The MoFo Top 100 Musicals Countdown

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RIP www.moviejustice.com 2002-2010
I think by most accounts from film historians and critics, Snow White is generally considered the greatest Disney film, if not the greatest animated film of all time. It should be on the list and I'm glad it showed up.
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Trouble with a capital "T"
Get ready for this because you will not believe it
WARNING: spoilers below
I have actually seen Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and that's my big post of the day



I'm a De Palma fan so I had Phantom of the Paradise on my watchlist but I didn't get to it.

Haven't seen Snow White in decades so I don't know.



I did not vote for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs but I love it and I consider it one of the greatest animated films of all time.

Phantom of the Paradise is a super film and loads of fun. I saw it for the lovely Jessica Harper and the hilarious Gerrit Graham, but it's got a lot more to offer. Glad to see it make the list.

So far:
#1. On the Town #93 (list proper)
#6. Easter Parade #78 (list proper)
#10. Gigi #85 (list proper)
#12. Calamity Jane #84 (list proper)
#14. Seven Brides for Seven Brothers #71 (list proper)
#18. The Muppet Movie #45 (list proper)
#25. Neptune's Daughter (one-pointer)
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Phantom of the Paradise is a solid, darkly funny movie with really strong music content. It's also quite an oddball of a film and I'm surprised/delighted that it placed this high!



Victim of The Night
I'm a couple days behind.
Oliver! was my No.6.
When I think of the best musicals ever made Oliver! is on the shortest list. Which is to say that even though it's at No.6, I could easily bump my No.5 for it if I could only have 5.
I re-watched it not that long ago and I think the songs are among the best I've ever heard in any musical. And the fact that the movie has a darkness to it as well really doesn't hurt.
But man is Oliver! a good movie.



Victim of The Night
I probably could have made room on my ballot for The Wall if I'd thought of it but I didn't.

I love Phantom Of The Paradise but its great weakness is that it has exactly one actually good song so I just couldn't put it on a list of the Best Musicals even if I love it as a movie.



I kinda figured Snow White was going make the list, one right from the prediction list. Disney is making a good showing on here
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I love Phantom Of The Paradise but its great weakness is that it has exactly one actually good song so I just couldn't put it on a list of the Best Musicals even if I love it as a movie.
Interesting. I really liked the music in Phantom of the Paradise. It fits the film incredibly well.



I forgot the opening line.
38. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) - Still haven't seen this Disney classic, and I'm not in any particular hurry to do so - though I'd like to one day.

37. Phantom of the Paradise (1974) - It made it! Although now I know it has, I wish it had appeared even higher. Maybe if more people had of seen it. Back in 1993, my brother David noticed that I was really into the likes of Shock Treatment and Jessica Harper and recommended Phantom of the Paradise to me, which coincidentally happened to be on television one night soon after. He recorded it for my benefit - and it became one of my absolute favourite films of all time. David would go on and die suddenly in 1995 - in his sleep due to bronchial pneumonia at 35, and I always think of him when I think of Phantom. It's a deliriously fun movie, somehow encapsulating all manner of styles of music, types of movie genre and variety of themes and homages. It's a modern comedy mixture of Faust, The Picture of Dorian Gray and The Phantom of the Opera that at the same time goes off in it's own peculiar direction, and it was so obscure when I first got into it - but now has a growing cult following that keeps getting larger by the day it seems. It helps that a legend such as Brian De Palma made it, during his early days of filmmaking. It's horror, science fiction, musical, comedy, drama and everything in-between. I've seen it around 1000 times, and it was a lock for the #1 spot on my ballot.

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Seen : 42/64
I'd never even heard of : 10/64
Movies that had been on my radar, but I haven't seen yet : 12/64
Films from my list : 9

#37 - My #1 - Phantom of the Paradise (1974)
#41 - My #6 - Pink Floyd - The Wall (1982)
#44 - My #13 - Oliver! (1968)
#47 - My #14 - Hair (1979)
#59 - My #5 - Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
#60 - My #23 - Annie (1982)
#72 - My #22 - Yellow Submarine (1968)
#92 - My #8 - Tommy (1975)
One-pointer - My #25 - Shock Treatment (1981)
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I've seen and enjoyed both films, with Phantom of the Paradise taking the cake, but neither made my ballot.
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Two examples of great films that didn't make it into my ballot.


Snow White isn't quite top tier, but I don't think it deserves any flakk either. It's from the time period where the princes were barely in the movie though, which I felt was its weakest aspect.


Phantom of the Paradise is such a delightfully bizarre film, that repeatedly defies both conventions and expectations. To have our hero go so far to get revenge, only to pathetically fall over and over. It makes him far more sympathetic than any other Phantom, Faust, or Count of Monte Cristo. Paul Williams is fantastic, and also steals every scene he's in.


But the movie is extremely goofy, intentionally way over the top, and the heroine has zero agency.


Both would've made my top 40 musicals, but not 25.



Oliver! is another movie that was pretty much a lock for my list from the start. I've seen it many times, and it just gets better and better every time. It was #16 on my list.


I like the 2018 version of A Star Is Born, but it's not my favorite version. I prefer the 1954 version with Judy Garland.


I love An American in Paris, but I think Leslie Caron was too young for Gene Kelly, which takes it down a very small notch for me, and with so many great musicals that I wanted to include on my list, that was just enough to keep it off of my list. But I'm glad to see that it made the countdown anyway.


I saw Pink Floyd - The Wall back when I was in college because I didn't want to see Rocky Horror for the umpteenth time, and it was the only other midnight movie playing in the movie theater every weekend. As much as I disliked Rocky Horror, I disliked The Wall even more.


I watched Sing Street twice for this countdown because several people raved about it, but I couldn't figure out why. I thought it was okay, but I don't really understand what everyone else sees in it.


I watched Nashville for the 1970s countdown, but I didn't like it. I haven't rewatched it since.


I wanted to include Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on my list, but I just couldn't find room for it. It was one of several animated musicals that I was considering for my #25, but it just didn't make my list. I'm glad that it made the countdown without my help.


I'm not sure, but I think I saw Phantom of the Paradise many years ago, but I don't remember much about it except that Paul Williams was in it and it was a very strange movie. But I think I watched it on TV before we had cable, so I probably saw a version of it that was edited for television.



My list so far:
5. Oklahoma! (1955)
9. 1776 (1972)
12. The Greatest Showman (2017)
16. Oliver! (1968)
17. Anastasia (1997)
25. Frozen (2013)
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After this comment I had to check out your top 10. Interesting because it includes a film about some dude who drives around at night complaining and creeping on people for the whole two hours and also some film about a spoiled southern brat who pines after some effeminate dude who doesn't even like her and she just whines about it for four hours. Gosh after thinking about that, I wouldn't think a 15 minute dance sequence would be too bad. And yeah, it's all in one go. The whole 15... 17 minutes of it. What torture!
And at which point in those two films is there a 15 minute dance sequence between the pining or the creeping? Because I've seen both numerous times and I've yet to spot it in either of them.

As for "What torture!" my point exactly. 15 minutes. Well, I thought 15 when, according to you, it's 17! Of dancing, and it's not even disco or something where the music would be good or, given it's reputation and time of making, really silly/stupid which would, at least, entertain for some of that time.

I like Singin' In The Rain, and there's far too much dancing in that, but 17 minutes straight? It's too much, man. It's too much.


As far the other movie, I haven't see it. Although I will say, from this point on I'm going to be wondering... OK, this is a film that ranks higher than An American in Paris?
Does it have a 17 minute dance sequence? No. And that'll be your answer why.


I have the Phantom show up at #20. I'm not much of a De Palma fan, but his style works here as the whole thing is so OTT and so it feels more in keeping/doesn't stand out as much as his usual 'Look at me! I've got a camera!' thing does. The whole film is mental in a fun, very 70's way and, controversial opinion(?) it's better than The Rocky Horror Picture Show which will, no doubt, end up a lot higher.
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And at which point in those two films is there a 15 minute dance sequence between the pining or the creeping? Because I've seen both numerous times and I've yet to spot it in either of them.

As for "What torture!" my point exactly. 15 minutes. Well, I thought 15 when, according to you, it's 17! Of dancing, and it's not even disco or something where the music would be good or, given it's reputation and time of making, really silly/stupid which would, at least, entertain for some of that time.

I like Singin' In The Rain, and there's far too much dancing in that, but 17 minutes straight? It's too much, man. It's too much.



Does it have a 17 minute dance sequence? No. And that'll be your answer why.
The point being, which apparently you missed, if you can sit through Taxi Driver and Gone With the Wind you should have no trouble with An American in Paris, but apparently giving it a watch is out of the question for you because of the ballet sequence.

Also... you like Singin' in the Rain? You've seen Singin' in the Rain? You watched all of it? You didn't miss any particular sequence or saaay... any particular 17 minute stretch of it?
I'm just going to leave that there, and yes... yes it does to answer your last question.


Wow.



Just wow.

Also to reduce An American in Paris to pining and creeping is a complete misreading and misrepresentation of the film... so wait... you have seen it then?





36
8lists111points
The Young Girls of Rochefort
Director

Jacques Demy, 1967

Starring

Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac, Jacques Perrin, Gene Kelly







35
6lists112points
Fantasia
Director

Ford Beebe Jr., 1940

Starring

Deems Taylor, Walt Disney, Julietta Novis, Leopold Stokowski





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Yes, Fantasia was the movie mentioned at the start with no singing. But considering that there's barely any on-screen singing in The Wall and a few of the other entries were pushing the definition of musical anyway, here it is. You can't really argue with 112 points from 6 lists.

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