Unbiased Reviews by Real People
|
|
Unbiased Reviews by Real People
10 Greatest Musicals Ever: I Feel a Song Comin' On...Jul 22, 2007 Write an essay on this topic.The Bottom Line 10 movies. Great music. Great dancing. Strong characters. The best musical productions in cinematic history! When it comes to pure diversion, there's nothing quite as entertaining or heartlifting as a great song and dance flick. Though most are escapist, and not always particularly memorable, every now and then one rises above the pack and makes an enduring impression. When I think about great musicals, I think about movies that have great story lines, strong characters, but most of all, outstanding songs and great dance numbers. After all, a musical should be first and foremost about the music. There's so many great musicals that it's hard to narrow down the field to a mere "10 best musicals". A wider range, like "top 25 movie musicals of all time", might give me a bit more flexibility to really capture everything I like about great musicals, but 10 it is. So without further ado, here's my opinion on the 10 best musicals to ever grace the silver screen. ***************************************** 10. - South Pacific (1958) Fave song: Happy Talk Love in wartime. Gotta love it! Especially in the hands of Rodgers and Hammerstein. This movie has a great story with great characters and memorable songs that you just want to sing in the shower while you wash that man right outta your hair. I'd rank this movie higher, but the photography by Mickey Mouse detracts from its watchability. I'm sure people thought all the pink and yellow and chartreuse filters were "groovy" back in 1958, but today, they look "stupid". ***************************************** 9. - The King and I (1956) Fave song: Getting to Know You Some actors talk about getting inside their characters, but Yul Brynner practically was King Mongkut, having played it not just in the movies, but no fewer than 80 gajillion times on Broadway. It's a story of love and its a story of culture clash at its most fundamental level, with changing attitudes amidst cultral traditions that resist change. ***************************************** 8. - 42nd Street (1933) Fave song: 42nd Street (duh!) Is there a greater choreographer in cinema than Busby Berkeley? Can't imagine who it could be, and this is the first movie that showed the world how Berkeley could make a dance number into a shockingly visual experience. The plot is all about the show. It's a behind-the-scenes tale of the making of an elaborate musical production, but then the star is injured and opportunity knocks for one lucky newcomer. The star of the movie isn't the stars though, and it's not the story line: it's the dancing. Never before had such breathtakingly beautiful images been formed by dance (and seldom since, for that matter, other than subsequent Busby Berkeley flicks). A great flick! ***************************************** 7. - The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) Fave song: Time Warp What happens when a straight-laced young couple, newly engaged, break down on a rural Ohio road shortly after they become engaged? They'd probably look for help. Maybe want to call AAA for some roadside assistance. But when they end up knocking on the castle door of transsexual Transylvanian Doctor Frank N. Furter, it's not just their car that's going to get jumped, since the transsexual doc is also a bi-sexual doc. Along the way, we meet a hunky Adonis-like creation, a newly awakened cryogenically frozen biker, and enough rock and roll and utterly bizarre hi-jinx to fill movie theatres at midnight for years, and years, and years. ***************************************** 6. - The Sound of Music (1965) Fave song: Edelweiss Julie Andrews rules as Maria, the rambunctious young nun who, like Nanny McPhee or Mary Poppins, gets sent to lay down the rule of manners to a family of out-of-control kids. When Dad turns out to be a hunky Baron, Maria begins thinking that a life of chastity and seclusion might not be all its cracked up to be. The kids love Maria and the Baron learns to love Maria --- just in time to run afoul of Nazi invaders. Songs ensue, along with escape from the Nazis. ***************************************** 5. - Quadrophenia (1979) Fave song: 5:15 Who fans seem to adore Tommy --- the Whos' 1960s era rock-opera --- more than Quadrophenia, but I think Quadrophenia is better. I like the psychological explorations of a young man's anxiety as he comes of age in a society that seems to be keeping him down. The clash between Mods and Rockers is reminiscent of the Jets and the Sharks in West Side Story, though I find it somewhat hard to believe that any gang would be taken seriously if they ride around on Vespa scooters, but hey, stranger things have happened. Anyway, great music, through and through, plus there's an appearance by Sting as the quintessential Mod. Great flick, and highly underrated and too often overlooked. ***************************************** 4. - Grease (1978) Fave song: You're the One that I Want It's sappy. It's predictable. It's heart warming, but it's utterly fun escapism at its 1950s best! John Travolta is great as greaser, Danny Zuko, a guy who finds it hard to follow his heart when he's got a reputation to uphold. Olivia Newton-John is perfect as the straight-laced good-girl, Sandra. The movie works because its naive, predictable, and funny, with great cameos like Frankie Avalon crooning out Beauty School Dropout. ***************************************** 3. - Top Hat (1935) Fave song: Cheek to Cheek There's certain names whose mere mention is a guarantee of greatness in the realm of musical cinema. Rodgers and Hammerstein, for sure, Busby Berkeley, no question, and of course, some names from this flick: Irving Berlin, and the dynamic dance duo of Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. I don't know how anybody can have a "greatest musicals ever made" list and not include Top Hat (or something very similar). Astaire oozes sophistication as he cuts a dashing debonnaire figure both on and off the dance floor. ***************************************** 2. - Dirty Dancing (1987) Fave song: The Time of My Life If it's really got be about the music, then this is a total slam-dunk to be on the list, because the music is powerful, the dancing is stunning, and there's a real spark of chemistry between Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze. It's a story that modern audiences can identify with, it's got some complexity to it, and it's romantic as hell. A great flick that's watchable over and over and over again... ***************************************** 1. - West Side Story (1961) Fave song: America The story is a classic take-off on Romeo and Juliet with two young lovers caught up in the social conflict between rival gangs in New York City. Sparks fly between Tony and Maria, but it's the turf battle that ignites into an inferno that will swallow up an innocent young couple and spit them back out on the mean streets. Great musical score by Leonard Bernstein, very cool dance numbers, and of course, the hotness of Natalie Wood (what a honey!) Bottom Line... There you have it! My 10 favorite musicals. Great motion pictures, one and all. Give 'em a watch and post a comment or two. Do you have some favorites that you think are even better than mine? What are they??  |
| Read all comments (10)|Write your own comment |
by seacow
by mrroland by seacow
