10 Best Movie Musicals Of All Time According To The American Film Institute
10 Best Movie Musicals Of All Time, According To The American Film Institute
The American Film Institute ranks their best movie musicals of all time in their “100 Years of Musicals” list. The top 10 are rounded up here.
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Musicals have long been a staple of film history. One of the first sound films ever made was titled The Jazz Singer, and Hollywood quickly launched into a musical boom that lasted throughout much of the ’40s and ’50s. There is a long and storied history involving musicals and film, and as long as people like Lin Manuel Miranda are around, the genre shows no sign of slowing down and is firmly engrained in our collective pop-culture consciousness.
Of course, not all musicals are created equal. But these picks have been chosen by the American Film Institute as the best movie musicals ever made.
10 Meet Me In St. Louis (1945)
Starring Judy Garland as Esther Smith, Meet Me in St. Louis was another winner for MGM. It takes place in the early 20th century and depicts the Smith family’s lives in the lead-up to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It was a major commercial success, being the second highest-grossing movie of 1945, with box office takings of $6.5 million (about $100 million today).
It also earned four Academy Award nominations, including Best Scoring of a Musical Picture and Best Music, Song (for “The Trolley Song”).
9 An American In Paris (1951)
An American in Paris is another musical classic starring Gene Kelly. The movie is perhaps best known for its 17-minute-long climax that sees Kelly and Leslie Caron dancing to George Gershwin’s orchestral instrumental “An American in Paris.”
The film earned $7 million at the box office and earned eight Academy Award nominations – a staggering number for a musical. It won six (including Best Picture), and Gene Kelly was awarded an Academy Honorary Award for his contributions to the musical genre.
8 My Fair Lady (1964)
At this point, the 1964 classic My Fair Lady is more remembered for its iconic costume design than its music. In fact, its Academy Award-winning costume design by Cecil Beaton was just one of the movie’s eight Oscar wins.
It also won Best Picture and a number of technical awards, including Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, and Best Scoring of Music. The movie has since faced some controversy for its misogynistic and classist themes, but it remains at #8 on the American Film Institute’s list of greatest musicals.
7 A Star Is Born (1954)
1954’s A Star Is Born was the second of three remakes – the most recent of which saw incredible commercial and critical success in 2018. Many critics, including the American Film Institute, often regard the 1954 remake as the best. Also starring Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett, A Star Is Born earned six Oscar nominations but failed to win a single one.
It has since been regarded as an all-time classic. Aside from placing 7th on AFI’s musicals list, the movie also placed 43rd on the AFI’s 100 Passions list, and “The Man That Got Away” was ranked the 11th greatest movie song.
6 Mary Poppins (1964)
One of the most famous movies in the history of cinema, Mary Poppins opened to unbelievable success in 1964 and has remained a cultural touchstone ever since. At the time, Mary Poppins was Disney’s highest-grossing film, grossing $31 million in its initial theatrical run (about $270 million today).
It also earned 13 Academy Award nominations, winning four (Best Actress for Julie Andrews, Best Film Editing, Best Music Score, and Best Song for “Chim Chim Cher-ee”).
5 Cabaret (1972)
There was a lot of hype surrounding Cabaret, as it starred Liza Minnelli, the daughter of musical legend, Judy Garland. Suffice to say, the movie met the hype. Minnelli won the Academy Award for Best Actress, serving as one of the movie’s eight wins.
To this day, Cabaret remains the most-awarded film in Oscars history not to win Best Picture. It also places on three AFI lists – 5th greatest musical, 18th greatest song (for “Cabaret”), and 63rd greatest movie ever made.
4 The Sound Of Music (1965)
July Andrews was on a tear in the mid-1960s. She immediately followed the legendary Mary Poppins with the equally legendary The Sound of Music, which was ranked the 4th greatest musical of all time by the American Film Institute. At the time, it also surpassed Gone with the Wind to become the highest-grossing movie of all time, earning $286 million worldwide.
The film has placed on numerous AFI lists, with three of its songs placing on its 100 Songs list – “The Sound of Music”, “My Favorite Things”, and “Do-Re-Mi.”
3 The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Perhaps the most famous movie ever made (if not, it’s certainly up there), The Wizard of Oz has been entertaining adults and children alike since its premiere in 1939. Not only was it ranked the 3rd greatest musical by the American Film Institute, it was also ranked the 6th greatest movie of all time on its original 100 Movies list.
Two of its songs are on the 100 Songs list (“Ding-Dong! The Witch Is Dead” and “Over the Rainbow”, which is at #1), and three of its quotes can be found on the 100 Movie Quotes list (the highest being, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore,” at #4).
2 West Side Story (1961)
A unique adaptation of Romeo and Juliet, West Side Story brings Shakespeare’s timeless tale to 1950s New York City, replacing the Capulets and Montagues with street gangs Jets and Sharks. The film earned 11 Academy Awards (including Best Picture and an Honorary Award for director Jerome Robbins) and has since placed second on AFI’s Greatest Movie Musicals list.
It was also declared the 51st greatest movie ever made, and three of its songs have placed on the 100 Songs list (“Somewhere”, “America”, and “Tonight”).
1 Singin’ In The Rain (1952)
Arguably the greatest musical of all time, Singin’ in the Rain is another masterpiece starring Gene Kelly as silent movie star Don Lockwood. Featuring remarkable dancing and musical numbers, it is often hailed as the quintessential movie musical, placing 1st on the American Film Institute’s list.
It was also named the 5th greatest movie of all time, the 16th funniest film, and “Singin’ in the Rain” was declared the 3rd greatest movie song (alongside “Make ‘Em Laugh” at #49 and “Good Morning” at #72).
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