Every month, our contributors submit lists of ten films fitting certain topics. Each month, we feature an alphabetical list of films along with commentary explaining our selections. There will also be an itemized list at the end of each of our individual selections.

There are myriad types of musicals in Hollywood’s history. From the all-singing, all-dancing revues of the 1920s to the Technicolor marvels of the 1930s and 1940s to the epic sweep and majesty of the Broadway-to-screen adaptations of the 1960s to the grand productions of the 1990s and later to the Disney musicals of every era. There is no one way to enjoy a musical and our tastes are no different.

As usual, everyone put their lists together separately, so the similarities and differences are interesting. One film made it onto three lists, 1972’s Cabaret. Eight other films appear on two lists: The King and I, Moulin Rouge!, My Fair Lady, Oliver!, Singin’ in the Rain, The Sound of Music, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, and The Wizard of Oz. We had no director with more than two films on the list, they were George Cukor, Stanley Donen, Bob Fosse, Vincente Minnelli, Alan Parker, and Robert Wise.

Before we get into our individual thoughts on these films, here are introductions written by each contributor.

The Introductions

Wesley Lovell: From original musicals to animated musicals to adaptations, musicals are an intricate part of my favorite music and movie experiences. My list is filled with grand productions that are well known throughout history to more esoteric choices that many wouldn’t consider. I tried to be as broad-ranging as I could with these selections, including picking only one of the 1990s Disney animated productions that formed the basis of my formative film years. There are others that I could have included, but these are the best.
Peter J. Patrick: Today’s audiences, which eat up every fantasy film thrown at them, have little tolerance for book musicals in which characters burst out in song to advance the plot along. To me, this is insanity. All films, unless they are documentaries, are make-believe. What’s so terrible about a make-believe world in which people sing their hearts out to express their feelings? I didn’t deliberately set out to make this a list of just book musicals, but that’s what it turned out being. I didn’t deliberately limit the list to just two original screen musicals, both of which were later adapted to the stage, but that’s also what the list ended up looking like. Nor did I deliberately include at least one film per decade from the 1940s through the 1970s, nor no more than one film per director, but those things occurred as well.
Tripp Burton: There are a lot of different ways to characterize Best Musicals. Here, I have tried to include the films that do it all. There are a lot of musicals with a great number or two but that aren’t the most exciting stories. There are great cinematic films that can’t capture the musicality correctly, or whose musical numbers don’t soar off the screen. These are the ten than do everything: tell a cinematic story with song and dance that pops off the screen and soars to the heart.
Thomas LaTourrette: Musicals are something that I adore even more than movies. Unfortunately what is often thrilling onstage becomes stilted on film. A Little Night Music was a charming show which did not survive the transition to film. The stylized dancing of West Side Story must have looked stunning on stage when it was first done. But when you see it against the real buildings of New York City, it just does not work that well. Some shows do okay when translated, but still are simply okay. Very occasionally a film will improve on the stage version. Grease took a mediocre show and turned it into a solid hit of a film. And, in my opinion, the film of Chicago was far superior to the stage version. If only this happened more often. I have been watching and re-watching several musicals the past few weeks to prepare for this write up, and it has been interesting to see how I feel about some of them from the past. Several that made my list are were original movie musicals. They may have been adapted from other materials, but were not originally done as a musical on stage. Perhaps it shows that these do better as they do not have to compare to another format or get trapped in being too faithful to the original. The recent La La Land would have made this list easily, if we had decided to exclude it from consideration as too few people might have seen it.

All That Jazz (1979)

(dir. Bob Fosse) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Bob Fosse’s autobiographical musical is perhaps the last great musical ever to be made, perhaps because it breaks apart everything we think we know about musicals. It is dark, pessimistic, and full of despair, but Fosse is also a showman, so the musical numbers are exuberant and full of life. It contains many of my favorite musical numbers ever on film, from the simple “Everything Old Is New Again” to the erotic “Come Fly With Us” to the ending musical death montage that leaves nothing behind and explodes off the screen as only the choreography of Bob Fosse could.

The Band Wagon (1953)

(dir. Vincente Minnelli) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Fred Astaire’s best moment on screen may come from The Band Wagon, and it doesn’t involve him dancing at all. He strolls through Grand Central Station singing “By Myself,” and it reminds you of what a great actor and singer he could be. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t dance in The Band Wagon, because he does and it is magnificent: “Dancing in the Dark” may be one of his most gorgeous pas de deuxs. The entire film, under Vincente Minnelli’s sublime direction, may be one of the strangest, boldest, and most colorful musicals of the studio era, with Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant, and Nanette Fabray all at their best.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

(dir. Gary Toursdale, Kirk Wise) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – While Disney’s animated rebirth began two years earlier, this is the film I will always go to as the definition of what Disney Animation was all about. An original musical based on the classic French fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast has everything a great musical should have: grand songs, wonderful dance numbers, and an emotional resonance that appeals to fans young and old. This first animated Best Picture Oscar nominee is easily one of my all-time favorite films, not just musicals.

Cabaret (1972)

(dir. Bob Fosse) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – On the plus side, the Kander & Ebb songs performed by Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, and company at the seedy Berlin nightclub, the Kit-Kat Club, are among the most brilliant musical sequences ever filmed. On the minus side, Fosse tossed out all the songs not performed at the Kit-Kat Club with one exception. That exception is the chilling “Tomorrow Belongs to Me” sung by a Hitler youth in one of the film’s most provocative scenes. Snippets of the tossed songs including the plaintive “Married” are heard in background. Minnelli, Grey, Michael York, Helmut Griem, Marisa Berenson, and Fritz Wepper all turn in unforgettable performances.
Commentary By Tripp Burton – The greatest stage-to-screen musical adaptations tend to capture what worked on stage while also finding a cinematic way to tell it. The more they disrupt the book and score, the worse off they tend to be. Cabaret is the grandest exception to that rule. The movie of Cabaret bears little resemblance to the original Broadway production, except for some songs, the most basic plot outline, and the marvelous Tony and Oscar-winning central performance of Joel Grey. The way that Bob Fosse and Jay Presson Allen reimagine the show, though, is brilliant. The best choice may have been to let no character sing unless they are performing in the titular cabaret. This means that you have a wonderfully constructed drama about life in 1930s Berlin, and a series of musical numbers (pulled off by Grey and Liza Minnelli in top form) that comment on what we see going on in the real world. The film pulls no punches, either in its sullen portrait of Nazi Germany, or the low-rent nightclub that echoes its sentiment.
Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This film bears little resemblance to the stage play except for the songs, setting, and character of Sally Bowles. Many of the other characters were jettisoned or massively changed in the adaptation, and it did make for an exciting show in a very different way than the original was. Liza Minelli and Joel Grey turn in electric performances and do full justice to the Kander and Ebb songs. Bob Fosse’s fast cuts and sexy dancing work well in the frenzied world of the decadent setting of Berlin and he deservedly won an Oscar for his direction.

Chicago (2002)

(dir. Rob Marshall) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – I had seen both the original and revival touring productions of Chicago and had never been that thrilled with the show. When I heard that it was being turned into a film, I was less than excited. However, director Rob Marshall and screenwriter Bill Condon came up with the fantastic idea of putting all the songs into Roxie Hart’s head, a difference from the stage version. It worked really well and, bolstered by stellar performances by Renee Zellwegger, Richard Gere, Catherine Zeta-Jones, John C. Reilly, and Queen Latifah, it started a new run of adaptations, none of which has been nearly so successful.

Dreamgirls (2006)

(dir. Bill Condon) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights movement, Bill Condon’s musical adaptation of the hit Broadway musical is a marvelous pop-pastiche of the music of the period. With fiery performances from a host of talented actors, most notably Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson, Dreamgirls is one of those musicals that grows more poignant and pointed with age.

Evita (1996)

(dir. Alan Parker) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Andrew Lloyd Webber is a theatrical pioneer whose stage work has been celebrated the world over. It’s also a very love-hate kind of work. Bombastic to the core, Webber’s Evita brings us the masterful performance of Madonna as the Argentine dictator’s wife who revitalized a nation and became an icon for generations, in spite of her selfish and materialistic machinations. Alan Parker’s brilliant musical is book-ended by one of the most majestic musical theater pieces ever written, and what comes between is a whirlwind affair of epic proportions.

Hair (1979)

(dir. Milos Forman) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – The best thing about the 1969 hippie anti-war stage musical was the Ragni-Rado-McDermot score, which was superbly adapted for the screen with eye-popping choreography by Twyla Tharp. Michael Weller’s screenplay enhances the characters and their relationships and deepens the anti-war story that is at the crux of it. John Savage is the naïve young soldier on the way to his enlistment. Treat Williams is the ipso-facto leader of the Central Park hippies who switches places with Savage in the end. They are joined by Beverly D’Angelo, Annie Golden, Dorsey Wright, Don Dacus, Cheryl Barnes, Nell Carter, Melba More, and many other great talents.

How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1967)

(dir. David Swift) Commentary By Tripp Burton – One of the great book musicals of the Golden Age of musical theatre, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying may also be one of the great screen adaptations that no one paid attention to. Recapturing the bold colors and brilliant central performance of Robert Morse, director David Swift put onto screen one of the most buoyantly exuberant musical films ever to come out of Hollywood. The cast is excellent, a lot of the wonderful score is intact, and the film has an energy that a lot of Broadway musicals lose when they get to Hollywood. By the time the film gets to “Brotherhood of Man,” maybe the greatest eleven o’clock number ever, the film is exploding of the screen.

The King and I (1956)

(dir. Walter Lang) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – This is one of four Rodgers & Hammerstein musicals on my list, one of four for which Hammerstein supplied lyrics. Based on Margaret Landon’s Anna and the King of Siam, this version is essentially truer to the real-life story of Anna Leonowens and King Mongut, told in song as well as dialogue. Frequently revived, most recently in the 2015 Broadway Tony winner, which is still on tour. Deborah Kerr (singing voice supplied by Marni Nixon) and Yul Brynner make one of the most engaging couples in screen history. “Hello, Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance,” and more have become immortal.
Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This is Rodgers’ and Hammerstein’s lushest score, and it was given the full studio treatment when it was turned into a film. The sets and costumes are gorgeous. Yul Brynner reprised the role of the king, and won an Oscar for doing so. (He is the only person so far to win both a Tony and Oscar for the same role, but in different categories, supporting onstage and lead in the film. Viola Davis may do it in reverse this year.) Deborah Kerr, in her best remembered performance, proves his equal, even if she did not do her own singing. This and The Sound of Music are the best adaptations of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s work. It works better on stage, as shown by the recent Lincoln Center revival, but it still is fun to watch on screen.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

(dir. Ron Clements, John Musker) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This was the first of the Disney Studios renaissance of animated films and holds up as my favorite among them. A jaunty score, beautifully done songs, and exquisite hand-drawn animation make this a winner. It captures the beauty of the under sea world but does well on land as well. “Under the Sea” made for a great production number, but the romantic “Kiss the Girl” is also memorable. It deservedly won Oscars for both song and score.

Mary Poppins (1964)

(dir. Robert Stevenson) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This still ranks as one of my favorite films. Julie Andrews is lovely as the nanny who comes to help a family in need. Adorable children, stern father, dotty mother, and magical effects all occur as the practically perfect Mary changes their lives. A jump into a chalk painting is still fun to watch and Dick Van Dyke’s dance with penguins is always fun. A gem of a film.

Meet Me in St. Louis (1944)

(dir. Vincente Minnelli) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Sally Benson’s novel was the basis of Minnelli’s original screen musical with its unforgettable score by Ralph Blane and Hugh Martin, adapted to the stage almost a half century later. Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor, Lucile Bremer, Leon Ames, Tom Drake, Marjorie Main, Harry Davenport, Joan Carroll, Hank Daniels, and June Lockhart are all superb as they live, love, laugh and sing their hearts out in turn-of-the-twentieth-century St. Louis. “The Boy Next Door” and “The Trolley Song” were the initial hits, but it’s Garland’s quieter singing of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas” to heartbroken little sister O’Brien that has best stood the test of time.

Les Misérables (2012)

(dir. Tom Hooper) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – The hit Broadway musical relies heavily on bold power ballads and soaring orchestral productions that leap off the screen. Tom Hooper’s direction isn’t perfect, bringing us in close far too frequently, but the poignant story of a man convicted for a poverty-driven crime is the kind of production that demands we look to the failures of history to discover where we need to go as a society and what we should avoid. With stirring performances by Anne Hathaway, Hugh Jackman, and Eddie Redmayne among others, Les Misérables may not be perfect, but it resonates and that’s sometimes far more important.

Moulin Rouge! (2001)

(dir. Baz Luhrmann) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – When my co-workers and I sat down to watch this film, we weren’t sure what to expect. Taken aback by the utter bizarreness of the premise at first, we soon gave in to Baz Lurhmann’s dazzling, majestic musical extravaganza. Taking familiar pop songs and placing them against the backdrop of a French novelist trying to write a great novel, the audience is swept up in the spectacle and brought emotionally to a climax of uncharacteristic depth and poignance.

My Fair Lady (1964)

(dir. George Cukor) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Cukor’s film of Lerner & Loewe’s adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion was the most eagerly awaited screen musical of its day. No amount of money was spared in mounting what is essentially a beautifully conceived filming of the stage show. The artificiality of the sets only serves to enhance the experience, which to audiences of the day, was a rare opportunity for most of them to see as close an approximation of a Broadway show as they ever hoped to. The cast, including Audrey Hepburn (another expert dubbing by Marni Nixon), Rex Harrison, Stanley Holloway, Wilfrid Hyde-White, and Gladys Cooper, is sheer perfection.
Commentary By Tripp Burton – My Fair Lady is a screen adaptation where almost every decision made was correct. It brings two of the iconic stage performances to the screen (Rex Harrison and Stanley Holloway), the splendid stage designs of Cecil Beaton, and cuts almost nothing out of the script or score. Director George Cukor was smart enough to know that this is a perfect musical and doesn’t need a lot to make it a wonderful movie, and he mostly gets out of the way, doing only what is necessary to make sure that we are watching a great movie and not a filmed stage play. If the film is never as exciting as many of the other films on our list, it doesn’t have to be. It is expertly crafted and a beautiful melting pot of visual and musical splendor.

Oliver! (1968)

(dir. Carol Reed) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – Is Charles Dickens’ acclaimed novel Oliver Twist one of the most unusual choices for a musical adaptation? Perhaps, though Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame is probably more shocking. Yet, the Broadway musical makes a triumphant appearance on the big screen in this musically compelling marvel. The compositions are superbly presented and the dense premise resonates. Oliver! is a musical of monumental consequence that far too few have seen.
Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Dickens’ mournful, if immortal, works would seem unlikely to lend themselves to eye-popping, toe-tapping musical adaptation, but at least three of them, this from Oliver Twist; A Tale of Two Cities; and A Christmas Carol (twice!) have been among the most tuneful entertainments yet conceived. From “Where Is Love?” to “Consider Yourself” to “Who Will Buy?” to “As Long As He Needs Me,” it’s difficult to just sit and watch and not sing Lionel Bart’s songs along with Kathe Green (who supplies Mark Lester’s singing voice), Jack Wild, and Shani Wallis, let alone Ron Moody when he’s “Reviewing the Situation”.

Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982)

(dir. Alan Parker) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – When I said that musicals have a broad-ranging set of styles, Pink Floyd – The Wall is on that is probably the least like the traditional view of musicals. Set against the music of Pink Floyd’s masterwork album “The Wall,” Alan Parker’s delirious drama is a dark investigation of the human soul and its faults. While the primary story is compelling, what makes the film most engaging is the brilliant animation that makes up large portions of the work.
IMAGE

The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)

(dir. Jim Sharman) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – The ultimate midnight movie, The Rocky Horror Picture Show has its origins on the British stage where creator and star Richard O’Brien used B-movie era films as inspiration for his inventive plot about smashing social taboos and expressing who we all are without fear of the “normal” world bringing us down. The memorable songs are accentuated by fabulous production design, costumes, and vocal performances from the likes of Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, and Barry Bostwick among many other talented singers and actors.

Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (1954)

(dir. Stanley Donen) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Stanley Donen had a difficult time getting MGM, near the end of its halcyon days, to greenlight this original screen musical, which from its initial release to the present day has remained a favorite of just about anyone who has seen it. That it would be a hit should have been a no-brainer as it was adapted from The Sobbin Women, the first published work of Pulitzer Prize winner Stephen Vincent Benet whose The Devil and Daniel Webster also made a great movie. Kudos to Gene de Paul and Johnny Mercer’s score, Michael Kidd’s choreography, and the performances of Jane Powell, Howard Keel, Russ Tamblyn, Tommy Rall, and company.

Show Boat (1936)

(dir. James Whale) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s musical, which was the first in which the songs advanced the plot, made its Broadway debut in 1927. First filmed as a partial talkie in 1929, it was later remade in 1951. Often revived on stage, most notably on Broadway in 1946 and 1994, this remains the definitive version against which all others are measured. The reason it works so well is that most of the principal cast – Irene Dune, Allan Jones, Helen Morgan, Paul Robeson, Hattie McDaniel, and Charles Winninger – are culled from previous stage versions. Non-repeater Helen Westley was a last-minute replacement for Edna May Oliver, the original Parthy Ann Hawks.

Singin’ in the Rain (1952)

(dir. Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Everytime I watch Singin’ in the Rain, and I seem to stumble on it every few years, I am always prepared for it to not be as wonderful as I remember. Every time, I am sucked in by it almost instantaneously and I am shamed for ever doubting it. The reasons are endless: Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds, the title number, Donald O’Conner’s “Make ‘Em Laugh,” the charmingly contagious “Good Morning,” Jean Hagen’s comedic tour de force, the tap dancing in “Moses Supposes,” the hilarious script, Kathleen Freeman, and of course the bold colors. This is perfection on screen.
Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – I do not know that I would list this as the best movie musical ever made, as many people do, but it is a fun cream puff to watch. Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor dance up a storm, and relative newcomer Debbie Reynolds holds her own with them. Jean Hagen is hysterical as the nasal-voiced actress who will not survive the transition to the talkies. Like many 50’s films, it boasts a somewhat extraneous dream ballet, but Cyd Charisse makes it worth watching. It may not be deep, but it sure is a lot of fun.

The Sound of Music (1965)

(dir. Robert Wise) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – A collection of some of the most familiar and memorable songs in theater or cinema history, Julie Andrews brings to life this vibrant musical event set against the backdrop of Nazi Germany. This musical doesn’t appeal to everyone, but for those who can appreciate its soaring melodies and dark undertones, The Sound of Music is a defining part of musical cinema’s history.
Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – A world-wide phenomenon when first released, the lack of other strong feel-good movies in release at the time might explain its initial success, but not why it continues to draw new fans generation after generation. Robert Wise, capitalizing on his own successful overhead aerial opening of West Side Story four years earlier, uses the same effect to introduce us to Julie Andrews singing the title song in the Swiss Alps. The exuberance never lets up as Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Peggy Wood, Eleanor Parker, and the rest make one of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s lesser stage greats the very best of the screen versions of their works.

South Pacific (1958)

(dir. Joshua Logan) Commentary By Peter J. Patrick – Mitzi Gaynor, Rossano Brazzi, John Kerr, Ray Walston, France Nuyen, and Juanita Hall head the cast of this long-awaited film version of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Pulitzer Prize-winning musical based on James Michener’s collection of short stories, itself a Pulitzer Prize winner. Featuring one of R&H’s greatest scores, the film is marred only by director Logan’s asinine insistence on putting color filters over the camera lens during the filming of several songs. Had this been done in editing instead, they could have been easily removed after everyone complained. Otherwise, it’s a glorious experience from beginning to end.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999)

(dir. Trey Parker) Commentary By Wesley Lovell – For those who had heard of the irreverant South Park, a musical extravaganza like Bigger, Longer & Uncut just didn’t seem likely. Yet, as Trey Parker and Matt Stone proved, they not only knew and loved the musical genre, but understood perfectly how to use its tropes to tell a strange and magical story. Whether it’s Big Gay Al’s “I’m Super,” or the Oscar-nominated tune “Blame Canada,” or any of the other brilliant songs in the production, this is a film that, like its television source, is wiser and more politically astute than most productions being made today.
Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This may be a strange addition to this list, but it is a movie that makes me smile when I see it. I was never that fond of the television series, but somehow the longer movie works better. Of course it is foul-mouthed as is all of their work, but the storyline and songs make for a better experience than the half hour shows. The songs are clever and often cutting, though I am not certain that people always caught that. The creators make some points about censorship and parental responsibility with jaunty songs about blaming Canada and wondering what figure skater Brian Boitano would do in such a situation. It is raunchy and also very funny.

A Star Is Born (1954)

(dir. George Cukor) Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This is the least “musical” of any of these films. It is a more serious drama with production numbers sung by Judy Garland every so often. Garland shows what she is capable of, and one wishes that she could have held herself together to produce more films of this caliber. James Mason does not sing, but he turns in the performance of his career as her doomed husband who watches his career collapse as hers starts to soar. It definitely is worth seeing.

Tommy (1975)

(dir. Ken Russell) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Ken Russell’s adaptation of The Who’s concept album masterpiece is weird. Really weird. But it is also almost addictively watchable, bringing to life a sort of musical id that you can’t turn away from. Filled with rock stars and movie stars who can’t always meet the acting or musical challenges that lie in their way, Russell blows through every moment like an eighteen wheeler. There seems to be no idea left on the sidelines. Everything may not work, but there are so many great moments that do, such as Tina Turner’s “Acid Queen,” Elton John’s “Pinball Wizard,” the exuberance of Roger Daltry’s title character, or Ann Margaret’s champagne and baked beans-fueled dance. By the end you know you have seen something remarkably creative and emotionally rattling.

The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964)

(dir. Jacques Demy) Commentary By Tripp Burton – Jacques Demy’s Paris musical is as simple, colorful, and romantic as a movie musical can get. Whereas most musicals want to get bigger and flashier, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg keeps wanting to get smaller and more intimate. It is hard to isolate the musical numbers that work best because it is a cinematic operetta, with every word sung and little delineation between one song and the next. By the time you get to the ending coda, you have run the gamut of emotions, just like a real relationship, and it might be the most emotionally devastating film on my list. It is a love letter to love itself, and is filled with gorgeous performers giving gorgeous performances.

West Side Story (1961)

(dir. Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise) Commentary By Tripp Burton – It is hard to remember that West Side Story was not a blockbuster, or even an instant classic, when it made its Broadway bow. It was really this film adaptation that cemented its reputation as one of the pinnacles of the art form. By letting Jerome Robbins recreate his Broadway staging and choreography, but also letting co-director Robert Wise find a cinematic way to frame the movement through a soon-to-be-demolished section of Manhattan, West Side Story is the most cinematically exciting, yet faithfully recreated, Broadway adaptation ever. Everything in this film works: the young cast almost leaping off the screen, the tragedy, the comedy, the location work. It might be just as powerful to merely list the several musical numbers that have become classics in their own right thanks to the way the camera captures them: “America,” “Cool,” “The Jet Song,” “Maria,” “Gee, Officer Krupke,” and that thrilling prologue that could be the greatest 10 minutes in Hollywood history.

The Wizard of Oz (1939)

(dir. Victor Fleming) Commentary By Tripp Burton – I almost didn’t put The Wizard of Oz on my list for one reason. If it wasn’t a musical, it might still be one of the classics of Hollywood, thanks to the cast (especially Margaret Hamilton as the Wicked Witch), the art direction, the visual effects, the one-liners that have become part of our lexicon, and the lessons we have all learned from the movie. Throw in the musical numbers, though, and it becomes the greatest achievement of 1930s Hollywood: “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” (the first great I Want song), the trio of “If I Only Had a…” songs, the entire Munchkin sequence, “King of the Forest,” and the “Optimistic Voices” that lead Dorothy and friends out of the woods. Every musical moment is a classic and only adds to the perfection that is The Wizard of Oz.
Commentary By Thomas La Tourrette – This is by far the oldest of the movies on my list, but it is one that has held up impressively well over time. The songs are tuneful, the characters memorable, and the transition from black-and-white to color once Dorothy has landed in Oz is still amazing. I do not feel the need to write too much about it as we all probably know it well.