom–com that transposes the Faustian legend to the world of American baseball, with Gwen Verdon in the iconic…
Gigi (1958): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan…; This cheerful musical odyssey of a Parisian girl trained to be a courtesan was the Oscar–winner of its year.
King Creole (1958): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Elvis Presley, Carolyn Jones; Many would agree with Elvis that this is his best film. He plays a roguish street hustler who manifests his rebellion in his music. Tight direction…
South Pacific (1958): Dir. Joshua Logan
Feat. Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr…; Solid screen version of Rogers and Hammerstein's stage spectacle, memorable for its lush location photography and infectious tunes.
Speedway (1958): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Elvis Presley, Nancy Sinatra; Elvis Presley musical set in stock–car racing scene. With Nancy Sinatra in the passenger seat.
Jailhouse Rock (1957): Dir. Richard Thorpe
Feat. Elvis Presley; Great musical numbers highlight this Elvis Presley vehicle. The handsome delinquent learns to pick the guitar while behind bars, which of course…
Pajama Game, The (1957): Dir. George Abbott, Stanley Donen
Feat. Doris Day; Exemplary screen musical stars Doris Day in exuberant form as a feisty union delegate who falls for her boss while negotiating a wage rise for her…
Pal Joey (1957): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Rita Hayworth, Kim Novak, Frank Sinatra; Rita Hayworth and Kim Novak clash over Frank Sinatra who happens to belt out 'The Lady is a Tramp' among others in cool, jazzy musical.
Silk Stockings (1957): Dir. Rouben Mamoulian
Feat. Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Peter Lorre; Handsome musical version of Garbo's NINOTCHKA, with Cyd Charisse's million dollar legs the star attraction.
Carousel (1956): Dir. Henry King
Feat. Gordon MacRae, Shirley Jones, Cameron Mitchell; Rodgers and Hammerstein carnival musical has some of their best songs. A darker than usual storyline – possibly partly why it wasn't such a…
Don't Knock the Rock (1956): Dir. Fred F. Sears; Small town Mellonville becomes a makeshift Woodstock in this swinging companion piece to dir. Sears' ROCK AROUND THE CLOCK. Quaint fashion, bad…
Funny Face (1956): Dir. Stanley Donen
Feat. Fred Astaire, Audrey Hepburn; Hip musical boasts the unrestrained ebullience of Fred Astaire and Audrey Hepburn as a fashion photographer and book–clerk who becomes his…
Girl Can't Help It, The (1956): Dir. Frank Tashlin
Feat. Tom Ewell, Jayne Mansfield, Julie London; This ebullient comedy is not only the best showcase for what one Jayne Mansfield had to offer, but also for many of the rock 'n' roll talent of the…
High Society (1956): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, Frank Sinatra…; On the button remake of THE PHILADELPHIA STORY, giving the skewed love–triangle tale a musical treatment. Score by Cole Porter.
It's Great to be Young (1956): Dir. Cyril Frankel
Feat. John Mills, Cecil Parker, Jeremy Spenser…; A British musical comedy in Eastmancolor, starring John Mills as an inspirational high school music teacher who leads his students in revolt against…
King and I, The (1956): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Yul Brynner, Deborah Kerr, Rita Moreno…; Lush screen adaptation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's broadway show, Anna and the King of Siam. Yul Brynner is unforgettable in the title role.
Rock Around the Clock (1956): Dir. Fred F. Sears; This upbeat, toe–tapping 'advertorial' for rock & roll was intially brushed off as a show–reel for live performance, yet remains a lively…
Daddy Long Legs (1955): Dir. Jean Negulesco
Feat. Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Terry Moore…; An orphaned French teenager (Caron) endears herself to a playboy sophisticate (Astaire), who secretly sponsors her in an American private education.…
Guys and Dolls (1955): Dir. Joseph L. Mankiewicz
Feat. Marlon Brando, Frank Sinatra, Vivien Leigh; Snappy popular musical in spite of its length. Marlon Brando appears in an atypically upbeat performance.
It's Always Fair Weather (1955): Dir. Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Feat. Gene Kelly; An American musical satire, shot in CinemaScope and Eastmancolor, with music by Andre Previn. It was one of the last major dance–oriented MGM…
Kismet (1955): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Howard Keel, Ann Blyth; An Arabian–Nights style musical, with Howard Keel attempting to woo wicked wizar's wife Ann Blyth.
Love Me or Leave Me (1955): Dir. Charles Vidor
Feat. Doris Day, James Cagney; Multiple Oscar–nominated biopic of singer Ruth Etting, played here by Doris Day in a more substantial role than usual. Story chiefly concerns…
Lucky Me (1955): Dir. Jack Donohue
Feat. Doris Day, Robert Cummings, Phil Silvers; Showbiz musical comedy with Doris Day paired once again with CALAMITY JANE tune smiths Sammy Fain and Paul Francis Webster.
My Sister Eileen (1955): Dir. Richard Quine
Feat. Jack Lemmon, Janet Leigh; Charming if not modest retread of the "brains vs. beauty" dilemma sees on–screen sisters Janet Leigh and Betty Garrett jostle for the affection…
Oklahoma! (1955): Dir. Fred Zinnemann
Feat. Gordon MacRae, Gloria Grahame, Gene Nelson…; Ground–breaking Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, includes many classic numbers.
Pete Kelly's Blues (1955): Dir. Jack Webb
Feat. Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien…; Musical set in 1920's Kansas which blends jazz, gangsters and political corruption. Directed by and starring Jack Webb as a cornet player who is…
A Star Is Born (1954): Dir. George Cukor
Feat. Judy Garland, James Mason; All–time great musical melodrama, with actress Judy Garland's star eclipsing hubby James Mason's.
Brigadoon (1954): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Gene Kelly, Cyd Charisse; Overlooked Gene Kelly musical, with Kelly discovering a magical Scottish village.
Carmen Jones (1954): Dir. Otto Preminger
Feat. Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte; Blazing screen version of George Bizet's "Carmen" classic opera uniquely staged in the Deep South with an all–black cast and new lyrics by…
Glenn Miller Story, The (1954): Dir. Anthony Mann
Feat. James Stewart, June Allyson, Louis Armstrong…; A creditable star–biography of the big–band leader and trombonist, which, verging on the overly sentimental, is saved by its reverance to…
Living It Up (1954): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Janet Leigh…; One of the funnier Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis comedies of the 17 they made together. Jerry Lewis plays a stationmaster from provincial New Mexico…
Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954): Dir. Stanley Donen
Feat. Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Jeff Richards…; Rollicking musical set in backwoods Oregon, with brothers all looking for brides–to–be.
Student Prince, The (1954): Dir. Richard Thorpe
Feat. Ann Blyth, Edmund Purdom, John Ericson…; Taken from the operetta by Sigmund Romberg, and the third filmed version of the tale of a young Prince breaking out into the real world by falling in…
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Marilyn Monroe…; Gaudy musical about Show Business. Stars Marilyn and some great Irving Berlin songs.
White Christmas (1954): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye; Timeless Irving Berlin musical, whose stocking full of great tunes – 'Sisters', 'Blue Skies' and of course the title–track – redeem…
Affairs of Dobie Gillis, The (1953): Dir. Don Weis
Feat. Debbie Reynolds, Bobby Van, Bob Fosse…; Lighthearted MGM college musical set on a Midwestern university campus, where two freshmen spend their time cutting class and courting two coeds.…
Band Wagon, The (1953): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Fred Astaire, Jack Buchanan, Cyd Charisse; In the top echelon of screen–musicals, this follows the fortunes of toe–tapping movie actor Fred Astaire, revue style, as he attempts a…
Beggar's Opera, The (1953): Dir. Peter Brook
Feat. Laurence Olivier; Initially a commercial failure, this energetic romp through John Gay's 18th century ribald opera has since been critically acclaimed. In his first…
By the Light of the Silvery Moon (1953): Dir. David Butler
Feat. Doris Day, Gordon MacRae; Quaint sequel to ON MOONLIGHT BAY finds Gordon MacRae returning from WWI where fiancée Doris Day waits impatiently to begin married life together.…
Calamity Jane (1953): Dir. David Butler
Feat. Doris Day, Howard Keel; Big, rousing musical western, featuring Doris Day as the tomboy heroine, who falls for easygoing Wild Bill Hickok (Howard Keel).
Call Me Madam (1953): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Ethel Merman, Donald O'Connor, Vera-Ellen…; Delightful musical starring Ethel Merman as a Washington hostess who becomes a Truman–era US ambassador to a European grand duchy. Songs by…
Dangerous When Wet (1953): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Esther Williams; Musical starlet Esther Williams gets to do what she does best as an athlete who attempts to swim the English channel. Highlight is a subterranean…
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953): Dir. Howard Hawks
Feat. Marilyn Monroe, Jane Russell, Charles Coburn; Marilyn Monroe and Jane Russell are out to rustle a millionaire or two on a seacruise to France in this glistening confection based on the stage…
Give a Girl a Break (1953): Dir. Stanley Donen
Feat. Debbie Reynolds, Marge Champion, Gower Champion…; Musical comedy about three unknown actresses who are all competing for Broadway stardom after a temperamental performer walks off the set of a major…
How to Marry a Millionaire (1953): Dir. Jean Negulesco
Feat. Betty Grable, Marilyn Monroe, Lauren Bacall; An extravagent, cheery comedy with a trio of sexy opportunists who collectively devise schemes to entrap well–to–do bachelors.
Kiss Me Kate (1953): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller; Cole Porter’s irreverent take on Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew is one of the most pleasurable (and fabulously danced) MGM musicals of the…
Miss Sadie Thompson (1953): Dir. Curtis Bernhardt
Feat. Rita Hayworth, Jose Ferrer, Aldo Ray…; Rita Hayworth turned it on in this lavish musical with a hard edge of sex and sin in the South Seas, here playing a smokin’ dame stranded on a…
Story of Gilbert and Sullivan, The (1953): Dir. Sidney Gilliat
Feat. Robert Morley, Maurice Evans, Eileen Herlie…; Spirited biopic of the careers of W.S. Gilbert, a barrister turned–comic–writer, and Arthur Sullivan, a classic composer (converted…
Has Anyone Seen My Gal? (1952): Dir. Douglas Sirk
Feat. Charles Coburn, Lynn Bari, Piper Laurie…; Sirk–for–hire musical comedy finds the iconic melodramatist at his most unidentifiable: Coburn stars as an elderly money bags with no…
Lili (1952): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Leslie Caron, Mel Ferrer; Fairytale–like story of Leslie Caron's amorous adventures in a carnival is swimming in charm, whimsical songs and 'circus–type'…
Singin' in the Rain (Singing in the Rain) (1952): Dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly
Feat. Gene Kelly, Donald O'Connor, Debbie Reynolds…; The quintessential Hollywood musical happens to be about the movie biz. Its blend of vivacious style and humour, catchy numbers and dazzling…
An American in Paris (1951): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Gene Kelly; Ebullient, multi–styled musical with Gene Kelly dancing his socks off. Terrific George Gershwin score.
Great Caruso, The (1951): Dir. Richard Thorpe
Feat. Mario Lanza; Entertaining biopic of the legendary tenor Enrico Caruso with American protege Mario Lanza in the title role. His hokey performance and some…
On Moonlight Bay (1951): Dir. Roy Del Ruth
Feat. Doris Day, Gordon MacRae; Winning musical with Doris Day trading baseball obsession for the courtship of a strapping Gordon MacRae. Folksy tunes are blended with carefree…
On The Riviera (1951): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Danny Kaye, Gene Tierney, Corinne Calvet…; Talented Broadway veteran Danny Kaye stars in this musical comedy, playing an American entertainer who develops a skit impersonating a wealthy…
Show Boat (1951): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Kathryn Grayson, Ava Gardner, Howard Keel…; Lavish technicolor adaptation of the 1920 Hammerstein stage musical in which an aspiring actor goes from working a Mississippi river–boat to…
Tales of Hoffmann, The (1951): Dir. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Feat. Moira Shearer, Pamela Brown, Sir Robert Helpmann…; Boldly visual imagining of Offenbach's 1880 opera which takes three tales of magic and deception by E.T. Hoffmann and weaves them into a disquieting…
Annie Get Your Gun (1950): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Betty Hutton, Howard Keel; The much–filmed story of Annie Oakley, star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West Show, is the subject of this Irving Berlin musical, with Betty Hutton…
My Blue Heaven (1950): Dir. Henry Koster
Feat. Dan Dailey, Betty Grable, David Wayne…; Treacly musical concerns a variety show couple enduring all manner of misfortune as they try to create a family of their own. Unusually bright…
Petty Girl, The (1950): Dir. Nat Perrin
Feat. Constance Cummings; Robert Cummings stars in this comedy–musical as an artist who causes a scandal through his choice of model.
Summer Stock (1950): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, Eddie Bracken…; This technicolor musical was Judy Garland's final film for MGM as she struggled with many personal problems during filming. Garland plays a farm…
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1949): Dir. Tay Garnett
Feat. Bing Crosby, Rhonda Fleming, William Bendix…; Mark Twain's comedy given a light musical spin with Bing Crosby.
Barkleys of Broadway, The (1949): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Oscar Levant; George and Ira Gershwin musical reuniting Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers after ten years apart, who play a husband and wife comedy team at a…
In the Good Old Summertime (1949): Dir. Robert Z. Leonard
Feat. Judy Garland, Van Johnson, S.Z. Sakall; Judy Garland and Van Johnson star in this musical adaptation of the 1940 film, The Shop Around the Corner, with the locale changed from 1930s…
Ladies of the Chorus (1949): Dir. Phil Karlson
Feat. Marilyn Monroe; Modest musical burlesque has the distinction of giving Marilyn Monroe her first sizeable role.
On the Town (1949): Dir. Gene Kelly, Stanley Donen
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Gene Kelly; Exuberant musical about three sailors enjoying a day's leave in New York is about as good as this stuff gets. The cast almost bounce off the screen.
Take Me Out To The Ball Game (Everybody's Cheering) (1949): Dir. Busby Berkeley
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Esther Williams, Gene Kelly; An excellent warm–up for ON THE TOWN with Sinatra and Kelly playing vaudeville buddies in the early–1900s who yuck it up in variety…
Young Man With a Horn (Young Man of Music) (1949): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Kirk Douglas, Doris Day, Lauren Bacall…; Sharp biopic based on legendary jazz trumpeteer Bix Beiderbecke (played here by Kirk Douglas), who rose from obscurity to possess one of the most…
Easter Parade (1948): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. Fred Astaire, Amy Miller, Judy Garland; Big–scale musical treat by Irving Berlin, has Fred Astaire swapping dance–partner Amy Miller for celebrity plus Judy Garland, in a role…
Melody Time (1948): Feat. Roy Rogers, Bobby Driscoll; Disney's tenth animated film was this showcase of seven animated vignettes and short stories set to jazz and samba music, making it a contemporary…
Pirate, The (1948): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Judy Garland, Vincente Minnelli, Gene Kelly; Real–life partnership Judy Garland and Vincente Minelli reteam for a fine musical that also boasts Gene Kelly's footwork and Cole Porter's…
Red Shoes, The (1948): Dir. Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger
Feat. Anton Walbrook, Moira Shearer, Marius Goring…; Beloved dance classic is a strikingly realised story of a young ballerina who, in an echo of the Hans Christian Andersen story, becomes torn between…
Down To Earth (1947): Dir. Alexander Hall
Feat. Rita Hayworth, Larry Parks, James Gleason…; Musical comedy sequel to HERE COMES MR. JORDAN starring Rita Hayworth as Greek Goddess Terpsichore who comes down to Earth to join a Broadway…
Good News (1947): Dir. Charles Walters
Feat. June Allyson, Peter Lawford, Patricia Marshall…; Toe–tapping MGM musical based on the 1927 stage production of the same name. Set on a collage campus, where a football star falls in love…
Perils of Pauline, The (1947): Dir. George Marshall
Feat. Betty Hutton, John Lund, Billy DeWolfe…; Showbiz melodrama in which Hutton plays true–life actress Pearl White, who graduated from being a lowly–paid seamstress to queen of the…
Gaiety George (Showtime) (1946): Dir. George King, Leontine Sagan
Feat. Richard Greene, Ann Todd, Peter Graves…; Victorian–era musical about Irishman George Howard, who moves to London and purchases a theatre, aiming to enhance the local entertainment…
Jolson Story, The / Jolson Sings Again (1946): Dir. Alfred E. Green, Henry Levin
Feat. Larry Parks; An American success story in song, accomplished biography traces the career of mammy–singing Al Jolson. Larry Parks offers a flawless…
Man I Love, The (1946): Dir. Raoul Walsh
Feat. Ida Lupino, Robert Alda, Bruce Bennett…; Romantic drama about a New York lounge singer who becomes homesick and decides to visit her siblings on the West Coast, where she unexpectedly falls…
Night and Day (1946): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. Cary Grant, Alexis Smith, Jane Wyman; Somewhat unreliable biography of Cole Porter that gets by on it's soundtrack and Cary Grant's amiable performance.
Anchors Aweigh (1945): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Frank Sinatra, Kathryn Grayson, Gene Kelly; Wartime tale of two sailors on leave in Hollywood. A milestone due to the combination of gene Kelly's live–action choreography coupled with…
Dolly Sisters, The (1945): Dir. Irving Cummings
Feat. Betty Grable, John Payne, June Haver; Flash, energetic musical biopic on Hungarian–born sisters Jennie and Rosie Dolly, who conquered Broadway in the early 1900s. Ravishing…
Harvey Girls, The (1945): Dir. George Sidney
Feat. Judy Garland, John Hodiak, Ray Bolger…; A much–loved, if rather formless musical about the heyday of the railroad in the Old West and the Harvey House restaurants which sprang up…
Rhapsody in Blue (1945): Dir. Irving Rapper
Feat. Robert Alda, Joan Leslie, Alexis Smith…; George Gershwin's life and work is given a good glossing over from Hollywood, but the magical music keeps things sprightly for over two hours.
State Fair (1945): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Jeanne Crain, Dana Andrews, Dick Haymes…; Cheerful Rodgers & Hammerstein musical about Iowa family visiting a colossal fairground.
Three Caballeros, The (1945): Dir. Norman Ferguson; Donald Duck and compadres Carioca and Panchito mardi–gras their way around Mexico, Brazil and the world in this early Disney feature.…
Tonight and Every Night (1945): Dir. Victor Saville
Feat. Rita Hayworth; Rita Hayworth starring musical about a London nightclub during the war which despite bombings and blitzes, never skips a beat.
Wonder Man (1945): Dir. Bruce Humberstone
Feat. Danny Kaye, Virginia Mayo, Vera-Ellen…; A typically zany fairy–tale for Danny Kaye, as a mild–mannered student persuaded by the ghost of his dead twin to seek out his murderer.…
Bells of St. Mary's (1944): Dir. Leo McCarey
Feat. Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman; Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman team up for a musical comedy as a gentle priest and a prim nun who slug out their differences. 8 Oscar nominations.
Can't Help Singing (1944): Dir. Frank Ryan
Feat. Deanna Durbin, Robert Paige, Akim Tamiroff; Sugary sweet technicolour western musical based on the book "Girl of the Overland Trail" by Samuel J. and Curtis B. Warshawsky. Set during the…
Cover Girl (1944): Dir. Charles Vidor
Feat. Rita Hayworth, Gene Kelly, Phil Silvers…; Sheer energy and razzamatazz compensate for the rampant cliches of this Rita Hayworth/Gene Kelly dance–musical, set in the world of magazine…
Going My Way (1944): Dir. Leo McCarey
Feat. Bing Crosby; Oscar–sweeping musical favourite stars Bing Crosby as the singing priest, Father O'Malley, whose casual unorthodoxy casts an influential spell.
Meet Me in St Louis (1944): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Judy Garland, Margaret O'Brien, Mary Astor…; In the year before the 1904 St Louis World's Fair, the four Smith daughters learn lessons of life and love, even as they prepare for a reluctant move…
Pin Up Girl (1944): Dir. H. Bruce Humberstone
Feat. Betty Grable, John Harvey, Martha Raye…; Betty Grable, America's #1 pin–up during WWII, strikes a pose as a canteen girl who pretends to be broadway star in order to stay close to her…
Cabin in the Sky (1943): Dir. Vincente Minnelli
Feat. Lena Horne, Ethel Waters, " Eddie ""Rochester""" Anderson…; Landmark musical presents a 'faux–negro' folk story accompanied by the sophisticated musicianship of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and…
Gang's All Here, The (1943): Dir. Busby Berkeley
Feat. Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda; Exhibitionist Fox musical combines some sensational talent (Miranda, in particular) with wildly innovative visuals from the great Busby Berkeley. The…
Hard Way, The (1943): Dir. Vincent Sherman
Feat. Ida Lupino, Dennis Morgan, Joan Leslie; Musical drama based on a story by Irwin Shaw, which was reportedly inspired by Ginger Rogers' first marriage to Jack Pepper. Joan Leslie plays a…
Heat's On, The (Tropicana) (1943): Dir. Gregory Ratoff
Feat. Mae West; Famous Mae West flop, with the screen vamp playing a Broadway star torn between rival producers. Once the talk of the town, she wouldn't make another…
Hello, Frisco, Hello (1943): Dir. Bruce Humberstone
Feat. Alice Faye, John Payne, Jack Oakie…; Classic technicolor musical set in Frisco's lively vaudeville scene in 1915.
Lulu Belle (1943): Dir. Leslie Fenton
Feat. Dorothy Lamour, George Montgomery, Albert Dekker; Montgomery leaves his fiancee to take up with disreputable night club singer Lulu Belle. Almost forgotten musical is mostly of interest for it's…
Phantom of the Opera (1943): Dir. Arthur Lubin
Feat. Claude Rains, Nelson Eddy, Susanna Foster; Technicolour version of the old tale with Claude Rains warbling it up behind the mask. The emphasis here is more on singing than chills, it could be…
Presenting Lily Mars (1943): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Judy Garland, Van Heflin, Fay Bainter…; MGM Musical comedy starring Judy Garland in an early grown–up role as the titular small–town girl who heads to Broadway but struggles to…
Stormy Weather (1943): Dir. Andrew L. Stone
Feat. Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway…; An on–off romance between a dancer and a popular songstress provides a suitable excuse for a fantastic retrospective of the great…
For Me and My Gal (1942): Dir. Busby Berkeley
Feat. Judy Garland, Gene Kelly, George Murphy; A Busby Berkeley–directed musical that provided the first real "adult" role for a nineteen–year–old Judy Garland. Gene Kelly…
Holiday Inn (1942): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby; Love–triangle musical scored by Irving Berlin has Astaire dancing without Rogers and Bing Crosby unleashing 'White Christmas'.
Orchestra Wives (1942): Dir. Archie Mayo
Feat. Ann Rutherford, George Montgomery, Lynn Bari…; Swing–era musical featuring the Glenn Miller orchestra, with Miller himself playing the leader of a band. When the trumpet player…
Road to Morocco (1942): Dir. David Butler
Feat. Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, Dorothy Lamour; Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Dorothy Lamour do their bit for the war effort by enchanting the public with mad–cap (rom)antics on the North African…
Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942): Dir. Michael Curtiz
Feat. James Cagney, Joan Leslie, Walter Huston; An energy–filled and well–loved musical biography of Show–Biz King George Cohan, played by James Cagney.
You Were Never Lovelier (1942): Dir. William A Seiter
Feat. Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth; Gently funny musical with Fred Astaire pursuing Rita Hayworth.
Hellzapoppin' (1941): Dir. H.C. Potter
Feat. Ole Olsen, Chic Johnson; Batty and rambunctious comedy classic runs a gamut of slight gags and inspired slapstick lunacy, with wild pair Olsen and Johnson guiding the…
Moon Over Miami (1941): Dir. Walter Lang
Feat. Betty Grable, Don Ameche, Robert Cummings; One of Betty Grable's better musical outings, it's a bright and breezy story of two sisters who attempt to ensnare a pair of Miami millionaires when…
Sun Valley Serenade (1941): Dir. H. Bruce Humberstone
Feat. Sonja Henie, John Payne, Milton Berle…; Winter wonderland musical sets the stage for the Glenn Miller Orchestra and skating star Sonja Henie, here playing a Norwegian refugee turned…
That Night in Rio (1941): Dir. Irving Cummings
Feat. Don Ameche, Alice Faye, Carmen Miranda; Comedy musical about an American entertainer who impersonates a wealthy aristocrat, but generates the romantic attentions of the man's wife as a…
You'll Never Get Rich (1941): Dir. Sidney Lanfield
Feat. Fred Astaire, Rita Hayworth, John Hubbard…; Generally amusing showbiz comedy has Fred Astaire play a star Broadway dancer who helps his boss (Benchley) out of trouble with his wife over a…
Ziegfeld Girl (1941): Dir. Robert Z. Leonard
Feat. James Stewart, Judy Garland, Hedy Lamarr…; A star–sudded MGM musical melodrama featuring musical numbers staged by Busby Berkeley, highlighted by "You Stepped Out of a Dream". Set in the…
Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940): Dir. Norman Taurog
Feat. Fred Astaire, Eleanor Powell, George Murphy…; The final of the loosely connected BROADWAY MELODY quartet is unusually plot–heavy, but still features glittery dance numbers and a lovely Cole…
Down Argentine Way (1940): Dir. Irving Cummings
Feat. Carmen Miranda, Betty Grable, Don Ameche; A horse mad New Yorker falls for a wealthy Argentine rancher in this fluffy technicolor musical, but is hampered by the longstanding feud between…
Fantasia (1940): Dir. Ben Sharpsteen; Glorious Disney musical fantasy set to a rousing classical score. Highlights include Mickey Mouse as the Sorcerer's apprentice and the hippos and…
It All Came True (1940): Dir. Lewis Seiler
Feat. Ann Sheridan, Jeffrey Lynn, Humphrey Bogart; A crime–themed musical comedy featuring Ann Sheridan as a fledgling singer in her first starring role as well as Humphrey Bogart as a fugitive…
Road to Singapore (1940): Dir. Victor Schertzinger
Feat. Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Dorothy Lamour; The first of half a dozen 'Road to' films has Bing Crosby and Bob Hope as clowning, crooning rivals vying for the affections of Dorothy Lamour.
Second Fiddle (1939): Dir. Sidney Lanfield
Feat. Tyrone Power, Edna May Oliver, Sonja Henie…; A musical romance with a score composed by Irving Berlin and a screenplay based on George Bradshaw's story "Heart Interest". A studio publicist…
Story of Vernon and Irene Castle, The (1939): Dir. H.C. Potter
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Edna May Oliver…; Fred & Ginger star in the story of the dancing team who taught the world to two–step, based on the stories "My Husband and My Memories of…
Wizard of Oz, The (1939): Dir. Victor Fleming, King Vidor
Feat. Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr…; The world's best loved film down through and across the generations, and a key cultural icon. MGM pulled out all the stops to realise L. Frank…
Alexander's Ragtime Band (1938): Dir. Henry King
Feat. Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche…; Irving Berlin contributes over two dozen songs as well as the screenplay for this rousing story of the history of (white) jazz music from ragtime to…
Broadway Melody of 1938 (1938): Dir. Roy Del Ruth
Feat. Judy Garland, Robert Taylor, Eleanor Powell; Splendidly lavish "Show Musical", where a flimsy storyline is but an excuse to launch the brilliant dancing talents of Eleanor Powell. Also included…
Carefree (1938): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Ralph Bellamy; The eighth of the ten films that Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers did together, this screwball comedy features only four musical numbers, and is…
Great Waltz, The (The Life of Johann Strauss) (1938): Dir. Julien Duvivier
Feat. Fernand Gravey, Luise Rainer, Lionel Atwill; The lIfe story of Johann Strauss is given a rich if somewhat corny treatment in this otherwise well–mounted musical biopic.
Keep Fit (1937): Dir. Anthony Kimmins
Feat. Kay Walsh, Guy Middleton, George Formby; Snappy–yet–slight musical–comedy sees Formby play a skinny wimp who faces off against a stocky Middleton in a 'keep fit' contest in…
On the Avenue (1937): Dir. Roy Del Ruth
Feat. Dick Powell, Madeleine Carroll, Alice Faye; The songs of Irving Berlin feature prominently in this infectious Broadway–set musical, with Dick Powell, Alice Faye and the Ritz Brothers (as…
Shall We Dance (1937): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers pretend to be married in this last notable musical of their partnership. Features the classic roller–skate…
Anything Goes (1936): Dir. Lewis Milestone
Feat. Bing Crosby, Ethel Merman, Charles Ruggles…; The first film adaptation of the famous Cole Porter musical.
Dimples (1936): Feat. Shirley Temple, Frank Morgan, Robert Kent; Shirley Temple musical set in the New York Bowery, where the young lass helps her pickpocket grandfather., Soon however her musical talents come to…
Follow the Fleet (1936): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers; Astaire & Rogers musical that marked a career peak for the pair after TOP HAT. Irving Berlin scores.
Gay Desperado, The (1936): Dir. Rouben Mamoulian
Feat. Ida Lupino, Leo Carrillo, Nino Martini…; A light comedy with operatic tenor Nino Martini playing a singer who works as a live entertainer in a movie theatre, and is kidnapped by a trigger…
Keep Your Seats, Please (1936): Dir. Monty Banks
Feat. George Formby, Florence Desmond, Gus McNaughton; An endearing Formby is at his gormless best in this musical comedy, where he must find his aunt's inheritance sewn up in 12 chairs that have…
Pennies from Heaven (1936): Dir. Norman Z. McLeod
Feat. Bing Crosby; Bing Crosby vehicle sees the showman protecting a little girl from the big bad school system.
Poor Little Rich Girl (1936): Dir. Irving Cummings
Feat. Shirley Temple, Alice Faye, Gloria Stuart…; One of the great Shirley Temple musicals, with the wee dynamo playing a runaway who is successfully recruited into a travelling vaudeville show, of…
Rose Marie (1936): Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy; Jeanette MacDonald/Nelson Eddy musical vehicle set in the Canadian Rockies.
Show Boat (1936): Dir. James Whale
Feat. Irene Dunne, Allan Jones, Charles Winninger…; A faithful adaptation of Oscar Hammerstein's 1920's stage musical covering four decades as an aspiring actor goes from working a Mississippi…
Swing Time (1936): Dir. George Stevens
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers; A fine example of Fred and Ginger's magical screen partnership, their sixth together, weaving the music of Jerome Kern and Dorothy Fields, into…
Gold Diggers of 1935 (1935): Dir. Busby Berkeley
Feat. Dick Powell, Adolphe Menjou, Gloria Stuart…; Summer season at New England's Wentworth Plaza hotel..the rich will come out to play, and so will the golddiggers! Dick Powell heads up this…
Naughty Marietta (1935): Dir. W.S. Van Dyke
Feat. Jeanette MacDonald, Nelson Eddy; The first vehicle for onscreen singing duo Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy – both hugely popular in their day – is a rehash of an…
Phantom Empire, The (1935): Feat. Gene Autry, Frankie Darro, Smiley Burnette; Oddball children's serial from the thirties has singing cowboy Autry discovering the last remaining inhabitants of the lost continent of Mu living…
Roberta (1935): Dir. William A. Seiter
Feat. Irene Dunne, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers…; An unsuccessful American Football player inherits his Aunt's Parisian fashion house. One of the weaker Rogers/Astaire efforts.
Top Hat (1935): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers; Magically irrepressible musical with Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers enacting some brilliant toe–tapping routines to the tunes of Irving Berlin…
Belle of the Nineties (1934): Dir. Leo McCarey
Feat. Mae West; Mae's first post–production code outing: she plays a sultry cabaret singer lusted after by a myriad of Missippian males. Duke Ellington also…
Dames (1934): Dir. Ray Enright, Busby Berkeley
Feat. Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler, ZaSu Pitts…; This blissful musical battle between stage–hopefuls and a disapproving decency group is often referred to by critics as the 'Gold Diggers of…
Gay Divorcee, The (1934): Dir. Mark Sandrich
Feat. Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers; Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers received top–billing for the first time in this excellent revision of Cole Porter's Broadway musical. Songs…
March of the Wooden Soldiers (Babes In Toyland) (1934): Dir. Gus Meins, Charles R. Rogers
Feat. Stan Laurel, Oliver Hardy; Imaginative musical fantasia also makes the most of Laurel and Hardy's comic genius – as dim–witted toymakers whose mistaken order for…
Merry Widow, The (1934): Dir. Ernst Lubitsch
Feat. Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald; Out of cold–blooded patriotism to his homeland Marshovia, gadabout Maurice Chevalier attempts to seduce millionairess Jeanette MacDonald into…
42nd Street (1933): Dir. Lloyd Bacon
Feat. Warner Baxter, Bebe Daniels, George Brent; The definitive backstage musical, centered around a chorus girl's shot at stardom when the leading lady twists her ankle. Busby Berkeley wrote the…
Footlight Parade (1933): Dir. Lloyd Bacon, Busby Berkeley
Feat. James Cagney, Joan Blondell, Ruby Keeler…; James Cagney stars as an indefatigable Broadway producer, working show–biz miracles to keep his company afloat through the Depression. Most…
Gold Diggers of 1933 (1933): Dir. Mervyn LeRoy
Feat. Warren William, Joan Blondell, Aline MacMahon…; Busby Berkeley brings his snappy camerawork and choreography magic to the production numbers of this pre–'Hays code' musical, in which Dick…
Hallelujah, I'm a Bum (1933): Dir. Lewis Milestone
Feat. Al Jolson, Madge Evans, Frank Morgan…; Freewheeling musical comedy set (and made) during the Great Depression, with Al Jolson playing a hobo in New York who falls in love with the mayor's…
Blonde Venus (1932): Dir. Josef von Sternberg
Feat. Marlene Dietrich, Cary Grant, Herbert Marshall…; Director Josef von Sternberg reunites with muse Marlene Dietrich in this sweeping melodrama about a German chanteuse turned struggling housewife who…
Love Me Tonight (1932): Dir. Rouben Mamoulian
Feat. Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Myrna Loy…; Charismatic tailor Maurice Chevalier makes beautiful music with princess Jeanette MacDonald in this splendiferous romance, one of the great musicals…
Le Million (1931): Dir. Rene Clair
Feat. Annabella, Rene Lefevre, Louis Allibert; An early French musical, so delightful it was to inspire the likes of the Marx Brothers and Charlie Chaplin and even the American Musical as a…
Madam Satan (1930): Dir. Cecil B. DeMille
Feat. Kay Johnson, Reginald Denny, Roland Young; A genuine oddity (and second talkie) from Cecil B. DeMille, this typically extravagant pre–Code musical comedy stars Kay Johnson as a jealous…
Applause (1929): Dir. Rouben Mamoulian
Feat. Helen Morgan, Jack Cameron, Joan Peers…; Early sound musicial about a fading burlesque queen who sends her daughter to a convent in an attempt to remove her from the sleazy theatre world she…
Broadway Melody of 1929 (1929): Dir. Harry Beaumont
Feat. Charles King, Anita Page, Bessie Love…; "100% All Talking! 100% All Singing! 100% All Dancing!" – this creaky MGM tale of two sisters bringing their act to Broadway was tremendously…
Cocoanuts, The (1929): Dir. Robert Florey, Joseph Santley
Feat. Groucho Marx, Zeppo Marx, Chico Marx…; The first feature–length Marx Brothers is probably one for completists only, with much of the film's running time devoted to mediocre musical…
Jazz Singer, The (1927): Dir. Alan Crosland
Feat. Al Jolson, May McAvoy; Historically important as the first–ever 'talkie' (ie. sound–film), featuring synchronised singing in several numbers. Al Jolson plays…
Blind Husbands / The Great Gabbo (1919-1929): Dir. Erich von Stroheim, James Cruze
Feat. Erich von Stroheim, Gibson Gowland, Sam De Grasse…; Two feature films on one disc featuring visionary Austrian–American silent filmmaker and actor Erich von Stroheim. Blind Husbands (directed…
Busby Berkeley Disc, The: Dir. Busby Berkeley; A unique collection of twenty one complete musical numbers that established the choreographic genius of Busby Berkeley.
Cox and Box: Feat. Russell Smythe; First comic opera from Gilbert and Sullivan, here with Russell Smythe and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Gilbert & Sullivan Box Set: This extensive collection contains twelve of Gilbert and Sullivan's best loved operas specially filmed for home entertainment. A cast of top…
Peter and the Wolf: Sting narrates Prokofiev's fantasy – animated by members of the Theatre de Complicite, the puppets of Spitting Image and Claudio Abbado…
Sorceror, The: Comic opera from Gilbert and Sullivan, performed by Clive Revill and the London Symphony Orchestra.
Trial by Jury: Comic opera from Gilbert and Sullivan, performed by Frankie Howard, Kate Flowers and the London Symphony Orchestra.

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