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Movie Musicals / not musicals

Frayed Knot Oct 26 2015 09:02 AM

Submit a favorite movie with a musical theme. But I'm not looking for the traditional musical where characters break out into song in the middle of the street. Same goes for concert films and even bio-pics about a musician seems a bit like cheating. Rather we're looking here for films with either music as a major theme, or one where music is prominently featured as a plot device or to mark time. As an example, this question was inspired by a recent re-watching of HIGH FIDELITY. ALMOST FAMOUS also comes almost immediately to mind. Less obvious, but still qualifying in this sort of loosely defined exercise, is something like GOODFELLAS where the soundtrack denotes the era being depicted and underscores virtually every scene right up until Henry's arrest in his driveway. And if nothing else this may help kill a few of the next 33 or so hours.

Ceetar Oct 26 2015 09:09 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

There's that episode of South Park where they're looking for the brown note.

batmagadanleadoff Oct 26 2015 09:53 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Here's two: [fimg=444:1kcipw94]https://loftcinema.com/files/2014/10/boogie-nights-poster.jpg[/fimg:1kcipw94] [fimg=544:1kcipw94]http://www.weedist.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/dazed-wallpaper-dazed-and-confused-7939906-1024-768.jpg[/fimg:1kcipw94]

John Cougar Lunchbucket Oct 26 2015 09:55 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

No joke, I am listening to the soundtrack as I type

batmagadanleadoff Oct 26 2015 09:57 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: No joke, I am listening to the soundtrack as I type Now that's what the OP was looking for.

Edgy MD Oct 26 2015 10:02 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Does Once count? Biopics about fake musicians? Or One Trick Pony? Did you know that bands make it rock, but roadies make it roll?

themetfairy Oct 26 2015 10:07 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

A subset of this category could include This Is Spinal Tap, The Rutles (ok, that was a TV special) and A Mighty Wind, all of which have soundtracks that are simultaneously spoof and homage.

cooby Oct 26 2015 10:22 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

John Cougar Lunchbucket wrote: No joke, I am listening to the soundtrack as I type My choice too. Followed by Sound of Music

dgwphotography Oct 26 2015 10:23 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Tom Hanks' directorial debut. If you haven't seen this, please do.

dgwphotography Oct 26 2015 10:26 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Full of camp, but a GREAT soundtrack

RealityChuck Oct 26 2015 11:14 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

There are many traditional musicals that would seem to fit. Cabaret, for instance All the songs are either part of a stage show, except for "The Future Belongs to Me," but that's also in a logical context. Going further back, Footlight Parade only showed stage shows, and the plot was how those shows were created. (Of course, this being Busby Berkeley, there is no way any of these numbers could actually fit on a stage). IIRC, 42nd Street is the same. There were also a series of biopics of composers that probably fit. Yankee Doodle Dandy, for instance, but there have been biopics of Kalmer and Rubny (Three Little Words and Jerome Kern 'Til the Clouds Roll By, with the scene of Frank Sinatra singing "Old Man River"(!!!!!)).

El Segundo Escupidor Oct 26 2015 02:22 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

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Benjamin Grimm Oct 26 2015 02:46 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

All of the songs in Jailhouse Rock were performed in the context of the story: musicians doing a performance. No spontaneous bursting into song like in Singin' in the Rain, for example. I think the same is true of The Jolson Story, but I'm not absolutely sure.

Benjamin Grimm Oct 26 2015 02:49 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

This movie too: I think it's also true of the Janet Gaynor version, which is much better than the one with Judy Garland, which is way too long. I've never seen the Striesand version.

Frayed Knot Oct 26 2015 03:20 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

BOOGIE NIGHTS is an excellent call, as are several of the others. And I was thinking of CABARET when I started this (didn't want to hog all the selections right off) because, like you said, the singing is all done in context of the club and the subject of those songs absolutely reflects the plot and the times. Although for a movie with the name LAST DAYS OF DISCO, music wasn't really much of a driving force in it. It was a Whit Stillman movie so mostly folks sat around talking. (side note: my brother was an extra in that one who got brushed aside by the leads on a line outside a disco)

Vic Sage Oct 26 2015 04:00 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Oct 26 2015 04:03 PM

CABARET has a lot of "book musical" numbers (particularly by the landlady and her jewish suitor) and if its a "music film" as opposed to a "musical", then so is DREAMGIRLS, FAME, HEDWIG, ALL THAT JAZZ, MOULIN ROUGE, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, and many many others. IF you want to keep the definition more narrow, then a MUSIC FILM is a genre of film-making, in which music is either the point (ie, a "concert film" or "documentary" [or mockumentary]) or a key background element (soundtracks, montage sequences), but the particular songs are not performed by characters in the story to further the narrative. If you exclude actual documentaries, then I'd list the following 20: HARD DAY'S NIGHT THIS IS SPINAL TAP NEW YORK, NEW YORK VICTOR / VICTORIA PURPLE RAIN ALMOST FAMOUS RED SHOES YANKEE DOODLE DANDY THE COMMITMENTS BUDDY HOLLY STORY RAY BOOGIE NIGHTS FLASH GORDON BREAKFAST CLUB QUADROPHENIA HEAVY METAL SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER HIGH FIDELITY BIG CHILL MEAN STREETS

Edgy MD Oct 26 2015 04:02 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Frayed Knot wrote: BOOGIE NIGHTS is an excellent call, as are several of the others. And I was thinking of CABARET when I started this (didn't want to hog all the selections right off) because, like you said, the singing is all done in context of the club and the subject of those songs absolutely reflects the plot and the times. Although for a movie with the name LAST DAYS OF DISCO, music wasn't really much of a driving force in it. It was a Whit Stillman movie so mostly folks sat around talking. (side note: my brother was an extra in that one who got brushed aside by the leads on a line outside a disco) He was great!

El Segundo Escupidor Oct 26 2015 04:40 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

FORREST GUMP arguably sould be included. It was very reliant on its soundtrack.

d'Kong76 Oct 26 2015 05:06 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

d'Kong76 Oct 26 2015 05:40 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

It just occurred to me that I'm probably the only one here who has never seen Saturday Night Fever in it's entirety. Only bits and pieces flipping on cable for me. It's funny, but now I find the music from the soundtrack kind of nostalgically appealing... but I was SO not into disco (and all that went with it) everX5...

Frayed Knot Oct 26 2015 05:47 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

d'Kong76 wrote: It just occurred to me that I'm probably the only one here who has never seen Saturday Night Fever in it's entirety. Only bits and pieces flipping on cable for me. Nope, me too. Good call on AMERICAN GRAFFITI btw

LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr Oct 26 2015 06:23 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Even if the music is diagetic/not weirdly spontaneous, it does seem like book musicals and biopics are cheats. That said... there are a lot of ducks on the pond, yet. PULP FICTION FERRIS BUELLER'S DAY OFF LOST IN TRANSLATION Pretty much any Wes Anderson flick SINGLES TRAINSPOTTING

Zvon Oct 26 2015 06:46 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Harold and Maude had some nice Cat Stevens songs in it.

Edgy MD Oct 26 2015 07:30 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Here's a movie and a half.

MFS62 Oct 26 2015 09:17 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Top Gun Dirty Dancing (not sure if that fits all the qualifiers to be included) Later

RealityChuck Oct 27 2015 01:15 PM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Vic Sage wrote: CABARET has a lot of "book musical" numbers (particularly by the landlady and her jewish suitor) and if its a "music film" as opposed to a "musical", then so is DREAMGIRLS, FAME, HEDWIG, ALL THAT JAZZ, MOULIN ROUGE, PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE, and many many others. The stage play does have "book musical" songs, but Bob Fosse cut them all out of the movie. All the songs (except "The Future Belongs to Me," which is sung in a biergarten, IIRC) are performed on stage at the Kit Kat Klub. Edgy MD -- I loved Little Voice.

Vic Sage Oct 28 2015 05:18 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

I haven't seen the movie in thirty years. Now i know why.

cooby Oct 29 2015 06:37 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Car Wash

Edgy MD Oct 29 2015 07:33 AM Re: Movie Musicals / not musicals

Hey, man, this thread needs some Walter Hill insanity. [fimg=500:3hp465p2]http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/911qHzdg%2BEL._SL1500_.jpg[/fimg:3hp465p2] And while we're rockin' out with Michael Paré... [fimg=500:3hp465p2]http://images.moviepostershop.com/eddie-and-the-cruisers-movie-poster-1983-1020194489.jpg[/fimg:3hp465p2]