Top 10 Movie Musicals

Musicals have been one of the most enduring genres in the history of cinema, since the beginning of sound when talkies began, musicals were an important addition to the new roster. I have been a fan of movie musicals since before I could walk, this is a very personal list and very difficult to make. There are so many amazing contributions to the genre and I love almost all of them, so this was a huge task. Here is the final list of my Top 10 favourite Musicals.


10 - South Pacific (1958)

Stars: Rossano Brazzi, Mitzi Gaynor, John Kerr
Memorble Songs: I'm Gonna Wash That Man Right Outta My Hair, Some Enchanted Evening, Younger Than Springtime

Rogers and Hammerstein's famous musical it is set on an island in the South Pacific during World War 2. The film follows the journey of two love affairs. The first of a nurse Nellie Forbush (Gaynor) and an older french plantation owner Emile De Becque (Brazzi).
The Second a young lieutenant, Joe Cable who falls in love with one of the natives on the perfect island Bali Hai.
Great cast and some of the greatest songs ever written 8/10.




9 - Calamity Jane (1953)

Stars: Doris Day, Howard Keel
Memorable Songs: Secret Love, Deadwood Stage, Black Hills of Dakota

Calamity Jane played by Doris Day is a fiery tom boy in love with the local lieutenant. The film is a beautiful technicolor following Jane as she learns to show off more of her feminine side and temperamental relationship with Wild Bill Hickok.
Filled with humour, Day in a rare break from stereotype and memorable songs including the Oscar winning Secret Love, this is a must see, 9/10.

8 - A Star is Born (1954)

Stars: Judy Garland, James Mason
Memorable Songs: The Man That Got Away, Swannee, Born in a Trunk

Famous for being Judy Garlands big comeback, she was nominated for an Oscar in her best performance (but lost to Grace Kelly) as Esther Blodgett the woman with the amazing talent who meets the famous star Norman Maine and falls in love. The film explores their relationship as she shoots to fame as he plummets due to self-sabotage through his drinking.
Amazing songs and some of the best dramatic acting of the year, Garland was cheated, her finest role and songs 10/10.




7 - Mary Poppins (1964)

Stars: Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke
Memorable Songs: Supercalifragilisticexpialedocious, Feed the Birds, A Spoonful of Sugar, Lets Go Fly a Kite

Disney's 20 year struggle to get the rights to the novel ended in this delightful film about a magical nanny who comes to the aid of two children in Victorian London. She teaches them and in turn the family to appreciate and love each other.
Julie Andrews may have lost out on the part of Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady but she was compensated when she won the Oscar for her role as Mary, beating Audrey Hepburn's Doolittle to the award.
Magnificent story, songs and full of magic nothing but 10/10 for this.

6 - Easter Parade (1948)

Stars: Judy Garland, Fred Astaire, Peter Lawford
Memorable Songs: Couple of Swells, In Your Easter Bonnet

Meant for Garland and Gene Kelly until he broke his foot, this film brought the incomparable Fred Astaire out of retirement. Telling the story of a successful vaudeville team (Astaire and Ann Miller) that splits when the woman wants to go solo. Astaire needs to find a new partner whom he finds in Garland. He makes her up to be a double of his old partner until he learns to see her for her own talents and love her for being herself. Nothing like a simple story with a brimful of talent and great songs to while-away your afternoon, 9/10.




5 - Grease (1978)

Stars: John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John

Memorable Songs: Summer Nights, You're the one that I Want, Grease Lightning, Hopelessly Devoted to You

Everyone knows about the T-Birds and Pink Ladies, Grease is set in a 50's American school and follows Danny Zuko (Travolta at his hottest) as the bad-ass cool kid who loves the innocent but sweet Sandy Olsen (Newton-John) and the lengths they'll both go to change for the other. Responsible for making the 50's look cool, with great costumes, fantastic songs and a brilliant cast. There is a reason Grease is still a sing-along favourite over 35 years later, 10/10.

4 - The Wizard of Oz (1939)

Stars: Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger
Memorable Songs: Somewhere Over the Rainbow, Follow the Yellow brick Road, Ding Dong! The Witch is Dead

Although a flop on its release The Wizard of Oz is now known as one of the most viewed films in the world, It is celebrating it's 75th anniversary this year. It tells the story of Dorothy Gale, a young girl from Kansas (sepia) bored with her life who dreams of far off places. After a tornado hits she is transported to the technicolor land of Oz (one of the most memorable cinematic scenes).
With triumphant performances from all involved and a song that is known anywhere but almost didn't make it in, this is a 10/10 for sure.

3 - Singin' in the Rain (1952)

Stars: Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds, Donald O'Connor
Memorable Songs: Singin' in the Rain, Good Morning, Make Em' Laugh, Moses Supposes

Listed as the greatest musical of all time this is one of the most glorious films ever made. I have met Debbie Reynolds and she is a true Star, due to this picture. She has said Singin' in the Rain and childbirth were the hardest things she has ever done.The film tells the story of the introduction of sound to the film industry. Kelly is Don Lockwood a famous star whose film partner played ingeniously by Jean Hagen cannot make the transition to sound. He meets and immediately falls for Reynolds Kathy Selden who dubs her.
Kelly was known as a task master but just look at the amazing display, he had a fever of 103 doing the title number, wow. Makes the hairs stand up every time you see it, 10/10.


2 - The King and I (1956)

Stars: Deborah Kerr, Yul Brynner
Memorable Songs: Shall We Dance? Getting to Know you, I Whistle a Happy Tune

Undoubtedly one of Rogers and Hammerstein's greatest musicals, this is the story of an English school teacher who travels to Siam to teach the many children of the King. The chemistry between Kerr and Brynner as Anna Leon-Owens and the King is indescribable.
The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won 5 including Best Actor for Brynner who played the King onstage til the end of his life.
With a lot of heart and a lot of depth The King and I is not just a film with songs in it, though the songs are superb, Kerr and Brynner give amazing dramatic performances and the ending will reduce you to tears- it does me every time.
I give this a resounding 10/10.

1 - The Sound of Music (1965)

Stars: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Memorable Songs: ALL OF THEM

You can love it or hate it but The Sound of Music is one of the most beloved musicals on the planet, fact. Directed by Robert Wise who also made West Side Story (clever man) this is the story of the Von Trapp's; seven children strictly disciplined by their cold and distant sea captain father after the death of his wife. That is until he hires a trainee nun Maria as governess and while he is away flirting with a baroness (Eleanor Parker) she teaches the children to sing and play and in so doing brings love back into the house and mends the relationship between the captain and his children.
I have seen this film hundreds of times and counting, it is one of my earliest memories, I could sing the songs before I could talk properly. Winning numerous deserved awards this is my number 1 without a doubt, 11/10.


So there is my list of Top 10 movie musicals, bare in mind when you are disagreeing with this list that is was incredibly difficult to make. There could have been so many different films in any of those slots. But this list was chosen because all of the films on the list are very special to me, most I have been watching since I was very very young. I find them very moving and I get nothing but joy from watching them and feel uplifted every time. If you haven't seen even one of the films on this list I strongly urge you to watch it.

Let me know what you thought of the list and what would be on yours, I'm interested to know.