10 Film Adaptations of Musicals That Are Worth Watching
Anthony J. Piccione
The movie musical. It’s been a topic that’s been revisited by the writers on this blog quite a few times before, including a few weeks ago, when I wrote an article entitled 10 Reasons Why Film Adaptations of Musicals Tend to Fail. In the comments section for that article, I got an interesting request for a future article: To do a list of film adaptations of musicals that I actual thought were good, rather than focusing on the negatives of such adaptations. I thought it was a good idea, hence why this week, I’ve decided to take the time to come up with such a list. For this list, I collected a bunch of films that are adapted from musical theatre, and even if many of them do not live up to the original stage version, are still worth watching for different reasons.
So without further adieu, here is my list of 10 Film Adaptations of Musicals That Are Worth Watching:
10. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) – A bit cheesy, I know. But if you ask me, it’s still one of the better movie musicals to originate from a theatrical production out there, even if it belongs near the bottom of this list.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show "Sweet Transvestite" Tim Curry: Dr. Frank-N-Furter Susan Sarandon: Janet Weiss Barry Bostwick: Brad Majors Richard O'Brien: Riff Raff Patricia Quinn: Magenta Nell Campbell: Columbia Jonathan Adams: Dr. Everett Von Scott Peter Hinwood: Rocky Horror Meat Loaf: Eddie Charles Gray: The Criminologist Jeremy Newson: Ralph Hapschatt Hilary Labow: Betty Munroe Jim Sharman (1973)
9. Hairspray (2007) – Not exactly one of my favorites. Some people love it a LOT more than I do. Nonetheless, it’s still a fun movie, based off of an even more fun musical.
Hairspray cast performing The Nicest Kids in Town. New Line Cinema, Watertower Music © 2007
8. Annie (1999) – Perhaps the best adaptation of this musical overall. Even if the 1982 version had better acting, this was able to stay the most true to the original musical while also remaining an entertaining film.
The Broadway musical Annie in a Disney production with Alicia Morton in the role of Annie.
7. Chicago (2002) – Like the original musical, the film adaptation is also very musically entertaining, visually stunning…and all that jazz.
Chicago Film
6. Rent (2005) – This is still one of my favorite musicals of all time, even if it is a bit overproduced. If you ask me, the film version does a near perfect job of adapting it for the silver screen, which can’t be said of all other such adaptations.
Adam Pascal - One song glory Lyrics: I'm Writing One Great Song Before I ...
5. The Sound of Music (1965) – Just as much of a classic as the original musical, if you ask me. I couldn’t possibly do a list like this without including it somewhere on here.
"So Long Farewell" from the 1965 film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC
4. Les Miserables (2012) – I know this will be a controversial pick, and I agree it doesn’t quite live up to the original Broadway show. But on its own, I still say it is a film of high-quality. It didn’t get an Oscar nomination for nothing.
3. Into the Woods (2014) – While still fairly recent, I don’t think it’s too soon to say that this is one of the best film adaptations of a musical ever made, and I think we will all remember it as such for years to come.
Into the Woods Title : No One is Alone Performers : Daniel Huttlestone, James Corden, Lilla Crawford and Anna Kendrick Written and composed by Stephen Sondheim Produced by Walt Disney Pictures
2. West Side Story (1961) – Some people might say that this is the best adaptation of a musical of all time, and I agree that it is truly both a musical and cinematic masterpiece. However, there is still one more I can think of that has a special place in my heart.
West Side Story movie clips: http://j.mp/1LkjWFw BUY THE MOVIE: http://j.mp/16TMZIG Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: Anita (Rita Moreno) sings about the great land of America. FILM DESCRIPTION: Romeo and Juliet is updated to the tenements of New York City in this Oscar-winning musical landmark.
1. Sweeney Todd (2007) – From casting to directing to visuals to soundtrack, nearly everything about this adaptation is perfect, and is as every bit of a dark treasure as the original musical. I have nothing but nice things to say about this adaptation, and it just so happens to be my personal favorite of all time.
Sweeney Todd movie clips: http://j.mp/1uu4cL5 BUY THE MOVIE: http://amzn.to/rAgTef Don't miss the HOTTEST NEW TRAILERS: http://bit.ly/1u2y6pr CLIP DESCRIPTION: Mrs. Lovett (Helena Bonham Carter) gives Sweeney (Johnny Depp) the razors he has been missing so much.
What do you think? Do you agree with this list? Are there any musicals that you think should be on this list that aren’t? Any on the list that you think shouldn’t be? Be sure to let us know in the comments!