With the Academy Awards around the corner, we thought it would be a great idea to dedicate our weekly post to this wonderful genre: the musical. It hasn’t been easy for this kind of film to get recognition in the Oscars’ World, especially a Best Picture Oscar. In fact, in the 88-year history of these awards, only 10 films have achieved this goal.
However, we have big expectations for La La Land to break this sad curse. This musical has become the talk of the town and we hope they get the deserved Best Picture Oscar.
Here are the 10 Best Picture-winning musicals.
Enjoy!
1. The Broadway Melody
First “talkie” big production (1929) with hits such as “You were meant for me” and “Give my regards to Broadway”.
The story is about the life of two sisters: Queenie and Hank. They are on the path to realising their big Broadway dream to be singers and dancers, but a twist occurs when they meet Eddie Kearns.
2. The Great Ziegfeld
Produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1936, this musical is a fictional biography about the life and times of Florenz Ziegfeld.
The film included original music from Walter Donaldson and Irving Berlin.
3. Going My Way
This musical was the big winner back in 1944. The story is about a new priest, Chuck O’Malley (played by Bing Crosby) who starts a new chorus with a gang of kids and helps a girl who has decided to leave home. His charming personality won the affection of a huge audience.
4. An American in Paris
This musical won Best Picture Oscar at the 24th Academy Awards in 1951.
Jerry Mulligan is an American ex-serviceman who stays in Paris after the war. His dream is to become a painter, but he falls for a lovely french girl called Lise Bouvier. He also meets a rich American Woman, Milo Roberts, who is interested in more than his pictures.
5. Gigi
Gigi is an American musical romance film that won Best Picture Oscar back in 1958.
Set in the conventions of Parisian society, a rich playboy (Gaston) and a youthful courtesan-in-training (Gigi) enjoy a platonic friendship. When she grows up the story changes, as she refuses to be anyone’s mistress and he doesn’t want to give up his carefree lifestyle.
6. West Side Story
This American musical is an adaptation of the romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
It was filmed in 1961 and is recognised as having the most Academy wins of any movie musicals, earning 10 of the 11 awards it was nominated for.
7. My Fair Lady
My Fair Lady is a musical film created in 1964, directed by George Cukor and starred by Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn.
It’s an adaptation of the theatre musical with the same title written by Alan Jay and Frederick Loewe and the plot is about a pompous phonetics professor who takes a bet that he can transform a Cockney working-class girl into someone who can pass for a sophisticated member of high society.
8. The Sound of Music
The Sound of Music, filmed in 1965, is about a woman who fails in her attempt to become a nun and goes away to look after a retired naval captain’s seven children. She teaches them to sing and ends up falling in love with their father and marrying him.
This film has become one of the best-loved musicals of all time.
9. Oliver!
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Ut elit tellus, luctus nec ullamcorper mattis, pulvinar dapibus leo.This English musical from 1968 is an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic tale Oliver Twist, the story of an orphan who runs away from the orphanage and ends up with a group of pickpockets.
The film won the Best Picture Oscar at the 41st Academy Awards.
10. Chicago
This American musical film from 2002 is based on the musical of the same name and explores the themes of celebrity, scandal and corruption in Chicago during the Jazz Age.
Thirty-four years after Oliver’s success, this musical was the first film of the XXI century to win the Best Picture Oscar. Renee Zellweger, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Richard Gere lead the all-star cast.
Do you think La La Land should get the Best Picture Oscar this year?
Please, feel free to leave any comment on this post.
See you next week!
The Village School of Dance Team
