AFI's 25 greatest movie musicals of all time

[disneymama73]

Here's the complete list of the AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals:


1. Singin' in the Rain, (1952), MGM
2. West Side Story, (1961), United Artists
3. The Wizard of Oz, (1939), MGM
4. The Sound of Music, (1965), 20th Century Fox
5. Cabaret, (1972), Allied Artists
6. Mary Poppins, (1964), Disney
7. A Star Is Born, (1954), Warner Bros.
8. My Fair Lady, (1964), Warner Bros.
9. An American In Paris, (1951), MGM
10. Meet Me in St. Louis, (1944), MGM
11. The King and I, (1956), 20th Century Fox
12. Chicago, (2002), Miramax
13. 42nd Street, (1933), Warner Bros.
14. All That Jazz, (2002), Miramax
15. Top Hat, (1935), RKO
16. Funny Girl, (1968), Columbia
17. The Band Wagon, (1953), MGM
18. Yankee Doodle Dandy, (1942), Warner Bros.
19. On the Town, (1949), MiraMGM
20. Grease, (1978), Paramount
21. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, (1954), MGM
22. Beauty and the Beast, (1991), Disney
23. Guys and Dolls, (1955), MGM
24. Show Boat, (1936), Universal
25. Moulin Rouge!, (2001), 20th Century Fox

Anything you disagree with? Anything you think should have made the list that didn't?

 

[babytrees]

I am not a big fan of #2 or #3.....there are so many wonderful movie musicals...I wish they made money for the studios so we could have more!!

 

[frndofpooh]

I think I'd put Sound of Music at the top, but Singin' In the Rain is good too. Glad to see that Moulin Rouge made the list - I am a big fan

 

[robinb]

My favorite is not even there: The Music Man.

 

[marybet]

What happened to the Music Man and Camelot? Haven't seen all 25 but can't imagine how Moulin Rouge made the list. I don't think I would have put West Side Story that high on the list, or Mary Poppins.

 

[Planogirl]

Where is Fiddler on the Roof? Sorry but no list is complete without it!

 

[KristaTX]

I also noticed missing musicals such as The Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma, etc.

However, looking at that list, I now think those must be left off because they were not originally written for film, but were stage musicals that were later adapted for film. Those must not have been part of the body of "movie musicals" they were looking at. The included musicals must have all originally been movies .

I don't know if any other movies themselves deserve to be on the list, but Disney definitely has some of the best songs from movie musicals ever to be written and recorded (including but not limited to the ones from Beauty and the Beast).


ETA - see my post below about this

 

[Tifffany]

Well, I'm glad Fred and Ginger made the list...but I personally don't really like Top Hat that much. I think Follow the Fleet or Swing Time would have been a better choice, but I suppose Top Hat is more well known.

 

[KristaTX]

I never even knew there was a version of All that Jazz in 2002.

 

[KristaTX]

I also noticed missing musicals such as The Music Man, Bye Bye Birdie, Oklahoma, etc.

However, looking at that list, I now think those must be left off because they were not originally written for film, but were stage musicals that were later adapted for film. Those must not have been part of the body of "movie musicals" they were looking at. The included musicals must have all originally been movies .

I don't know if any other movies themselves deserve to be on the list, but Disney definitely has some of the best songs from movie musicals ever to be written and recorded (including but not limited to the ones from Beauty and the Beast).

ETA: Nevermind - I must be wrong, mustn't I? Didn't Julie Andrews play Eliza Doolittle on stage, and then get snubbed over for the part in the movie? And then Marni Nixon dubbed the singing for Audrey Hepburn anyway? Maybe I was wrong, and they did just leave a lot of good musicals off this list .

 

[katerkat]

I'm surprised White Christmas didn't make it. It's not my favorite - Holiday Inn - but definitely the most popular Bing movie.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

Singin' in the Rain is one my favorite movies of all time! Donald O'Connor stole that movie...he was so cute!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I never even knew there was a version of All that Jazz in 2002.

Me either!!!! I will have to look into that since the original movie is my #1 Favorite Musical......5, 6, 7, 8.......
Next is Chicago...

 

[MrsKreamer]

ETA: Nevermind - I must be wrong, mustn't I? Didn't Julie Andrews play Eliza Doolittle on stage, and then get snubbed over for the part in the movie? And then Marni Nixon dubbed the singing for Audrey Hepburn anyway? Maybe I was wrong, and they did just leave a lot of good musicals off this list .

She didn't get snubbed, she was filming Mary Poppins at the time they wanted her to film My Fair Lady.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

All That Jazz...has to be a typo, it is 1979.

 

[perdidobay]

I like the list but they should have included South Pacific- it has so many great songs (Bloody Mary, Bali Hai, Some Enchanted Evening, I'm Gonna Wash that Man Right outa My Hair, Younger than Springtime, There is Nothing like a Dame, Dites-Moi,
Happy Talk, and You've Got to be Carefully Taught)

Also I'm surprised at the omission of Fiddler on the Roof and Oklahoma!

 

[amy4bruce]

It is, of course, all subjective. Critically speaking, Singin' in the Rain has always been considered the greatest movie musical of all time, but it does have its detractors. I don't care for West Side Story, which is nothing more than a filmed play (even the sets, except for the introduction, look like stage sets). One of the films, Grease, I really hate. I would have put Cabaret at number 2, and Chicago at number 3, but this kind of list is designed to spark discussion, which is a good thing.

There is, for example, my theory as to why movie musicals don't work as well as stage musicals. Despite the fact that they have live actors, stage musicals are inherently non-realistic. You can see the orchestra, in most cases, the actors stop for applause, the sets aren't real, and there's the curtain. On the other hand, despite the fact that it's merely light projected through celluloid, films tend to be more realistic. Therefore, the audience doesn's always accept it when someone breaks into song. This is why the musicals that work best on film are ones where there's a reason for most, if not all, of the music - Cabaret, where the songs are all in the carabet, and Chicago, where the songs are in all Roxie Hart's mind, to give two examples. (BTW, I did arrive at this theory myself, and then discovered that lots of other people have written about it. <sigh>)

 

[Laura]

She didn't get snubbed, she was filming Mary Poppins at the time they wanted her to film My Fair Lady.

Not true. Jack Warner didn't want Julie Andrews because she hadn't starred in any movies and he wasn't sure she could carry such a huge, big-budget film. Audrey Hepburn accepted the role because she knew if she turned it down, it still wouldn't have gone to Julie. Jack Warner just didn't want Julie , he wanted Audrey. The controversy was a big reason why Julie won the Oscar for Best Actress for "Mary Poppins" while Audrey wasn't even nominated for "My Fair Lady", not to mention the fact that Audrey didn't sing much.

 

[RSoxFan]

Where are The Music Man, Fiddler on the Roof, and White Christmas? Those are my top three

 

[DVCLiz]

I'm so glad to see our family favorite - Seven Brides for Seven Brothers - on that list!!! We love the songs in this movie, and it's a great one for a group of girls at the beach.