My Favorite Movie Musicals

What everybody wants to do is direct. And what do directors want to do? Musicals!

Here are some of my favorites:

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

I went to Catholic School most of my life, but I learned more about Christianity through this film than any other source. It’s Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best musical, with great melodies and clever lyrics by Tim Rice. Brilliantly visualized by Norman Jewison. Featuring an underrated Ted Neeley and a career making performance by the late Carl Anderson.

TOMMY

This is the movie that made me want to make movies. Visually, I believe it is the biggest influence on MTV than any other film. This movie introduced me to the music of The Who and the films of Ken Russell…Hail Britannia! I had to catch two buses and cross a highway divider to see this movie when I was a kid and it was worth it. The soundtrack was the first rock album I ever bought (and a double album at that!).

ALL THAT JAZZ

The late Bob Fosse was a renaissance man, and an underrated filmmaker. His body of work is pretty much perfect. ALL THAT JAZZ is a great “not breaking into song” musical, and the AIR EROTICA number inspired whole generations of choreographers.

PURPLE RAIN

C’mon. It’s PURPLE RAIN. Prince. Do I really need to say more?

MOULIN ROUGE

I have no idea how many times I’ve watched this film. It’s a masterpiece. The first time I saw it, and the music segued from LaBelle to Nirvana, my eyes welled up. That’s what it’s all about.

SINGING IN THE RAIN

The greatest of the golden age of musicals.