GREATEST MUSICALS EVER

I love musicals.  Not all of them, but here’s a list of ten of my favorites, in rough chronological order.   

SINGING IN THE RAIN

There’s a reason why this is considered the masterpiece of the golden age of musicals.  Some of the greatest artists in front and behind the camera came together at the peak of their powers and made a movie that stands the test of time.  

AN AMERICAN IN PARIS

This is Gene Kelly’s run up to SINGING IN THE RAIN; in Prince terms, it’s 1999 right before Purple Rain.  Also brilliant. 

BLACK ORPHEUS

One of the greatest musicals ever made, one of the greatest movies in the history of Black Cinema, one of the greatest expressions of Black culture ever put on screen. 

JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR

Between IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT, ROLLERBALL and JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, director Norman Jewison had one of the most diverse and brilliant bodies of work in the modern film era.  And the material itself is not only great musically but taught me more about Jesus than years of Catholic school. 

ALL THAT JAZZ

Bob Fosse’s masterwork, an innovative, stylish film that pushed the musical into the modern day.  

TOMMY

This opera is the movie that made me want to make movies.  An underrated inspiration for the modern music video.  

PURPLE RAIN

What a great, great movie.  Like Enter the Dragon, it perfectly succeeds at its goal.  A perfect showcase for a superstar.  

MOULIN ROUGE

Baz Luhrmann’s trilogy of musicals climaxes with the brilliant summation of his reinvention of the genre.  When I first heard his mix of Nirvana and LaBelle, I got choked up.  Finally, a musical that embraces my wide tastes.  

LA LA LAND

This movie had me right from the opening number.  Grounded, relevant to today but at the same time it can break into song and dance and stand tall next to the classics. 

HAMILTON

Hamilton is one of the greatest works of art of the century.