10
Top Movie Musicals -- Commentary
I Could Have Danced All Night!
Oct 18 '03
The Bottom Line You know a musical is good when the
credits start to roll and you find yourself singing the songs and itching to
dance.
I remember growing up with Musicals on TV. Nowadays a
"Musical" tends to mean a movie with an outstanding Soundtrack. Actors
rarely break out in song any more. I do hope the Musical would not go the way of
the dodo; the world would be poorer without them.
There are so many good musicals to choose from, but I'm listing some that stuck
in my mind.
1) Camp: I saw this recently and I must say it is one of the best movies I have
seen this year (2003). There are no well known stars in this gem, only loads of
talent. The kids in Camp Ovation are not your typical teens. They are aspiring
Broadway actors who idolise Stephen Sonheim more than Britney Spears. They go to
this camp where they act and sing, fall in and out of love, suffer, have their
hearts broken by parents ... the kind of stuff "normal" teens go
through. It's full of heartwarming stuff, and the leads are wonderful. And the
songs!!! WOW! This movie had the audience in the cinema oohing and ahhing aloud.
But be warned, it is slightly risque in parts.
2) Moulin Rouge: This is a luscious production by Baz Lurhman, the guy that gave
us Romeo Juliet. This stars Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman, and both stars
prove to be really quite good singers. It is bittersweet love story with great
sets and lots of wonderful songs. The songs are modern pop songs (eg. Like A
Virgin) given imaginative twists, with an original thrown in for measure.
3) Chicago: I saw a stage production of this before the movie was filmed. The
movie version boasts some impressive stars ... Richard Gere, Renee Zellweger,
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Queen Latifah ... to name a few. Renee plays Roxie Hart, a
starlet who murders her lover, and turns her murder trial into a vehicle for
stardom. Richard Gere plays her lawyer. A strange choice, for he does not sing
and dance very well, nor looks oily enough. It is left to Renee, Catherine, and
the impressive Queen Latifah to carry the show - and boy do they do it well!
4) Hair: I saw this at a Film Festival of some kind. It has Treat Williams who
is trying to dodge the draft to Vietnam and he ends up with all this hippies.
There are great songs in this one, but it is rather risque, with nudity and
suggestions of homosexuality, and rather patchy, but nevertheless rather
memorable.
5) Grease: A classic. John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John and cast look too old
for their roles but who really cares. The great story and the memorable songs
make this one of the best movies ever. Let's get physical .. physical ....
6) West Side Story: A different take on the Romeo and Juliet story. A boy and
girl from different sides of the track falls in love, but this is in New York.
Nathalie Wood is charming as the Puerto Rican girl Maria who falls in love with
Tony, from a rival gang. The songs are fantastic in this movie, all melodic with
hooks that sink in deep.
7) My Fair Lady: This movie had the songs, the Cinderella story, and the star
... Audrey Hepburn. Her singing was dubbed, although I once saw a documentary
that featured a little of her real voice ... let's just say that it was a wise
decision to do the dubbing. Her singing isn't all that bad, but not quite as
good as Marni Nixon who provided the singing voice. Knowing that has not
tarnished the appeal of this movie one bit. It is simply a classic.
8) The Sound of Music: Does this movie really need introduction? Julie Andrews
play a nun-wannabe, except she cannot quite fit in. She becomes the nanny of the
children of Captain Von Trapp, changes the lives of his children, steals his
heart, survives the Germans during the war, all the while singing gloriously.
Warning: after watching this movie you might be compelled to buy the soundtrack
and learn all the songs by heart. Don't say I didn't warn you!
9) Seven Brides For Seven Brothers: I have to credit my parents for introducing
me to this wonderful movie. The seven brothers refer to seven rough hillbilly
types, the eldest of which takes a bride and causes the other six to kidnap six
girls from the town to their mountain home. This being an old movie, the girls
do not get raped or anything. What follows is a heartwarming tale where the
girls change the guys for the better and they all fall in love and the audience
go ahhhhhhh ...... and reach for their hankies.
10) Little Shop Of Horrors: Rick Moranis does a wonderful turn as florist who
discovers a Venus Fly-trap with a difference. It needs blood, lots of it. A
musical with a bit of Sci-Fi/Fantasy thrown in, with a bit of romance too. It is
immensely fun to watch and sing along.
