Musicals are my favourite film genre. It is the only genre which really took off with the birth of sound, and it has been a constant throughout cinema history.
My list does not discriminate between types of musical film. If it has songs which are essential to the film or the plot, you will find it here.
This includes:
- The traditional ‘movie musical’ feature, written directly for the screen or adapted from the stage;
- The musical performed “live” and captured on film for posterity;
- The television musical;
- The “singing cowboy” genre;
- The musical comedy genre;
- The horror comedy genre;
- The pastiche, parody or spoof;
- The teen exploitation movie;
- The animated musical,…
Musicals are my favourite film genre. It is the only genre which really took off with the birth of sound, and it has been a constant throughout cinema history.
My list does not discriminate between types of musical film. If it has songs which are essential to the film or the plot, you will find it here.
This includes:
- The traditional ‘movie musical’ feature, written directly for the screen or adapted from the stage;
- The musical performed “live” and captured on film for posterity;
- The television musical;
- The “singing cowboy” genre;
- The musical comedy genre;
- The horror comedy genre;
- The pastiche, parody or spoof;
- The teen exploitation movie;
- The animated musical, whether written for children or adults;
- The musical documentary or mockumentary with a high component of staged numbers;
- The biopic;
- The film with one or more musical numbers without which the film just “would not work”.
Sources:
I must thank buttersgreer for the initial inspiration of 1,000 titles from her “Ultimate Movie Musicals” list. Also William Li, Bethany, Theresa, and many others on Letterboxd.
My original research in singing cowboy, Nazi musicals, European musicals, and Black musicals.
Books:
Gotta Sing, Gotta Dance | The Hollywood Musical | Hollywood Musicals | The Film Musical | The Oxford Companion to the American Musical | MGM Musicals | The British Film Musical | Rock on Film | Rock ‘n’ Film | 100 Film Musicals | Rock & Roll Film Encyclopedia | Radio Times Guide to Films | Movie Musicals | The American Film Musical | Contemporary Musical Film | Psychedelic Celluloid | The Disney Film | The RKO Story | The MGM Story | The Columbia Story | The Universal Story | The Warner Bros Story | The Films of 20th Century Fox | The Heroine or the Horse | Winners of the West | The United Artists Story | The Paramount Story | Hollywood Rock | Rock & Pop on British TV
Programmes:
The Sound of Movie Musicals | Hidden Hollywood | Discovering Film | Hollywood Singing and Dancing
DVD label lists:
Network | Renown | Criterion | BFI