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 TheSnowLeopard
Lieutenant Commander
Joined: Mar 18, 2006
Member#: 13799
Posts: 347
Location: Sydney, Australia
   
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 Posted:
Thu Sep 07, 2006 10:32 pm Post subject: AFI's Top 25 Musicals |
 
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The American Film Institute has announced it's Top 25 musicals of all time. So, let's talk about musicals!
Firstly, here is the list:
#1 SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 1952
2. WEST SIDE STORY - 1961 United Artists
3. WIZARD OF OZ, THE - 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
4. SOUND OF MUSIC, THE - 1965 Twentieth Century-Fox
5. CABARET - 1972 Allied Artists
   
6. MARY POPPINS - 1964 Disney
7. STAR IS BORN, A - 1954 Warner Bros.
8. MY FAIR LADY - 1964 Warner Bros.
9. AMERICAN IN PARIS, AN - 1951 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
10. MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS - 1944 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
    
11. KING AND I, THE - 1956 Twentieth Century-Fox
12. CHICAGO - 2002 Miramax
13. 42ND STREET - 1933 Warner Bros.
14. ALL THAT JAZZ - 1979 Twentieth Century-Fox, Columbia
15. TOP HAT - 1935 RKO
    
16. FUNNY GIRL - 1968 Columbia
17. BAND WAGON, THE - 1953 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
18. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY - 1942 Warner Bros.
19. ON THE TOWN - 1949 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
20. GREASE - 1978 Paramount
    
21. SEVEN BRIDES FOR SEVEN BROTHERS - 1954 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
22. BEAUTY AND THE BEAST - 1991 Disney
23. GUYS AND DOLLS - 1955 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
24. SHOW BOAT - 1936 Universal
25 MOULIN ROUGE! 2001 Twentieth Century Fox
    
What's interesting about this list is that only 6 of these films come from the last 35 years, and only 3 in the last 25 years. Musicals really were at their heyday between 1930 and 1970.
I am ashamed to say I have only seen 6 of these films: Wizard of Oz, Sound of Music, Cabaret, My Fair Lady, Chicago and Grease. Yet it is amazing how the music and songs from all these films feel so familiar. It is a testament to the power of music that these musicals have become part of popular culture so that it almost seems as if I have seen them all. The rain dance from Singin' In the Rain, the choreography of Bob Fosse, songs such as America, Chim Chim Cher-ee, On Broadway, Cheek to Cheek, People, New York New York, and Ol Man River, to name just a few, are a part of my childhood.
Here is a list of the Top 30 Musicals at the Box Office since 1974:
1 Grease 1978
2 Chicago 2002
3 The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1975
4 The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas 1982
5 Moulin Rouge! 2001
6 The Blues Brothers 1980
7 Annie 1982
8 The Phantom of the Opera 2004
9 Evita 1996
10 Popeye 1980
11 Yentl 1983
12 Funny Lady 1975
13 Little Shop of Horrors 1986
14 All That Jazz 1979
15 Tommy 1975
16 Rent 2005
17 Victor/Victoria 1982
18 That's Entertainment! 1974
19 Xanadu 1980
20 The Wiz 1978
21 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 1978
22 New York, New York 1977
23 Hair 1979
24 Grease 2 1982
25 School Daze 1988
26 A Chorus Line 1985
27 Blues Brothers 2000 1998
28 De-Lovely 2004
29 Idlewild 2006
30 Everyone Says I Love You 1996
My favorite musical? Well, it isn't actually on the AFI list. That would be Hair (1979). I also liked Fame (1980) - which, curiously enough, is regarded as a music drama so is not on the Box Office list! There are also a couple of musicals where I really liked the music but not the movie: A Star Is Born (1977) and Xanadu (1982).
So, what is your favorite musical? How many of the AFI Top 25 have you seen?
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 Muriel 
Admiral (Administrator)
Joined: Jan 25, 2003
Member#: 333
Posts: 712
Location: Norway
  
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Posted:
Fri Sep 08, 2006 2:20 am Post subject: |
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My count comes to 7:
- The Wizard of Oz
- The Sound of Music
- Mary Poppins
- Chicago
- Grease
- Beauty and the Beast
- Moulin Roughe
I'm glad they recognized Beauty and the Beast in this list. Animated movies often don't get a lot of respect as musicals, and classic kids movies like Poppins are easily overlooked, so it's nice to see them getting their due.
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"Anything one man can imagine,
other men can make real."
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 Luther_III
Commander
Joined: Jun 20, 2005
Member#: 10621
Posts: 846
Location: New Orleans
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Posted:
Fri Sep 08, 2006 10:06 am Post subject: |
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I still think Moulin Rouge! (AFI #25) is much better than Chicago (AFI #12). 
Oh well.
I think it's a pretty solid list in terms of what's included and what's not. But I'm a little surprised not to see Fiddler on the Roof or South Pacific. I also kind of like Music Man.
And weren't some Gilbert & Sullivan operas made into movies? Maybe "operas" don't count. Or maybe the movies were trash.
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 bpewien
Captain
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Member#: 13275
Posts: 1334
Location: Vienna, Austria
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Posted:
Fri Sep 08, 2006 5:22 pm Post subject: |
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You know, the musical movie I (especially as an Austrian) dislike the most is "The Sound Of Music". 
Such a bunch of kitsch, incorrect/hollywoodised historical storytelling and at last these awful songs like "Eeeeeeedelweeeeiiiiis..."
(in german language you could rhyme "So ein Sch**ss" = Such a load of cR@p)
You know what's the biggest irony? I was forced to watch this movie once in my english class back in junior high... 
I'm still a little traumatised.
On my "acceptable"-list:
The Phantom Of The Opera
Moulin Rouge
Beauty and the Beast (I even saw that on the broadway  )
West Side Story (which I still see more in a way of a modern, jazzy opera)
Mary Poppins (my 2 year older sister is still mad about that film  )
I can't tell too much about the rest, since I haven't seen that much of musical movies yet.
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PS: I didn't want to insult anyone by dumping "Sound of music", but this doesn't change the way I (and funny enough many other Austrian pupils) see this movie, whether or not it is a great commercial for the tourists in Salzburg... speaking of irony...
Last edited by bpewien on Sat Sep 09, 2006 10:37 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Sound_Track
Lieutenant
Joined: May 15, 2006
Member#: 14512
Posts: 203
Location: Texas
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Posted:
Sat Sep 09, 2006 9:16 am Post subject: MUSICALS |
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GREASE-- I don't care for it.... It's all in the same vein as HAPPY DAYS, which I never liked either -- Talk about Kitsch ..... YUK ! ! ! !
I DID however really enjoy:
AMERICAN GRAFFITI
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF
THE MUSIC MAN
CAMELOT
OKLAHOMA
THE SOUND OF MUSIC
PURPLE RAIN
THE WALL
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Emergency Command Override 100375 ---- "READY WHEN YOU ARE SGT. PEMBRY ...."
Last edited by Sound_Track on Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:47 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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RobW720
Lieutenant
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Joined: Jan 04, 2006
Member#: 12946
Posts: 156
Location: Twin Cities, MN
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Posted:
Tue Sep 12, 2006 2:39 pm Post subject: |
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nice, ive seen 14 of em. I think that this is a pretty good list, however we all have our favorites we would like to see up there and, in the case of ones like the music man, fiddler, and (my favorite, phooey to anyone who dissagrees) the blues brothers, which have become such a strong foothold in our culture I am just surprised they didnt make it in replace of some of the more lesser known ones listed. But i enjoy the ones I have seen and have heard good things about the others. AFI tends to put together pretty good lists
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Rob Wilson
Animator: Hybrid Medical Animation
www.hybridmedicalanimation.com
My views do not reflect that of my employers. |
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Goblinmoon
Lieutenant
Joined: Jun 11, 2003
Member#: 1999
Posts: 226
Location: Orlando, FL
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Posted:
Mon Nov 13, 2006 2:41 am Post subject: |
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hmmm now that I'm finally back in the forums and posting, at least while I'm at home.
Scary I've seen 20 out of the 25!
I am surprised that Phantom wasn't on there, or Camelot. I was glad that Moulin Rouge helped bring them back, and my understanding is that Hugh Jackman has a picture deal which allows him to do at least one musical! yea!!!
ps It's really scary that Best little whorehouse did financially that well on that list. |
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JohnMcClane
Ensign
Joined: Oct 12, 2006
Member#: 15880
Posts: 39
Location: Kuopio, Finland
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Posted:
Mon Nov 13, 2006 3:58 am Post subject: |
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I may cause riots saying this, but I think that the South Park movie could be in the list too. I think it is a great musical, even with it's naughty language.
But that's just me.  |
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bpewien
Captain
Joined: Feb 01, 2006
Member#: 13275
Posts: 1334
Location: Vienna, Austria
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Posted:
Mon Nov 13, 2006 5:37 am Post subject: |
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| JohnMcClane wrote: |
| I may cause riots saying this, but I think that the South Park movie could be in the list too.... |
Absolutely, who could forget the infamous "Shut your f*ck*ng face, uncle f*ck*r"...  |
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LadyInque
Captain
Joined: May 20, 2005
Member#: 10281
Posts: 2224
Location: Eastern Massachusetts
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Posted:
Mon Nov 13, 2006 12:05 pm Post subject: |
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South Park was a perfectly acceptable musical! Naughty lyrics are fine if they're decent lyrics in the first place. I don't think the AFI would see it that way.
Sound_Track, I would urge you to see Grease on stage, for comparison. However, do not see a professional production, because more often than not, all the problems of the film have been generously folded into what was once a small, entertaining show. Any production above the level of local cabaret theater should probably be avoided. See it at the local high school, if you can. The talent may not be up to Broadway standards, but the kitsch factor will be mercifully low. The original show is so much better than that godawful film. The film had decent casting for the leads, but I cannot forgive the added songs, the plot changes, or, you guessed it, the kitsch. Same thing for Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. If the production has an intermission, something is probably very wrong.
I didn't liket the Phantom movie, but I didn't like the original show (the music anyway. Never saw the show.) That said, it was the best movie that musical could hope for, IMHO.
I liked Chicago well enough, but the tone was a little different from the stage show. And when I saw it on Broadway, it had Billy Zane, so you will not top that experience. Moulin Rouge is the more creative.
Wait, wait, hear me out. True, they covered pop songs, but they really made them their own, which I like. I tend to write musicals in my head with pop songs, so I can't complain there. The staging was more interesting. As my husband points out, the choreagraphy in Chicago was nothing more or less than what you would see on stage, which seems like a waste of the film medium and all it offers. |
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