It’s easy to sing the praises of a great musical. Musicals are frequently high in emotion and energy, with the genre usually being definable as one that incorporates music in with its storytelling. Sometimes, this is done with characters breaking into song. Sometimes, musical sequences will only exist in dreams or fantasy sequences. Other times, a musical might center on characters who sing and dance as part of their profession, making the music feel more believably in-universe.
Not all musicals will necessarily be to everyone’s tastes, and the genre is perhaps one of the more divisive ones out there, at least broadly speaking (the same can arguably be said about Westerns and horror movies). Yet for those who love the genre, or for those who want to discover what it has to offer, the following titles are among the greatest musicals of all time. They showcase how varied and exciting the genre can be at its best, and are ranked below from great to greatest.
35 ‘The Band Wagon’ (1953)
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
Few filmmakers succeeded within the musical genre as consistently as Vincente Minnelli, the father of Liza Minnelli, who herself is also frequently tied to the genre. One of the best (and most underrated) musicals Vincente Minnelli directed was The Band Wagon, which is an entertaining and reliably colorful look at showbiz; both the world of Broadway and film.
It’s reminiscent of some other bright and lightweight musicals of the decade in question, but it’s hard to complain about a sense of familiarity when a movie provides as much entertainment value as The Band Wagon does. Fred Astaire and Cyd Charisse are a dynamite duo, the musical numbers pop visually and still feel dazzling, and the whole thing is breezy and generally good-humored. Those who like classic Hollywood musicals will find The Band Wagon nearly impossible to resist.
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34 ‘The Court Jester’ (1955)
Directed by Melvin Frank and Norman Panama
The Court Jester is more than just a musical, and can also count itself as one of the funniest movies of its era. Beyond being a musical comedy, it’s also got a sense of adventure, some romance, and a few sequences of swashbuckling action. It’s the full package, and also proves to be very silly in an endearing and potentially timeless way.
It’s all very farcical, revolving around a man effectively going undercover as a court jester to play a role in taking down a usurper who’s overthrown the king of England and taken his place. Its musical numbers might not be as frequent as some other musicals of its time, but that’s something that ultimately helps The Court Jester be a real genre-blender, which is inevitably for the best.
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33 ‘Victor/Victoria’ (1982)
Directed by Blake Edwards
One of more than a dozen collaborations between Blake Edwards and Julie Andrews, Victor/Victoria is debatably the best film the husband/wife duo made together. It’s a comedic musical that plays out a little like a reverse Tootsie, which also came out in 1982. That Dustin Hoffman movie saw him playing a character pretending to be a woman, while Victor/Victoria has its main character pretending to be a man.
Victor/Victoria hits the kind of beats you’d expect an older movie with this kind of premise to hit, but it’s honestly aged better than you might anticipate. It’s a very silly film that also successfully explores some more serious themes in its own distinct way, and Andrews gives one of the best performances of her career here, being vital to the film’s overall success.
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32 ‘Phantom of the Paradise’ (1974)
Directed by Brian De Palma
Phantom of the Paradise is a relatively early entry within Brian De Palma’s filmography, and potentially one of the director’s oddest movies, too. It’s a musical alongside being a fantasy film, a horror movie, a dark comedy, and a tragedy, following a composer who vows revenge against an evil music producer who stole his works and contributed to his life becoming a living hell.
It’s the sort of movie that probably couldn’t have been made in any other decade besides the 1970s, feeling excessive and out-there in many ways, almost like it could fall apart at any minute. Perhaps Phantom of the Paradise does start to go off the rails, in some ways, but does so in a way that’s rather absorbing to watch. At the very least, there’s really nothing else like it out there, either within the world of musicals or in cinema at large.
31 ‘The Young Girls of Rochefort’ (1967)
Directed by Jacques Demy
An amazingly vibrant and consistently fun musical romp about two sisters both looking for love, The Young Girls of Rochefort is easily up there as one of the greatest musicals in the history of French cinema. The plot is so simple that it’s more of a premise, or just an excuse, really, for lots of lavish musical numbers to happen, though even the non-song-and-dance parts still feel lively and filled with an energetic spirit.
The technical craft on offer will make The Young Girls of Rochefort probably bearable to even the harshest musical hater. It is old-fashioned in the way it approaches the sometimes-divisive genre, but the sense of style is so pronounced and the visuals exceedingly well-realized. It’s a good time and also Gene Kelly shows up at one point, so it’s hard to imagine someone getting too grumpy about a film like this.
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30 ‘Mary Poppins’ (1964)
Directed by Robert Stevenson
As perhaps one of the most popular family-friendly musicals of all time (and one of the best movies of 1964), Mary Poppins is one title that’s likely familiar to many. It’s a Disney classic in many ways, telling the unusual yet interesting story of a magical nanny caring for two children, with the trio going on all sorts of strange adventures, learning about the world around them.
Get past the weirdly dark scenes and some annoying accents and there’s a great deal to appreciate in Mary Poppins. From a technical perspective, it’s remarkable by the standards of 1964, especially when it comes to combining live-action and animated elements. And the songs on offer are undeniably catchy and basically impossible to ever forget, for better or worse.
29 ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ (1971)
Directed by Norman Jewison
A mammoth-length musical film that runs for approximately three hours, Fiddler on the Roof could well be considered a true epic, and quite a good one at that. It’s a film adaptation of the beloved stage musical of the same name, and centers on a family dealing with love, loss, and the struggles of getting by in Czarist Russia during the early years of the 20th century.
It’s the rare time when what’s put on screen does justice to what was already widely celebrated on stage, and as such, it’s a continually popular film deserving of its legacy. Even if the length might put some people off, it’s got a good deal to offer, and will undoubtedly appeal to anyone who has a fondness for movie musicals.
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28 ‘The Lion King’ (1994)
Directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff
Released in 1994, which was one of cinema’s best-ever years, The Lion King is a phenomenal animated movie that manages to be a comedy, family film, drama, and musical all at once. It tells the story of a young lion prince who’s banished by his evil uncle, Scar, and returns to his homeland as a young adult, looking to right the wrongs Scar’s done during that time.
The Lion King has so much going on at the same time, yet still feels coherent and equally satisfying to watch as both a kid and an adult. It’s one of the greatest animated movies Disney ever produced, and is so great that not even an underwhelming (and oddly lifeless) 2019 remake can dampen the legacy of the 1994 original.
27 ‘My Fair Lady’ (1964)
Directed by George Cukor
1964 was a big year for big, ambitious musicals, as not only did it see the release of the aforementioned Mary Poppins, but so too was 1964 the year that My Fair Lady came out. It was also a monumentally successful movie, winning a total of eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture.
It runs for almost three hours, and its narrative is centered around the unlikely romance that develops between an upper-class man who takes a working-class girl and attempts to transform her into a member of high society. My Fair Lady is all knowingly old-fashioned and sometimes quite silly, but there’s a certain charm to it, and from a technical perspective, it is quite a dazzling film to look at and listen to.
26 ‘Meet Me in St. Louis’ (1944)
Directed by Vincente Minnelli
A breezy movie that nonetheless has some subtly dark aspects to it, Meet Me in St. Louis is one of the most well-known musicals of the 1940s. It begins shortly before the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair, and follows several daughters who all learn about life and love, singing their hearts out all the while.
It’s a very colorful movie, and is well-presented overall thanks to the direction of Vincente Minnelli, who was one of the most acclaimed musical directors of his time. It certainly feels like a product of its time, but not in a way that detracts tremendously from the film overall, and those who don’t mind an older musical movie every now and then should find themselves able to have a good time with it.
25 ‘A Star Is Born’ (1954)
Directed by George Cukor
Modern-day viewers might be most familiar with the 2018 version that stars Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, but the 1954 version of A Star Is Born remains the best. That being said, it’s not the original. Aside from the two aforementioned versions, A Star Is Born‘s story has also been told in 1937 and 1976 versions.
The tragic romantic story about a young female singer experiencing a rise to power while her older partner endures a fall from grace seems to be a generation-crossing one that audiences can’t get enough of. This 1954 version is notable for its length (it’s almost three hours) and for featuring what might be Judy Garland‘s greatest performance (though Meet Me in St. Louis and a certain fantasy film from 1939 do offer decent competition).
24 ‘Chicago’ (2002)
Directed by Rob Marshall
Not only is Chicago a great musical, but it’s also a surprisingly great darkly comedic crime movie, too. It’s a satirical look at the similarities between infamy and fame, following two women who find themselves on death row in the titular city during the 1920s and will stop at nothing to avoid execution.
To some extent, traditional musicals went out of fashion in the 1980s and 1990s, with unabashedly bold and music-heavy films like Chicago ultimately helping the genre become trendy once more. More than 20 years on from its release, the music, style, and performances of Chicago remain entertaining, with it being a deserving Best Picture winner at the 2002 Oscars.
23 ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ (1964)
Directed by Richard Lester
Of all the movies featuring the members of The Beatles during their short-lived but tremendously influential time together as a band, A Hard Day’s Night stands as their best. Narratively, it’s exceedingly simple: it simply follows the band members around a comedically heightened version of England in the 1960s as they get into trouble and try to avoid crowds of obsessive fans.
A Hard Day’s Night succeeds thanks to its uniquely offbeat sense of humor, the natural chemistry of the band back when the Fab Four were young and still seemed to like each other’s company, and, of course, the music. The album of the same name (their third overall) features the songs used throughout the film, and is often regarded as the first truly great Beatles album.
A Hard Day’s Night
- Release Date
- July 6, 1964
- Director
- Richard Lester
- Actors
- The Beatles, Wilfrid Brambell
- Run Time
- 1 hr 27 min
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22 ‘Hedwig and the Angry Inch’ (2001)
Directed by John Cameron Mitchell
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is an explosive musical that blends comedy and drama, and focuses on a gender-queer punk/rock singer named Hedwig. She’s a fictional character, but the film unfolds sort of like a biographical rock musical, with the story covering her turbulent life story that begins in East Berlin around the time of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
It’s an iconic LGBTQ movie, and though it failed to find an audience upon release in 2001, despite strong review (perhaps it was too out-there or uncompromising for some), it’s now rightly heralded as a cult classic. Hedwig and the Angry Inch‘s songs are all extremely catchy, the narrative balances humor and heavier content well, and it looks at topics surrounding queer identity and being transgender at a time when even fewer theatrically released movies tackled such subject matter.
21 ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ (2007)
Directed by Tim Burton
There aren’t too many musicals that combine crime and horror elements with a story that’s told entirely through music, which makes Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street stand out from the crowd. The title character is a serial killer who murders his customers and gives the bodies to his partner-in-crime, Mrs. Lovett, who bakes their body parts into pies.
Sweeney Todd is incredibly morbid, but might prove to have a very dark sense of humor for those who like their comedy pitch-black. The dark, moody look of the film pairs extremely well with all the memorable songs, and of the many collaborations between director Tim Burton and star Johnny Depp, this is easily one of their best.
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20 ‘South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut’ (1999)
Directed by Trey Parker
Yes, the South Park movie is one of the best musicals of all time. You read that right. Anyone who doubts Trey Parker and Matt Stone‘s ability to craft an excellent movie musical should know that the great Stephen Sondheim (who was behind the original stage version of the aforementioned Sweeney Todd) was a huge fan of their work.
South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut came out just a couple of years after the classic show began, and follows the show’s characters getting wrapped up in a potentially world-ending conflict over a profanity-filled Canadian movie. The South Park movie is hilarious and surprisingly well-scored from beginning to end, and its prophetic nature around the conflict 2014’s The Interview nearly started arguably makes it even funnier and more biting.
19 ‘Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory’ (1971)
Directed by Mel Stuart
Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory is one of those movies that a good many people probably have memories of watching when they were younger. Whether young kids should watch it, however, is up for debate, seeing as even though it’s labeled as a family-friendly movie, much of it is surprisingly traumatic and kind of scary.
Its story is, by now, an iconic one, following a group of young children who win a competition to see the inside of a top-secret and highly fantastical chocolate factory. From the memorably bratty side characters to the iconic performance by Gene Wilder as the title character to the Oompa-Loompas and their earworm songs, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory provides a musical ride that still feels overwhelming in the best ways possible over half a century on from release.
18 ‘Top Hat’ (1935)
Directed by Mark Sandrich
The advent of sound in 1927 was obviously instrumental in letting the musical genre thrive, and it’s no coincidence that one of the first big talkies – The Jazz Singer – had music numbers. Yet of all the musical films released during the genre’s early years, few are quite as good as 1935’s Top Hat.
It starred legendary duo Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, who made a series of remarkably fun musicals over a series of years, many of which hold up well. Top Hat’s one of the duo’s best, and has a romantic comedy-style plot mixed in with plenty of song and dance numbers. For anyone wanting to discover how the musical genre developed in its early years, Top Hat is a great place to start, and is funny and charming enough to hold up as an engaging watch all these decades later.
17 ‘Purple Rain’ (1984)
Directed by Albert Magnoli
What A Hard Day’s Night did for The Beatles, Purple Rain essentially did for Prince. It features the legendary musician playing a character similar to himself, being an inspiring artist who only goes by “The Kid,” and has dreams of one day becoming a huge star, even if the path there has numerous obstacles to navigate and overcome.
While the narrative isn’t the strongest – and Prince is nowhere near as good an actor as he was a musician – Purple Rain soars thanks to its music. The soundtrack album of the same name is arguably Prince’s greatest work, and one of the very best studio albums of its decade. It can be watched and enjoyed for the music alone, with the stylish visuals and distinctively 1980s aesthetics also giving it some additional entertainment value.
16 ‘Dancer in the Dark’ (2000)
Directed by Lars von Trier
An exceptionally bleak film about injustice and the unexpected tragedies that life can throw one’s way, Dancer in the Dark is not an easy watch. It follows Selma (played by Bjork) who’s a single mother struggling to support herself and her only child, all the while trying to save money for an operation that will ensure her son doesn’t end up progressively going blind the same way she has.
Director Lars von Trier is known for making heavy, depressing, and sometimes disturbing films, with Dancer in the Dark being no exception to this trend. Still, it’s a rewarding and powerful watch for those able to handle some of its more intense scenes, with Bjork excelling both when it comes to her lead performance and for all the songs she wrote and sang for the movie.
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