Editing Musical film

{{short description|Film genre}}

[[File:Singin' in the Rain (1952 poster).jpg|thumb|''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' (1952) film poster]]
'''Musical film''' is a [[film genre]] in which songs by the [[Character (arts)|characters]] are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, but in some cases, they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate "production numbers".

The musical film was a natural development of the [[musical theater|stage musical]] after the emergence of sound film technology. Typically, the biggest difference between film and stage musicals is the use of lavish background scenery and locations that would be impractical in a theater. Musical films characteristically contain elements reminiscent of theater; performers often treat their song and dance numbers as if a live audience were watching. In a sense, the viewer becomes the [[diegesis|diegetic]] audience, as the performer looks directly into the camera and performs to it.

With the [[Sound film|advent of sound]] in the late 1920s, musicals gained popularity with the public and are exemplified by the films of [[Busby Berkeley]], a choreographer known for his distinctive and elaborate set pieces featuring multiple showgirls. These lavish production numbers are typified by his choreographic work in ''[[42nd Street (film)|42nd Street]]'', ''[[Gold Diggers of 1933]]'', ''[[Footlight Parade]]'' (all from 1933). During the 1930s, the musical films of [[Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers]] became massive cultural fixtures in the eyes of the American public. These films included, ''[[Top Hat]]'' (1935), ''[[Follow the Fleet]]'', ''[[Swing Time (film)|Swing Time]]'' (both 1936), and ''[[Shall We Dance (1937 film)|Shall We Dance]]'' (1937). Victor Fleming's ''[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|The Wizard of Oz]]'' (1939) would become a landmark film for movie musical as it experimented with new technology such as [[Technicolor]].

During the 1940s and 1950s, musical films from [[MGM]] musicals regularly premiered. These works included: ''[[Meet Me in St. Louis]]'' (1944), ''[[Easter Parade (film)|Easter Parade]]'' (1948), ''[[On the Town (film)|On the Town]]'' (1949), ''[[An American in Paris (film)|An American in Paris]]'' (1951), ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' (1952), ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953), ''[[High Society (1956 film)|High Society]]'' (1956), and ''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]'' (1958). During this time, films outside the [[Arthur Freed]] unit at [[MGM]] included ''[[Holiday Inn (film)|Holiday Inn]]'' (1942), ''[[White Christmas (film)|White Christmas]]'' (1954), and ''[[Funny Face]]'' (1957) as well as ''[[Oklahoma! (film)|Oklahoma!]]'' (1955), ''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]'' (1956), ''[[Carousel (film)|Carousel]]'', and ''[[South Pacific (1958 film)|South Pacific]]'' (1958). These films of the era typically relied on the star power of such film stars as [[Fred Astaire]], [[Gene Kelly]], [[Bing Crosby]], [[Frank Sinatra]], [[Judy Garland]], [[Ann Miller]], [[Kathryn Grayson]], and [[Howard Keel]]. They also relied on film directors such as [[Stanley Donen]] and [[Vincente Minnelli]] as well as songwriters [[Comden and Green]], [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]], [[Irving Berlin]], [[Cole Porter]], and the [[George Gershwin|Gershwin Brothers]].

During the 1960s, films based on stage musicals continued to be critical and box-office successes. These films included, ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'' (1961), ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]]'' (1962), ''[[The Music Man (1962 film)|The Music Man]]'' (1962), ''[[Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film)|Bye Bye Birdie]]'' (1963), ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'', ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'' (both 1964), ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]'' (1965), ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'', ''[[How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (film)|How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying]]'', ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'' (all 1967), ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'', and ''[[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]]'' (both 1968). In the 1970s, film culture and the changing demographics of filmgoers placed greater emphasis on gritty realism, while the pure entertainment and theatricality of classical-era Hollywood musicals was seen as old-fashioned. Despite this, ''[[Scrooge (1970 film)|Scrooge]]'' (1970), ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]'' (1971), ''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the Roof]]'' (1971), ''[[Cabaret (1972 film)|Cabaret]]'' (1972), ''[[1776 (film)|1776]]'' (1972), Disney's ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' (1971), and ''[[Pete's Dragon (1977 film)|Pete's Dragon]]'' (1977),  as well as ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'' and ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'' (both 1978), were more traditional musicals closely adapted from stage shows and were strong successes with critics and audiences. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, musicals tended to be mainly coming from the [[Walt Disney|Disney]] [[animated film]]s of the period, from composers and lyricists, [[Howard Ashman]], [[Alan Menken]], and [[Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz]]. The [[Disney Renaissance]] started with 1989's ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', then followed by ''[[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'' (1991), ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'' (1992), ''[[The Lion King]]'' (1994), ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'' (1995), ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'' (1996), ''[[Hercules (1997 film)|Hercules]]'' (1997), and ''[[Mulan (1998 film)|Mulan]]'' (1998).

In the 21st century, the musical genre has been rejuvenated with darker musicals, musical biopics, musical remakes, epic drama musicals and comedy drama musicals such as ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'' (2001), ''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]'' (2002), ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'' (2004), ''[[Rent (film)|Rent]]'' (2005), ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]'' (2006), ''[[Across the Universe (film)|Across the Universe]]'', ''[[Enchanted (film)|Enchanted]]'', ''[[Hairspray (2007 film)|Hairspray]]'', ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'' (all 2007), ''[[Mamma Mia! (film)|Mamma Mia!]]'' (2008), ''[[Nine (2009 live-action film)|Nine]]'' (2009), ''[[Burlesque (2010 American film)|Burlesque]]'' (2010), ''[[The Muppets (2011 film)|The Muppets]]'' (2011), ''[[Pitch Perfect]]'', ''[[Les Misérables (2012 film)|Les Misérables]]'' (both 2012), ''[[Jersey Boys (film)|Jersey Boys]]'', ''[[Into the Woods (film)|Into the Woods]]'' (both 2014), ''[[Pitch Perfect 2]]'', ''[[Descendants (2015 film)|Descendants]]'' (both 2015), ''[[Sing Street]]'', ''[[La La Land]]'' (both 2016), ''[[Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', ''[[The Greatest Showman]]'', ''[[Pitch Perfect 3]]'' (all 2017), ''[[Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again!]]'', ''[[A Star Is Born (2018 film)|A Star Is Born]]'', ''[[Mary Poppins Returns]]'', ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'' (all 2018), ''[[Aladdin (2019 film)|Aladdin]]'', ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'', ''[[Yesterday (2019 film)|Yesterday]]'', ''[[The Lion King (2019 film)|The Lion King]]'' (all 2019), ''[[Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey]]'', ''[[The Prom (film)|The Prom]]'' (both 2020), ''[[In the Heights (film)|In the Heights]]'', ''[[Respect (2021 American film)|Respect]]'', ''[[Dear Evan Hansen (film)|Dear Evan Hansen]]'', ''[[Cyrano (film)|Cyrano]]'', ''[[Everybody's Talking About Jamie (film)| Everybody's Talking About Jamie]], [[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick… Boom!]], [[West Side Story (2021 film)|West Side Story]]'' (all 2021), [[Elvis (2022 film)|''Elvis'']], ''[[Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (film)|Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile]]'', ''[[Spirited (film)|Spirited]]'', ''[[Disenchanted (film)|Disenchanted]]'', ''[[Matilda the Musical (film)|Matilda the Musical]]'' (all 2022), ''[[The Little Mermaid (2023 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', ''[[Wonka (film)|Wonka]]'', ''[[The Color Purple (2023 film)|The Color Purple]]'' (all 2023), ''[[Mean Girls (2024 film)|Mean Girls]]'', ''[[Wicked (2024 film)|Wicked]]'', ''[[Mufasa: The Lion King]]'', ''[[Joker: Folie à Deux]]'', ''[[A Complete Unknown]]'' (all 2024), ''[[Kiss of the Spider Woman (2025 film)|Kiss of the Spider Woman]]'', ''[[Snow White (2025 film)|Snow White]]'', ''[[Blue Moon (2025 film)|Blue Moon]]'' (all 2025).<!-- Please keep list concise -- list only highly successful examples. -->

==Hollywood musical films==
[[File:WIZARD OF OZ ORIGINAL POSTER 1939.jpg|thumb|right|[[The Wizard of Oz (1939 film)|''The Wizard of Oz'' (1939)]] is considered one of the greatest movies of all time.]]

===1930–1950: The first classical sound era or First Musical Era===
The 1930s through the early 1950s are considered to be the golden age of the musical film, when the genre's popularity was at its highest in the [[Western world]]. [[Disney]]'s [[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'']], the earliest Disney animated feature film, was a musical which won an honorary Oscar for [[Walt Disney]] at the [[11th Academy Awards]].

====The first musicals====
Musical short films were made by [[Lee de Forest]] in 1923–24. Beginning in 1926, thousands of [[Vitaphone]] shorts were made, many featuring bands, vocalists, and dancers. The earliest feature-length films with synchronized sound had only a soundtrack of music and occasional sound effects that played while the actors portrayed their characters just as they did in silent films: without audible dialogue.<ref name=KenrickJazz>Kenrick, John. [https://www.musicals101.com/1927-30film.htm "History of Musical Film, 1927-30: Hollywood Learns To Sing"]. Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed May 17, 2010</ref> ''[[The Jazz Singer]]'', released in 1927 by [[Warner Brothers]], was the first to include an audio track including non-[[Diegesis|diegetic]] music and diegetic music, but it had only a short sequence of spoken dialogue. This feature-length film was also a musical, featuring [[Al Jolson]] singing "Dirty Hands, Dirty Face", "Toot, Toot, Tootsie", "[[Blue Skies (1926 song)|Blue Skies]]", and "[[My Mammy]]". Historian [[Scott Eyman]] wrote, "As the film ended and applause grew with the houselights, [[Sam Goldwyn]]'s wife Frances looked around at the celebrities in the crowd. She saw 'terror in all their faces', she said, as if they knew that 'the game they had been playing for years was finally over'."<ref>'"Eyman, Scott. ''The Speed of Sound: Hollywood and the Talkie Revolution'' Simon & Schuster, 1997, p. 160</ref> Still, only isolated sequences featured "live" sound; most of the film had only a synchronous musical score.<ref name=KenrickJazz/> In 1928, Warner Brothers followed this up with another Jolson part-talkie, ''[[The Singing Fool]]'', which was a blockbuster hit.<ref name=KenrickJazz/> Theaters scrambled to install the new sound equipment and to hire [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] composers to write musicals for the screen.<ref name=KenrickLove>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1927-30film2.htm "History of Musical Film, 1927-30: Part II"]. Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed May 17, 2010</ref> The first all-talking feature, ''[[Lights of New York (1928 film)|Lights of New York]]'', included a musical sequence in a night club. The enthusiasm of audiences was so great that in less than a year all the major studios were making sound pictures exclusively. ''[[The Broadway Melody]]'' (1929) had a show-biz plot about two sisters competing for a charming song-and-dance man. Advertised by [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]] as the first "All-Talking, All-Singing, All-Dancing" feature film, it was a hit and won the [[Academy Award for Best Picture]] for 1929. There was a rush by the studios to hire talent from the stage to star in lavishly filmed versions of Broadway hits. ''[[The Love Parade]]'' (Paramount 1929) starred [[Maurice Chevalier]] and newcomer [[Jeanette MacDonald]], written by Broadway veteran [[Guy Bolton]].<ref name=KenrickLove/>

Warner Brothers produced the first screen operetta, ''[[The Desert Song]]'' in 1929. They spared no expense and photographed a large percentage of the film in [[Technicolor]]. This was followed by the first all-color, all-talking musical feature which was entitled ''[[On with the Show (1929 film)|On with the Show]]'' (1929). The most popular film of 1929 was the second all-color, all-talking feature which was entitled ''[[Gold Diggers of Broadway]]'' (1929). This film broke all box office records and remained the highest-grossing film ever produced until 1939. Suddenly, the market became flooded with musicals, revues, and operettas. The following all-color musicals were produced in 1929 and 1930 alone: ''[[The Hollywood Revue of 1929]]'' (1929), ''[[The Show of Shows]]'' (1929), ''[[Sally (1929 film)|Sally]]'' (1929), ''[[The Vagabond King]]'' (1930), ''[[Follow Thru]]'' (1930), ''[[Bright Lights (1930 film)|Bright Lights]]'' (1930), ''[[Golden Dawn (film)|Golden Dawn]]'' (1930), ''[[Hold Everything (1930 film)|Hold Everything]]'' (1930), ''[[The Rogue Song]]'' (1930), ''[[Song of the Flame (film)|Song of the Flame]]'' (1930), ''[[Song of the West]]'' (1930), ''[[Sweet Kitty Bellairs (1930 film)|Sweet Kitty Bellairs]]'' (1930), ''[[Under a Texas Moon]]'' (1930), ''[[Bride of the Regiment]]'' (1930), ''[[Whoopee! (film)|Whoopee!]]'' (1930), ''[[King of Jazz]]'' (1930), ''[[Viennese Nights]]'' (1930), and ''[[Kiss Me Again (1931 film)|Kiss Me Again]]'' (1930). In addition, there were scores of musical features released with color sequences.

Hollywood released more than 100 musical films in 1930, but only 14 in 1931.<ref name=KenrickRodgers>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1930film.htm "History of Musical Film, 1930s: Part I: 'Hip, Hooray and Ballyhoo'"]. Musicals101.com, 2003, accessed May 17, 2010</ref> By late 1930, audiences had been oversaturated with musicals and studios were forced to cut the music from films that were then being released. For example, ''[[Life of the Party (1930 film)|Life of the Party]]'' (1930) was originally produced as an all-color, all-talking musical comedy. Before it was released, however, the songs were cut out. The same thing happened to ''[[Fifty Million Frenchmen]]'' (1931) and ''[[Manhattan Parade]]'' (1932) both of which had been filmed entirely in [[Technicolor]]. [[Marlene Dietrich]] sang songs successfully in her films, and [[Rodgers and Hart]] wrote a few well-received films, but even their popularity waned by 1932.<ref name=KenrickRodgers/> The public had quickly come to associate color with musicals and thus the decline in their popularity also resulted in a decline in color productions.

====Busby Berkeley====
The taste in musicals revived again in 1933 when director [[Busby Berkeley]] began to enhance the traditional dance number with ideas drawn from the [[Parade (military)|drill]] precision he had experienced as a soldier during [[World War I]]. In films such as ''[[42nd Street (film)|42nd Street]]'' and ''[[Gold Diggers of 1933]]'' (1933), Berkeley choreographed a number of films in his unique style. Berkeley's numbers typically begin on a stage but gradually transcend the limitations of theatrical space: his ingenious routines, involving human bodies forming patterns like a kaleidoscope, could never fit onto a real stage and the intended perspective is viewing from straight above.<ref>Kenrick, John. [http://www.musicals101.com/1930film2.htm "History of Musical Film, 1930s Part II"]. Musicals101.com, 2004, accessed May 17, 2010</ref>

====Musical stars====
Musical stars such as [[Fred Astaire]] and [[Ginger Rogers]] were among the most popular and highly respected personalities in Hollywood during the classical era; the Fred and Ginger pairing was particularly successful, resulting in a number of classic films such as ''[[Top Hat]]'' (1935), ''[[Swing Time (film)|Swing Time]]'' (1936), and ''[[Shall We Dance (1937 film)|Shall We Dance]]'' (1937). Many dramatic actors gladly participated in musicals as a way to break away from their typecasting. For instance, the multi-talented [[James Cagney]] had originally risen to fame as a stage singer and dancer, but his repeated casting in "tough guy" roles and [[mob film]]s gave him few chances to display these talents. Cagney's [[Academy Awards|Oscar]]-winning role in ''[[Yankee Doodle Dandy]]'' (1942) allowed him to sing and dance, and he considered it to be one of his finest moments.

Many comedies (and a few dramas) included their own musical numbers. The [[Marx Brothers]]' films included a musical number in nearly every film, allowing the Brothers to highlight their musical talents. Their final film, entitled ''[[Love Happy]]'' (1949), featured [[Vera-Ellen]], considered to be the best dancer among her colleagues and professionals in the half century.

Similarly, the [[Vaudeville|vaudevillian]] comedian [[W. C. Fields]] joined forces with the comic actress [[Martha Raye]] and the young comedian [[Bob Hope]] in [[Paramount Pictures]] musical anthology ''[[The Big Broadcast of 1938]]''. The film also showcased the talents of several internationally recognized musical artists including: [[Kirsten Flagstad]] (Norwegian operatic soprano), [[Wilfred Pelletier]] (Canadian conductor of the [[Metropolitan Opera|Metropolitan Opera Orchestra]]), [[Tito Guizar]] (Mexican tenor), [[Shep Fields]] conducting his Rippling Rhythm Jazz Orchestra and [[John Serry Sr.]] (Italian-American concert accordionist).<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029912/ ''The Big Broadcast of 1938'' on imdb.con]</ref> In addition to the [[Academy Award for Best Original Song]] (1938), the film earned an [[ASCAP]] Film and Television Award (1989) for Bob Hope's signature song "[[Thanks for the Memory]]".<ref>[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0029912/awards?ref_=tt_awd ''The Big Broadcast of 1938 - Awards'' on IMDb]</ref>

====The Freed Unit====
[[File:Rock, Rock, Rock! (1956).ogv|thumb|thumbtime=6|upright=1.5|''[[Rock, Rock, Rock (film)|Rock, Rock, Rock]]'', a musical movie from 1956]]During the late 1940s and into the early 1950s, a production unit at [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]] headed by [[Arthur Freed]] made the transition from old-fashioned musical films, whose formula had become repetitive, to something new. (However, they also produced technicolor remakes of such musicals as ''[[Show Boat]]'', which had previously been filmed in the 1930s.) In 1939, Freed was hired as associate producer for the film ''[[Babes in Arms (film)|Babes in Arms]]''. Starting in 1944 with ''[[Meet Me in St. Louis]]'', the Freed Unit worked somewhat independently of its own studio to produce some of the most popular and well-known examples of the genre. The products of this unit include ''[[Easter Parade (film)|Easter Parade]]'' (1948), ''[[On the Town (film)|On the Town]]'' (1949), ''[[An American in Paris (film)|An American in Paris]]'' (1951), ''[[Singin' in the Rain]]'' (1952), ''[[The Band Wagon]]'' (1953) and ''[[Gigi (1958 film)|Gigi]]'' (1958). Non-Freed musicals from the studio included ''[[Seven Brides for Seven Brothers]]'' in 1954 and ''[[High Society (1956 film)|High Society]]'' in 1956, and the studio distributed [[Samuel Goldwyn]]'s ''[[Guys and Dolls (film)|Guys and Dolls]]'' in 1955.

This era saw musical stars become household names, including [[Judy Garland]], [[Gene Kelly]], [[Ann Miller]], [[Donald O'Connor]], [[Cyd Charisse]], [[Mickey Rooney]], [[Vera-Ellen]], [[Jane Powell]], [[Howard Keel]], and [[Kathryn Grayson]]. Fred Astaire was also coaxed out of retirement for ''Easter Parade'' and made a permanent comeback.

====Outside MGM====
The other Hollywood studios proved themselves equally adept at tackling the genre at this time, particularly in the 1950s. Four adaptations of [[Rodgers and Hammerstein]] shows - ''[[Oklahoma! (film)|Oklahoma!]]'', ''[[The King and I (1956 film)|The King and I]]'', ''[[Carousel (film)|Carousel]]'', and ''[[South Pacific (1958 film)|South Pacific]]'' - were all successes, while [[Paramount Pictures]] released ''[[White Christmas (film)|White Christmas]]'' and ''[[Funny Face]]'', two films which used previously written music by Irving Berlin and the Gershwins, respectively. [[Warner Bros.]] produced ''[[Calamity Jane (film)|Calamity Jane]]'' and ''[[A Star Is Born (1954 film)|A Star Is Born]]''; the former film was a vehicle for [[Doris Day]], while the latter provided a big-screen comeback for Judy Garland, who had been out of the spotlight since 1950. Meanwhile, director [[Otto Preminger]], better known for "message pictures", made ''[[Carmen Jones (film)|Carmen Jones]]'' and ''[[Porgy and Bess (film)|Porgy and Bess]]'', both starring [[Dorothy Dandridge]], who is considered the first African American A-list film star. Celebrated director [[Howard Hawks]] also ventured into the genre with ''[[Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1953 film)|Gentlemen Prefer Blondes]]''.{{Original research section|date=October 2010}}
In the 1960s, 1970s, and continuing up to today, the musical film became less of a bankable genre that could be relied upon for sure-fire hits. Audiences for them lessened and fewer musical films were produced as the genre became less mainstream and more specialized.

===The 1960s musical===
In the 1960s, the critical and box-office success of the films ''[[West Side Story (1961 film)|West Side Story]]'', ''[[Gypsy (1962 film)|Gypsy]]'', ''[[The Music Man (1962 film)|The Music Man]]'', ''[[Bye Bye Birdie (1963 film)|Bye Bye Birdie]]'', ''[[My Fair Lady (film)|My Fair Lady]]'', ''[[Mary Poppins (film)|Mary Poppins]]'', ''[[The Sound of Music (film)|The Sound of Music]]'', ''[[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (film)|A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum]]'', ''[[The Jungle Book (1967 film)|The Jungle Book]]'', ''[[Thoroughly Modern Millie]]'', ''[[Oliver! (film)|Oliver!]]'', and ''[[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]]'' suggested that the traditional musical was in good health, while French filmmaker [[Jacques Demy]]'s [[jazz]] musicals ''[[The Umbrellas of Cherbourg]]'' and ''[[The Young Girls of Rochefort]]'' were popular with international critics. However popular musical tastes were being heavily affected by [[rock and roll]] and the freedom and youth associated with it, and indeed [[Elvis Presley]] made a few films that have been equated with the old musicals in terms of form. ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'' and ''[[Help! (film)|Help!]]'', starring [[the Beatles]], were audacious. Most of the musical films of the 1950s and 1960s such as ''[[Oklahoma! (film)|Oklahoma!]]'' and ''The Sound of Music'' were straightforward adaptations or restagings of successful stage productions. The most successful musicals of the 1960s created specifically for film were ''Mary Poppins'' and ''The Jungle Book'', two of Disney's biggest hits of all time.

The phenomenal box-office performance of ''The Sound of Music'' gave the major Hollywood studios more confidence to produce lengthy, large-budget musicals. Despite the resounding success of some of these films, Hollywood also produced a large number of musical flops in the late 1960s and early 1970s which appeared to seriously misjudge public taste. The commercially and/or critically unsuccessful films included ''[[Camelot (film)|Camelot]]'', ''[[Finian's Rainbow (1968 film)|Finian's Rainbow]]'', ''[[Hello, Dolly! (film)|Hello Dolly!]]'', ''[[Sweet Charity (film)|Sweet Charity]]'', ''[[Doctor Dolittle (film)|Doctor Dolittle]]'', ''[[Half a Sixpence (film)|Half a Sixpence]]'', ''[[The Happiest Millionaire]]'', ''[[Star! (film)|Star!]]'', ''[[Darling Lili]]'', ''[[Goodbye, Mr. Chips (1969 film)|Goodbye, Mr. Chips]]'', ''[[Paint Your Wagon (film)|Paint Your Wagon]]'', ''[[Song of Norway (film)|Song of Norway]]'', ''[[On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (film)|On a Clear Day You Can See Forever]]'', ''[[1776 (film)|1776]]'', ''[[Man of La Mancha (film)|Man of La Mancha]]'', ''[[Lost Horizon (1973 film)|Lost Horizon]]'', and ''[[Mame (film)|Mame]]''. Collectively and individually these failures affected the financial viability of several major studios.

===1970s===
In the 1970s, film culture and the changing demographics of filmgoers placed greater emphasis on gritty realism, while the pure entertainment and theatricality of classical-era Hollywood musicals was seen as old-fashioned. Despite this, ''[[Fiddler on the Roof (film)|Fiddler on the Roof]]'' and ''[[Cabaret (1972 film)|Cabaret]]'' were more traditional musicals closely adapted from stage shows and were strong successes with critics and audiences. [[Sexual revolution in 1960s America|Changing cultural mores]] and the abandonment of the [[Motion Picture Production Code|Hays Code]] in 1968 also contributed to changing tastes in film audiences. The 1973 film of [[Andrew Lloyd Webber]] and [[Tim Rice]]'s ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar (film)|Jesus Christ Superstar]]'' was met with some criticism by religious groups but was well received. By the mid-1970s, filmmakers avoided the genre in favor of using music by popular rock or pop bands as background music, partly in hope of selling a [[soundtrack album]] to fans. ''[[The Rocky Horror Picture Show]]'' was originally released in 1975 and was a critical failure until it started [[Midnight movie|midnight screenings]] in the 1980s where it achieved cult status.  That same year also saw the premiere of the R&B band [[Bloodstone (band) |Bloodstone]]'s movie ''[[Train Ride to Hollywood]]'', but problems in distribution rendered it barely getting token theatrical release.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Szebin |first1=Frederick C.|title=Roberta Collins:'Caged Heat'! Diary of a Drive-In Diva:Partyin' and Bustin'-Out with Pam Grier|url= https://archive.org/details/Femme_Fatales_v07n05/page/n45/mode/1up|accessdate=August 28, 2023 |work=Femme Fatales|publisher=King Features Syndicate, Inc. |date=October 1998 |location=Baltimore, Maryland |page=46}}</ref>  The year 1976 saw the release of the low-budget comic musical, ''[[The First Nudie Musical]]'', released by Paramount. The 1978 film version of ''[[Grease (film)|Grease]]'' was a smash hit; its songs were original compositions done in a 1950s pop style. However, the sequel ''[[Grease 2]]'' (released in 1982) bombed at the box-office. Films about performers which incorporated gritty drama and musical numbers interwoven as a [[Diegesis|diegetic]] part of the storyline were produced, such as ''[[Lady Sings the Blues (film)|Lady Sings the Blues]]'', ''[[All That Jazz (film)|All That Jazz]]'', and ''[[New York, New York (1977 film)|New York, New York]]''. Some musicals made in Britain experimented with the form, such as [[Richard Attenborough]]'s ''[[Oh! What a Lovely War]]'' (released in 1969), [[Alan Parker]]'s ''[[Bugsy Malone]]'' and [[Ken Russell]]'s ''[[Tommy (1975 film)|Tommy]]'' and ''[[Lisztomania (film)|Lisztomania]]''.

A number of film musicals were still being made that were financially and/or critically less successful than in the musical's heyday. They include ''[[1776 (film)|1776]]'', ''[[The Wiz (film)|The Wiz]]'', ''[[At Long Last Love]]'', ''[[Mame (film)|Mame]]'', ''[[Man of La Mancha]]'', ''[[Lost Horizon (1973 film)|Lost Horizon]]'','' [[Godspell]]'', ''[[Phantom of the Paradise]]'', ''[[Funny Lady]]'' ([[Barbra Streisand]]'s sequel to ''[[Funny Girl (film)|Funny Girl]]''), ''[[A Little Night Music (film)|A Little Night Music]]'', and ''[[Hair (film)|Hair]]'' amongst others. The critical wrath against ''[[At Long Last Love]]'', in particular, was so strong that it was never released on home video. Fantasy musical films ''[[Scrooge (1970 film)|Scrooge]]'', ''[[The Blue Bird (1976 film)|The Blue Bird]]'', ''[[The Little Prince (1974 film)|The Little Prince]]'', ''[[Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory]]'', ''[[Pete's Dragon (1977 film)|Pete's Dragon]]'', and Disney's ''[[Bedknobs and Broomsticks]]'' were also released in the 1970s, the latter winning the [[Academy Award for Best Visual Effects]].

===1980s to 1990s===
By the 1980s, financiers grew increasingly confident in the musical genre, partly buoyed by the relative health of the musical on [[Broadway theatre|Broadway]] and [[West End theatre|London's West End]]. Productions of the 1980s and 1990s included ''[[The Apple (1980 film)|The Apple]]'', ''[[Xanadu (film)|Xanadu]]'', ''[[The Blues Brothers (film)|The Blues Brothers]]'', ''[[Annie (1982 film)|Annie]]'', ''[[Monty Python's The Meaning of Life]]'', ''[[The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (film)|The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas]]'', ''[[Victor/Victoria]]'', ''[[Footloose (1984 film)|Footloose]]'', ''[[Fast Forward (film)|Fast Forward]]'', ''[[A Chorus Line (film)|A Chorus Line]]'', ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'', ''[[Forbidden Zone]]'', ''[[Absolute Beginners (film)|Absolute Beginners]]'', ''[[Labyrinth (1986 film)|Labyrinth]]'', ''[[Newsies]]'', ''[[Evita (1996 film)|Evita]]'', and ''[[Everyone Says I Love You]]''. However, ''[[Can't Stop the Music]]'', starring the [[Village People]], was a calamitous attempt to resurrect the old-style musical and was released to audience indifference in 1980. ''[[Little Shop of Horrors (1986 film)|Little Shop of Horrors]]'' was based on an off-Broadway musical adaptation of a 1960 Roger Corman film, a precursor of later film-to-stage-to-film adaptations, including ''[[The Producers (1968 film)|The Producers]]''.

Many [[animated film]]s of the period – predominately from [[List of Disney theatrical animated features|Disney]] – included traditional musical numbers. [[Howard Ashman]], [[Alan Menken]], and [[Stephen Schwartz (composer)|Stephen Schwartz]] had previous musical theater experience and wrote songs for animated films during this time, supplanting Disney workhorses the [[Sherman Brothers]]. Starting with 1989's ''[[The Little Mermaid (1989 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'', the [[Disney Renaissance]] gave new life to the musical film. Other successful animated musicals included ''[[Aladdin (1992 Disney film)|Aladdin]]'', ''[[The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996 film)|The Hunchback of Notre Dame]]'', and ''[[Pocahontas (1995 film)|Pocahontas]]'' from Disney proper, ''[[The Nightmare Before Christmas]]'' from Disney division Touchstone Pictures, ''[[The Prince of Egypt]]'' from DreamWorks, ''[[Anastasia (1997 film)|Anastasia]]'' from Fox and Don Bluth, [[Eight Crazy Nights]] from Columbia, and ''[[South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut]]'' from Paramount and Warner Bros. [[Beauty and the Beast (1991 film)|''Beauty and the Beast'']], ''[[The Lion King]]'', and others were adapted for the stage after their blockbuster success.

=== 2000–now: The second-classical era or New Musical Era ===

==== 21st-century musicals or New Age ====
In the 21st century, movie musicals were reborn with darker musicals, musical biopics, epic drama musicals and comedy drama musicals such as ''[[O Brother, Where Art Thou?]]'', ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'', ''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]'', ''[[Walk the Line]]'', ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]'', ''[[Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007 film)|Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street]]'', ''[[Les Misérables (2012 film)|Les Misérables]]'', ''[[La La Land]]'', and ''[[West Side Story (2021 film)|West Side Story]]''; all of which won the [[Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy]] in their respective years, while such films as ''[[The Phantom of the Opera (2004 film)|The Phantom of the Opera]]'', ''[[Hairspray (2007 film)|Hairspray]]'', ''[[Mamma Mia! (film)|Mamma Mia!]]'', ''[[Nine (2009 live-action film)|Nine]]'', ''[[Burlesque (2010 American film)|Burlesque]]'', ''[[Into the Woods (film)|Into the Woods]]'', ''[[Sing Street]]'', ''[[The Greatest Showman]]'', ''[[Mary Poppins Returns]]'', ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'', ''[[The Prom (film)|The Prom]]'', ''[[Cyrano (film)|Cyrano]]'', ''[[Tick, Tick... Boom! (film)|Tick, Tick... Boom!]]'', ''[[Elvis (2022 film)|Elvis]]'', ''[[The Color Purple (2023 film)|The Color Purple]]'', and ''[[Wicked (2024 film)|Wicked]]'' were only nominated. ''Chicago'' was also the first musical since ''Oliver!'' to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

[[Joshua Oppenheimer]]'s Academy Award-nominated documentary ''[[The Act of Killing]]'' may be considered a nonfiction musical.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www2.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/sight-sound-magazine/interviews/build-my-gallows-high-joshua-oppenheimer-act-killing|title=Build my gallows high: Joshua Oppenheimer on The Act of Killing|work=British Film Institute|access-date=2018-04-29|language=en}}</ref>

One specific musical trend was the rising number of [[jukebox musicals]] based on music from various pop/rock artists on the big screen, some of which based on Broadway shows. Examples of Broadway-based jukebox musical films included ''[[Mamma Mia! (musical)|Mamma Mia]]!'' ([[ABBA]]), ''[[Rock of Ages (2012 film)|Rock of Ages]]'', and ''[[Sunshine on Leith (film)|Sunshine on Leith]]'' ([[The Proclaimers]]). Original ones included ''[[Across the Universe (film)|Across the Universe]]'' ([[The Beatles]]), ''Moulin Rouge!'' (various pop hits), ''[[Idlewild (film)|Idlewild]]'' ([[Outkast]]) and ''[[Yesterday (2019 film)|Yesterday]]'' ([[The Beatles]]).

Disney also returned to musicals with ''Enchanted'', ''[[The Princess and the Frog]]'', ''[[Tangled]]'', ''[[Winnie the Pooh (2011 film)|Winnie the Pooh]]'', ''[[The Muppets (2011 film)|The Muppets]]'', ''[[Frozen (2013 film)|Frozen]]'', ''[[Muppets Most Wanted]]'', ''Into the Woods'', ''[[Moana (2016 film)|Moana]]'', ''Mary Poppins Returns'', ''[[Frozen II]]'', ''[[Stargirl (film)|Stargirl]]'', ''[[Encanto]]'', ''[[Better Nate Than Ever (film)|Better Nate Than Ever]]'', ''[[Hollywood Stargirl]]'', ''[[Disenchanted (film)|Disenchanted]]'', ''[[Wish (film)|Wish]]'', ''[[Moana 2]]'' and ''[[Mufasa: The Lion King]]''. Following a string of successes with [[101 Dalmatians (1996 film)|live]] [[Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)|action]] [[Cinderella (2015 Disney film)|fantasy]] [[Pete's Dragon (2016 film)|adaptations]] of several of their [[Maleficent (film)|animated]] [[The Jungle Book (2016 film)|features]], Disney produced a live action version of ''[[Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast]]'', the first of this live action fantasy adaptation pack to be an all-out musical, and features new songs as well as new lyrics to both the [[Gaston (song)|Gaston]] number and the reprise of the title song. [[Bill Condon]], who directed ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]'', directed ''Beauty and the Beast''. The second film of this live action fantasy adaptation pack to be an all-out musical was ''[[Aladdin (2019 film)|Aladdin]]'' and features new songs. The third film of this live action fantasy adaptation pack to be an all-out musical was ''[[The Lion King (2019 film)|The Lion King]]'' and features new songs. The fourth film of this live action fantasy adaptation pack to be an all-out musical was ''[[The Little Mermaid (2023 film)|The Little Mermaid]]'' and features new songs with lyrics by [[Lin-Manuel Miranda]], replacing Ashman. [[Pixar]] also produced ''[[Coco (2017 film)|Coco]]'', the first [[computer-animated]] musical film by the company. Other animated musical films include ''[[Happy Feet]]'', ''[[Rio (2011 film)|Rio]]'', ''[[Happy Feet Two]]'', ''[[The Lorax (film)|Dr. Seuss' The Lorax]]'', ''[[Rio 2]]'', ''[[The Book of Life (2014 film)|The Book of Life]]'', ''[[Trolls (film)|Trolls]]'', ''[[Sing (2016 American film)|Sing]]'', ''[[My Little Pony: The Movie (2017 film)|My Little Pony: The Movie]]'', ''[[Smallfoot]]'', ''[[UglyDolls]]'', ''[[Trolls World Tour]]'', ''[[Over the Moon (2020 film)|Over the Moon]]'', ''[[Vivo (film)|Vivo]]'', ''[[Sing 2]]'', ''[[The Bob's Burgers Movie]]'', ''[[Under the Boardwalk (2023 film)|Under the Boardwalk]]'', ''[[Trolls Band Together]]'', ''[[Leo (2023 American film)|Leo]]'', ''[[Thelma the Unicorn]]'', ''[[Spellbound (2024 film)|Spellbound]]'', ''[[KPop Demon Hunters]]'', ''[[Smurfs (film)|Smurfs]]'', ''[[In Your Dreams (film)|In Your Dreams]]'', and ''[[Gabby's Dollhouse: The Movie]]''.

Biopics about music artists and showmen were also big in the 21st century. Examples include ''[[8 Mile (film)|8 Mile]]'' ([[Eminem]]), ''[[Ray (film)|Ray]]'' ([[Ray Charles]]), ''[[Walk the Line]]'' ([[Johnny Cash]] and [[June Carter]]), {{Lang|fr|[[La Vie en rose (film)|La Vie en Rose]]}} ([[Édith Piaf]]), ''[[Notorious (2009 film)|Notorious]]'' ([[Biggie Smalls]]), ''[[Jersey Boys (film)|Jersey Boys]]'' ([[The Four Seasons (band)|The Four Seasons]]) ''[[Love & Mercy (film)|Love & Mercy]]'' ([[Brian Wilson]]), ''[[CrazySexyCool: The TLC Story]]'' ([[TLC (group)|TLC]]), ''[[Aaliyah: The Princess of R&B]]'' ([[Aaliyah]]), ''[[Get on Up (film)|Get on Up]]'' ([[James Brown]]), ''[[Whitney (2015 film)|Whitney]]'' and ''[[Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody|I Wanna Dance With Somebody]]'' ([[Whitney Houston]]), ''[[Straight Outta Compton (film)|Straight Outta Compton]]'' ([[N.W.A]]), ''[[The Greatest Showman]]'' ([[P. T. Barnum]]), ''[[Bohemian Rhapsody (film)|Bohemian Rhapsody]]'' ([[Freddie Mercury]]), ''[[The Dirt (film)|The Dirt]]'' ([[Mötley Crüe]]), ''[[Judy (2019 film)|Judy]]'' ([[Judy Garland]]), ''[[Rocketman (film)|Rocketman]]'' ([[Elton John]]), ''[[Respect (2021 American film)|Respect]]'' ([[Aretha Franklin]]), ''[[Elvis (2022 film)|Elvis]]'' ([[Elvis Presley]]) and ''[[A Complete Unknown]]'' ([[Bob Dylan]]). Grossing over $900 million at the box office ''Bohemian Rhapsody'' is the most commercially successful musical biopic.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bohemian Rhapsody: Queen biopic surpasses $900m at box office |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-47939549 |access-date=15 April 2019 |agency=BBC}}</ref>

Director [[Damien Chazelle]] created a musical film called ''[[La La Land]]'', starring [[Ryan Gosling]] and [[Emma Stone]]. It was meant to reintroduce the traditional jazz style of song numbers with influences from the Golden Age of Hollywood and [[Jacques Demy]]'s French musicals while incorporating a contemporary/modern take on the story and characters with balances in fantasy numbers and grounded reality. It received 14 nominations at the [[89th Academy Awards]], tying the record for most nominations with ''[[All About Eve]]'' (1950) and ''[[Titanic (1997 film)|Titanic]]'' (1997), and won the awards for [[Academy Award for Best Director|Best Director]], [[Academy Award for Best Actress|Best Actress]], [[Academy Award for Best Cinematography|Best Cinematography]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Score|Best Original Score]], [[Academy Award for Best Original Song|Best Original Song]], and [[Academy Award for Best Production Design|Best Production Design]].

====Live! television events====
In 2013, [[NBC]] produced ''[[The Sound of Music Live!]]'' as part of their effort for expanded live entertainment events, which became an annual tradition of adaptations of stage musicals, created specifically as live television events. The following years featured ''[[Peter Pan Live!]]'', ''[[The Wiz Live!]]'', ''[[Hairspray Live!]]'', ''[[Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert]]'', ''[[Dr. Seuss' The Grinch Musical Live!]]'', and ''[[Annie Live!]]''. [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]] and [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] also produced similar events, including ''[[Grease Live!]]'', ''[[A Christmas Story Live!]]'', ''[[Rent: Live]]'', and ''[[The Little Mermaid Live!]]''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/tv/musicals/live-musicals-on-tv-ranked/|title = Live TV Musicals Ranked, from Worst to Best|date = 6 November 2019}}</ref>

==Indian musical films==
[[File:Bollywood dance show in Bristol.jpg|thumb|[[Bollywood]] dances usually follow or are choreographed to ''[[filmi]]'' [[Bollywood songs]].]]
{{Main|Bollywood|Cinema of India}}
{{See also|Filmi|Masala film|Music of Bollywood}}
An exception to the decline of the musical film is [[Cinema of India|Indian cinema]], especially the [[Hindi cinema|Bollywood film industry]] based in [[Mumbai]] (formerly Bombay), where most of films have been, and still are, musicals. The majority of films produced in the [[Tamil cinema|Tamil industry]], based in [[Chennai]] (formerly Madras), the [[Kannada cinema|Sandalwood industry]], based in [[Bangalore]], the [[Telugu cinema|Telugu industry]], based in [[Hyderabad, India|Hyderabad]], and the [[Malayalam cinema|Malayalam industry]] are also musicals.

Despite this exception of almost every Indian movie being a musical and India producing the most movies in the world (formed in 1913), the first Bollywood film to be a complete musical, ''[[Dev D]]'' (directed by [[Anurag Kashyap]]), came in 2009. The second musical film to follow was ''[[Jagga Jasoos]]'' (directed by [[Anurag Basu]]), in 2017.

===Early sound films (1930s–1940s)===
[[File:Achhut Kanya.jpg|thumb|right|Melodrama and romance are common ingredients to Bollywood films. Pictured ''[[Achhut Kannya|Achhut Kanya]]'' (1936)]]

[[Bollywood music]]als have their roots in the traditional musical [[theatre of India]], such as [[classical Indian musical theatre]], [[Sanskrit drama]], and [[Parsi theatre]]. Early [[Bombay]] filmmakers combined these Indian musical theatre traditions with the musical film format that emerged from early Hollywood sound films.<ref name=Gokulsing>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=Gokulsing|first=K. Moti|author2=Dissanayake, Wimal|author-link2=Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|pages=98–99}}</ref> Other early influences on Bombay filmmakers included [[Urdu literature]] and the ''[[Arabian Nights]]''.<ref>{{cite book|last=Gooptu|first=Sharmistha|title=Bengali Cinema: 'An Other Nation'|date=2010|publisher=[[Routledge]]|isbn=9781136912177|page=38|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DcUtCgAAQBAJ&pg=PA38}}</ref>

The first Indian sound film, [[Ardeshir Irani]]'s ''[[Alam Ara]]'' (1931), was a major commercial success.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2006/20060326/spectrum/main1.htm |title=Talking Images, 75 Years of Cinema |work=The Tribune |access-date=9 March 2013}}</ref> There was clearly a huge market for talkies and musicals; Bollywood and all the regional film industries quickly switched to sound filming.

In 1937, Ardeshir Irani, of ''Alam Ara'' fame, made the first colour film in [[Hindi]], ''[[Kisan Kanya]]''. The next year, he made another colour film, a version of ''Mother India''. However, colour did not become a popular feature until the late 1950s. At this time, lavish romantic musicals and melodramas were the staple fare at the cinema.

===Golden Age (late 1940s–1960s)===
Following [[Indian independence movement|India's independence]], the period from the late 1940s to the early 1960s is regarded by film historians as the "Golden Age" of [[Hindi cinema]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=17}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|title=Gender, Nation, and Globalization in Monsoon Wedding and Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge|first=Jenny|last=Sharpe|journal=Meridians: Feminism, Race, Transnationalism|volume=6|issue=1|year=2005|pages=58–81 [60 & 75]|doi=10.1353/mer.2005.0032|s2cid=201783566}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|first=Sharmistha|last=Gooptu|title=Reviewed work(s): ''The Cinemas of India'' (1896–2000) by Yves Thoraval|journal=[[Economic and Political Weekly]]|volume=37|issue=29|date=July 2002|pages=3023–4}}</ref> Some of the most critically acclaimed Hindi films of all time were produced during this period. Examples include ''[[Pyaasa]]'' (1957) and ''[[Kaagaz Ke Phool]]'' (1959), directed by [[Guru Dutt]] and written by [[Abrar Alvi]], ''[[Awaara]]'' (1951) and ''[[Shree 420]]'' (1955), directed by [[Raj Kapoor]] and written by [[Khwaja Ahmad Abbas]], and ''[[Aan]]'' (1952), directed by [[Mehboob Khan]] and starring [[Dilip Kumar]]. These films expressed social themes mainly dealing with working-class life in [[India]], particularly urban life in the former two examples; ''Awaara'' presented the city as both a nightmare and a dream, while ''Pyaasa'' critiqued the unreality of city life.<ref name=Gokulsing-18>{{Cite book|title=Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change|last=K. Moti Gokulsing|first=K. Gokulsing, Wimal Dissanayake|publisher=Trentham Books|year=2004|isbn=978-1-85856-329-9|page=18}}</ref>

[[Mehboob Khan]]'s ''[[Mother India]]'' (1957), a remake of his earlier ''[[Aurat (1940 film)|Aurat]]'' (1940), was the first Indian film to be nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]], which it lost by a single vote.<ref name="Thaindian 1">{{cite web|first=Priyanka |last=Khanna |title=For Bollywood, Oscar is a big yawn again |work=Thaindian News |date=24 February 2008 |url=http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |access-date=29 July 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120930012303/http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/entertainment/for-bollywood-oscar-is-a-big-yawn-again_10020729.html |archive-date=30 September 2012}}</ref> ''Mother India'' was also an important film that defined the conventions of Hindi cinema for decades.<ref>{{cite news|last=Sridharan |first=Tarini |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |title=Mother India, not Woman India |date=25 November 2012 |access-date=5 March 2012 |newspaper=The Hindu |location=Chennai, India |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130106095550/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-cinemaplus/mother-india-not-woman-india/article4131747.ece |archive-date= 6 January 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL8D9A71E9A0EED3C4 |title=Bollywood Blockbusters: ''Mother India'' (Part 1) |publisher=[[CNN-IBN]] |date=2009 |medium=Documentary |ref={{sfnRef|Bollywood Blockbusters Part 1|2009}} |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150715143942/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wChe8xWDwbo&feature=results_main&playnext=1&list=PL8D9A71E9A0EED3C4 |archive-date=15 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Kehr|first=Dave|url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9C03E5DE153CF930A1575BC0A9649C8B63|title=Mother India (1957). Film in review; 'Mother India'|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=23 August 2002|access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref>

In the 1960s and early 1970s, the industry was dominated by musical [[romance film]]s with "romantic hero" leads, the most popular being [[Rajesh Khanna]].<ref name="indianexpress2">{{cite news|title=Revisiting Prakash Mehra's Zanjeer: The film that made Amitabh Bachchan|url=http://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/bollywood/revisiting-prakash-mehra-zanjeer-the-film-that-made-amitabh-bachchan-4714064/|work=[[The Indian Express]]|date=20 June 2017}}</ref> Other actors during this period include [[Shammi Kapoor]], [[Jeetendra]], [[Sanjeev Kumar]], and [[Shashi Kapoor]], and actresses like [[Sharmila Tagore]], [[Mumtaz (Indian actress)|Mumtaz]], [[Saira Banu]], [[Helen (actress)|Helen]] and [[Asha Parekh]].

===Classic Bollywood (1970s–1980s)===
By the start of the 1970s, Hindi cinema was experiencing thematic stagnation,<ref name="raj">{{cite book|last=Raj|first=Ashok|title=Hero Vol.2|date=2009|publisher=[[Hay House]]|isbn=9789381398036|page=21|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2wo9BAAAQBAJ&pg=PT21}}</ref> dominated by musical [[romance film]]s.<ref name="indianexpress2"/> The arrival of screenwriter duo [[Salim–Javed]], consisting of [[Salim Khan]] and [[Javed Akhtar]], marked a paradigm shift, revitalizing the industry.<ref name="raj"/> They began the genre of gritty, violent, [[Mumbai underworld films|Bombay underworld crime film]]s in the early 1970s, with films such as ''[[Zanjeer (1973 film)|Zanjeer]]'' (1973) and ''[[Deewaar]]'' (1975).<ref name="ganti">{{cite book|last=Ganti|first=Tejaswini|title=Bollywood: A Guidebook to Popular Hindi Cinema|date=2004|publisher=[[Psychology Press]]|isbn=9780415288545|page=153|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GTEa93azj9EC&pg=PA153}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|date=2015|publisher=[[Penguin Books]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=72|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT72}}</ref>

The 1970s was also when the name "Bollywood" was coined,<ref name="collaco">{{cite news|title=On the Bollywood beat|author=Anand|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=7 March 2004|url=http://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/03/07/stories/2004030700390600.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040403234115/http://www.hindu.com/lr/2004/03/07/stories/2004030700390600.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=3 April 2004|access-date=31 May 2009|location=Chennai, India}}</ref><ref name="khanna">{{cite web|title=Amit Khanna: The Man who saw 'Bollywood'|author=Subhash K Jha|date=8 April 2005|website=[[Sify]]|url=http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13713296|access-date=31 May 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050409171523/http://sify.com/movies/bollywood/fullstory.php?id=13713296|archive-date=9 April 2005|df=dmy-all}}</ref> and when the quintessential conventions of commercial Bollywood films were established.<ref name="Chaudhuri58">{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Cri9CgAAQBAJ&pg=PT58|title=Written by Salim-Javed: The Story of Hindi Cinema's Greatest Screenwriters|last=Chaudhuri|first=Diptakirti|date=2015-10-01|publisher=[[Penguin Books|Penguin UK]]|isbn=9789352140084|page=58}}</ref> Key to this was the emergence of the [[masala film]] genre, which combines elements of multiple genres ([[Action film|action]], [[Comedy film|comedy]], [[Romance film|romance]], [[Drama film|drama]], [[melodrama]], musical). The masala film was pioneered in the early 1970s by filmmaker [[Nasir Hussain]],<ref>{{cite news|title=How film-maker Nasir Husain started the trend for Bollywood masala films|url=http://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/how-film-maker-nasir-husain-created-the-prototype-for-bollywood-masala-films/story-ckL6zPLHJFDYoupjFBtbfN.html|work=[[Hindustan Times]]|date=30 March 2017}}</ref> along with screenwriter duo Salim-Javed,<ref name="Chaudhuri58"/> pioneering the Bollywood [[Blockbuster (entertainment)|blockbuster]] format.<ref name="Chaudhuri58"/> ''[[Yaadon Ki Baarat]]'' (1973), directed by Hussain and written by Salim-Javed, has been identified as the first masala film and the "first" quintessentially "Bollywood" film.<ref name="bhaumik">Kaushik Bhaumik, [https://thewire.in/24564/an-insightful-reading-of-our-many-indian-identities/ An Insightful Reading of Our Many Indian Identities], [[The Wire (Indian web publication)|The Wire]], 12/03/2016</ref><ref name="Chaudhuri58"/> Salim-Javed went on to write more successful masala films in the 1970s and 1980s.<ref name="Chaudhuri58"/> Masala films launched [[Amitabh Bachchan]] into the biggest Bollywood movie star of the 1970s and 1980s. A landmark for the masala film genre was ''[[Amar Akbar Anthony]]'' (1977),<ref name="Dwyer2005">{{cite book|author=Rachel Dwyer|title=100 Bollywood films|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4EBNAQAAIAAJ|access-date=6 August 2013|year=2005|page=14|publisher=Lotus Collection, Roli Books|isbn=978-81-7436-433-3}}</ref><ref name="bhaumik"/> directed by [[Manmohan Desai]] and written by [[Kader Khan]]. Manmohan Desai went on to successfully exploit the genre in the 1970s and 1980s.

Along with Bachchan, other popular actors of this era included [[Feroz Khan (actor)|Feroz Khan]],<ref name="funky">{{cite book|last1=Stadtman|first1=Todd|title=Funky Bollywood: The Wild World of 1970s Indian Action Cinema|date=2015|publisher=FAB Press|isbn=9781903254776|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T0DXoQEACAAJ}}</ref> [[Mithun Chakraborty]], [[Naseeruddin Shah]], [[Jackie Shroff]], [[Sanjay Dutt]], [[Anil Kapoor]] and [[Sunny Deol]]. Actresses from this era included [[Hema Malini]], [[Jaya Bachchan]], [[Rakhee Gulzar|Raakhee]], [[Shabana Azmi]], [[Zeenat Aman]], [[Parveen Babi]], [[Rekha]], [[Dimple Kapadia]], [[Smita Patil]], [[Jaya Prada]] and [[Padmini Kolhapure]].<ref name="actorsuntil90">{{cite web|title=The Present |author=Ahmed, Rauf |work=[[Rediff.com]] |url=http://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |access-date=30 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080529044434/http://www.rediff.com/millenni/rauf2.htm |archive-date=29 May 2008 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref>

===New Bollywood (1990s–present)===
In the late 1980s, Hindi cinema experienced another period of stagnation, with a decline in box office turnout, due to increasing violence, decline in musical melodic quality, and rise in video piracy, leading to middle-class family audiences abandoning theaters. The turning point came with ''[[Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak]]'' (1988), directed by [[Mansoor Khan]], written and produced by his father [[Nasir Hussain]], and starring his cousin [[Aamir Khan]] with [[Juhi Chawla]]. Its blend of youthfulness, wholesome entertainment, emotional quotients and strong melodies lured family audiences back to the big screen.<ref name="Chintamani">{{cite book|last=Chintamani|first=Gautam|title=Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak: The Film That Revived Hindi Cinema|date=2016|publisher=[[HarperCollins]]|isbn=9789352640980|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BZYOvgAACAAJ}}</ref><ref name="Ray">{{cite news|last=Ray|first=Kunal|title=Romancing the 1980s|url=http://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/Romancing-the-1980s/article16898867.ece|work=[[The Hindu]]|date=18 December 2016|language=en-IN}}</ref> It set a new template for Bollywood musical romance films that defined Hindi cinema in the 1990s.<ref name="Ray" />

The period of Hindi cinema from the 1990s onwards is referred to as "New Bollywood" cinema,<ref>{{cite book|last=Sen|first=Meheli|title=Haunting Bollywood: Gender, Genre, and the Supernatural in Hindi Commercial Cinema|date=2017|publisher=[[University of Texas Press]]|isbn=9781477311585|page=189|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZA7BDQAAQBAJ&pg=PA189}}</ref> linked to [[economic liberalisation in India]] during the early 1990s.<ref>{{cite book|last=Joshi|first=Priya|title=Bollywood's India: A Public Fantasy|date=2015|publisher=[[Columbia University Press]]|isbn=9780231539074|page=171|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=C3wyBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA171}}</ref> By the early 1990s, the pendulum had swung back toward family-centric romantic musicals. ''Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak'' was followed by blockbusters such as ''[[Maine Pyar Kiya]]'' (1989), ''[[Chandni (1989 film)|Chandni]]'' (1989), ''[[Hum Aapke Hain Kaun]]'' (1994), ''[[Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge]]'' (1995), ''[[Raja Hindustani]]'' (1996), ''[[Dil To Pagal Hai]]'' (1997), ''[[Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha]]'' (1998) and ''[[Kuch Kuch Hota Hai]]'' (1998). A new generation of popular actors emerged, such as Aamir Khan, [[Aditya Pancholi]], [[Ajay Devgan]], [[Akshay Kumar]], [[Salman Khan]] ([[Salim Khan family|Salim Khan's son]]), and [[Shah Rukh Khan|Shahrukh Khan]], and actresses such as [[Madhuri Dixit]], [[Sridevi]], [[Juhi Chawla]], [[Meenakshi Seshadri]], [[Manisha Koirala]], [[Kajol]], and [[Karisma Kapoor]].<ref name="actorsuntil90"/>

Since the 1990s, the three biggest Bollywood movie stars have been the "[[Khans of Bollywood|Three Khans]]": [[Aamir Khan]], [[Shah Rukh Khan]], and [[Salman Khan]].<ref name="desiblitz">{{cite web|url=https://www.desiblitz.com/content/the-three-khans-of-bollywood|title=The Three Khans of Bollywood - DESIblitz|date=18 September 2012|access-date=4 July 2018}}</ref><ref name="forbes">{{cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2016/03/20/are-bollywoods-three-khans-the-last-of-the-movie-kings/|title=Are Bollywood's Three Khans The Last Of The Movie Kings?|first=Rob|last=Cain|website=[[Forbes]]}}</ref> Combined, they have starred in most of the top ten [[List of highest-grossing Bollywood films|highest-grossing Bollywood films]]. The three Khans have had successful careers since the late 1980s,<ref name="desiblitz"/> and have dominated the Indian box office since the 1990s,<ref>[http://www.firstpost.com/entertainment/after-aamir-srk-salman-why-bollywoods-next-male-superstar-may-need-a-decade-to-rise-3049864.html After Aamir, SRK, Salman, why Bollywood's next male superstar may need a decade to rise], [[Firstpost]], 16 October 2016</ref> across three decades.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/aamir-khan-is-the-king-of-the-king-khans-moved-ahead-of-shah-rukh-salman-1723117|title=Why Aamir Khan Is The King Of Khans: Foreign Media}}</ref>

===Influence on Western films (2000s–present)===
[[Baz Luhrmann]] stated that his successful musical film ''[[Moulin Rouge!]]'' (2001) was directly inspired by Bollywood musicals.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aa030902a.htm|title=Baz Luhrmann Talks Awards and "Moulin Rouge"|access-date=2009-02-23|archive-date=2012-05-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120502074825/http://movies.about.com/library/weekly/aa030902a.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> The film pays homage to India, incorporating an Indian-themed play and a Bollywood-style dance sequence with a song from the film ''[[China Gate (1998 film)|China Gate]]''. The critical and financial success of ''Moulin Rouge!'' renewed interest in the then-moribund Western live action musical genre, and subsequently films such as ''[[Chicago (2002 film)|Chicago]]'', ''[[The Producers (2005 film)|The Producers]]'', ''[[Rent (film)|Rent]]'', ''[[Dreamgirls (film)|Dreamgirls]]'', and ''[[Hairspray (2007 film)|Hairspray]]'' were produced, fueling a renaissance of the genre.<ref name="pbs">{{cite web|title=Hollywood/Bollywood|publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service]]|url=https://www.pbs.org/independentlens/cosmopolitan/bollywood.html|access-date=12 February 2010|archive-date=23 February 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100223061624/http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/cosmopolitan/bollywood.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

''[[The Guru (2002 film)|The Guru]]'' and ''[[The 40-Year-Old Virgin]]'' also feature Indian-style song-and-dance sequences; the Bollywood musical ''[[Lagaan]]'' (2001) was nominated for the [[Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film]]; two other Bollywood films ''[[Devdas (2002 Hindi film)|Devdas]]'' (2002) and ''[[Rang De Basanti]]'' (2006) were nominated for the [[BAFTA Award for Best Film Not in the English Language]]; and [[Danny Boyle]]'s [[Academy Award]] winning ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'' (2008) also features a Bollywood-style song-and-dance number during the film's end credits, ''[[Tallika]]'' (2022) was the first movie with Maximum Genres of Music Composed by Maharaja and registered as a World Record Holder in Music,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://fox59.com/business/press-releases/ein-presswire/605425487/world-record-by-rapper-maharaja/ | title=World Record by Rapper Maharaja | date=9 December 2022 }}</ref>

==Spanish musical films==
Spain has a history and tradition of musical films that were made independent of Hollywood influence. The first films arise during the [[Second Spanish Republic]] of the 1930s and the advent of [[sound films]]. A few [[zarzuela]]s (Spanish [[operetta]]) were even adapted as screenplays during the silent era. The beginnings of the Spanish musical were focused on romantic Spanish archetypes: [[Andalusia]]n villages and landscapes, gypsies, "bandoleros", and [[copla (music)|copla]] and other popular folk songs included in story development. These films had even more box-office success than Hollywood premieres in Spain. The first Spanish film stars came from the musical genre: [[Imperio Argentina]], [[Estrellita Castro]], [[Florián Rey]] (director) and, later, [[Lola Flores]], [[Sara Montiel]] and [[Carmen Sevilla]]. The Spanish musical started to expand and grow. Juvenile stars appear and top the box-office. [[Marisol (actress)|Marisol]], [[Joselito (singer)|Joselito]], [[Pili and Mili|Pili & Mili]], and [[Rocío Dúrcal]] were the major figures of musical films from the 1960s to 1970s. Due to [[Spanish transition to democracy]] and the rise of "[[La Movida Madrileña|Movida culture]]", the musical genre fell in production and box-office, only saved by [[Carlos Saura]] and his [[flamenco]] musical films.

==Soviet musical film under Stalin==
Unlike the musical films of Hollywood and Bollywood, popularly identified with escapism, the Soviet musical was first and foremost a form of propaganda. [[Vladimir Lenin]] said that cinema was "the most important of the arts". His successor, [[Joseph Stalin]], also recognized the power of cinema in efficiently spreading Communist Party doctrine. Films were widely popular in the 1920s, but it was foreign cinema that dominated the Soviet filmgoing market. Films from Germany and the U.S. proved more entertaining than Soviet director [[Sergei Eisenstein]]'s historical dramas.<ref>Denise Youngblood. Movies for the Masses: Popular Cinema and Soviet Society in the 1920s (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1992), 18</ref> By the 1930s it was clear that if the Soviet cinema was to compete with its Western counterparts, it would have to give audiences what they wanted: the glamour and fantasy they got from Hollywood.<ref>Dana Ranga. "East Side Story" (Kino International, 1997)</ref> The musical film, which emerged at that time, embodied the ideal combination of entertainment and official ideology.

A struggle between laughter for laughter's sake and entertainment with a clear ideological message would define the golden age of the Soviet musical of the 1930s and 1940s. Then-head of the film industry [[Boris Shumyatsky]] sought to emulate Hollywood's conveyor belt method of production, going so far as to suggest the establishment of a Soviet Hollywood.<ref>Richard Taylor, Derek Spring. Stalinism and Soviet Cinema (London: Routledge Inc., 1993), 75</ref>

===''The Jolly Fellows''===
In 1930, the esteemed Soviet film director Sergei Eisenstein went to the United States with fellow director [[Grigori Aleksandrov]] to study Hollywood's filmmaking process. The American films greatly impacted Aleksandrov, particularly the musicals.<ref name="Ranga. East Side Story">Ranga. "East Side Story"</ref> He returned in 1932, and in 1934 directed [[Jolly Fellows (1934 film)|''The Jolly Fellows'']], the first Soviet musical. The film was light on plot and focused more on the comedy and musical numbers. Party officials at first met the film with great hostility. Aleksandrov defended his work by arguing the notion of laughter for laughter's sake.<ref>Andrew Horton. Inside Soviet Film Satire: Laughter with a Lash (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993), 84</ref> Finally, when Aleksandrov showed the film to Stalin, the leader decided that musicals were an effective means of spreading propaganda. Messages like the importance of collective labor and rags-to-riches stories would become the plots of most Soviet musicals.

==="Movies for the Millions"===
The success of ''The Jolly Fellows'' ensured a place in Soviet cinema for the musical format, but immediately Shumyatsky set strict guidelines to make sure the films promoted Communist values. Shumyatsky's decree "Movies for the Millions" demanded conventional plots, characters, and montage to successfully portray [[Socialist realism|Socialist Realism]] (the glorification of industry and the working class) on film.<ref>Horton. Inside Soviet Film Satire, 85</ref>

The first successful blend of a social message and entertainment was Aleksandrov's [[Circus (1936 film)|''Circus'']] (1936). It starred his wife, [[Lyubov Orlova]] (an operatic singer who had also appeared in ''The Jolly Fellows'') as an American circus performer who has to immigrate to the USSR from the U.S. because she has a mixed-race child, whom she had with a black man. Amidst the backdrop of lavish musical productions, she finally finds love and acceptance in the USSR, providing the message that racial tolerance can only be found in the Soviet Union.

The influence of [[Busby Berkeley]]'s choreography on Aleksandrov's directing can be seen in the musical number leading up to the climax. Another, more obvious reference to Hollywood is the [[Charlie Chaplin]] impersonator who provides comic relief throughout the film. Four million people in Moscow and Leningrad went to see ''Circus'' during its first month in theaters.<ref>Horton. Inside Soviet Film Satire, 92</ref>

Another of Aleksandrov's more-popular films was ''The Bright Path'' (1940). This was a reworking of the fairytale ''Cinderella,'' set in the contemporary Soviet Union. The Cinderella of the story was again Orlova, who by this time was the most popular star in the USSR.<ref>Taylor, Spring. Stalinism and Soviet Cinema, 77</ref> It was a fantasy tale, but the moral of the story was that a better life comes from hard work. Whereas in ''Circus'', the musical numbers involved dancing and spectacle, the only type of choreography in ''Bright Path'' is the movement of factory machines. The music was limited to Orlova's singing. Here, work provided the spectacle.

===Ivan Pyryev===
The other director of musical films was [[Ivan Pyryev]]. Unlike Aleksandrov, the focus of Pyryev's films was life on the collective farms. His films, ''Tractor Drivers'' (1939), ''The Swineherd and the Shepherd'' (1941), and his most famous, ''[[Cossacks of the Kuban]]'' (1949) all starred his wife, [[Marina Ladynina]]. Like in Aleksandrov's ''Bright Path'', the only choreography was the work the characters were doing on film. Even the songs were about the joys of working.

Rather than having a specific message for any of his films, Pyryev promoted Stalin's slogan "life has become better, life has become more joyous."<ref>Joseph Stalin. Speech at the Conference of Stakhonovites (1935)</ref> Sometimes this message was in stark contrast with the reality of the time. During the filming of ''Cossacks of the Kuban'', the Soviet Union was going through a postwar famine. In reality, the actors who were singing about a time of prosperity were hungry and malnourished.<ref>Elena Zubkova. Russia After the War: Hopes, Illusions, and Disappointments, 1945–1957 (armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe, 1998), 35</ref> The films did, however, provide escapism and optimism for the viewing public.

===''Volga-Volga''===
[[File:Volga-volga.jpg|thumb|right|''[[Volga-Volga]]'', directed by [[Grigori Aleksandrov]]]]
The most popular film of the brief era of Stalinist musicals was Alexandrov's 1938 film ''[[Volga-Volga]]''. The star, again, was Lyubov Orlova and the film featured singing and dancing, having nothing to do with work. It is the most unusual of its type. The plot surrounds a love story between two individuals who want to play music. They are unrepresentative of Soviet values in that their focus is more on their music than their jobs. The gags poke fun at the local authorities and bureaucracy. There is no glorification of industry since it takes place in a small rural village. Work is not glorified either, since the plot revolves around a group of villagers using their vacation time to go on a trip up the [[Volga]] and [[Moscow Canal]] to perform in Moscow. The film can be seen as a glorification of Moscow canal without any hint that the canal was built by [[Gulag]] prisoners.

''Volga-Volga'' followed the aesthetic principles of Socialist Realism rather than the ideological tenets. It became Stalin's favorite film and he gave it as a gift to President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt|Roosevelt]] during [[WWII]]. It is another example of one of the films that claimed life is better. Released at the height of Stalin's purges, it provided escapism and a comforting illusion for the public.<ref>Svetlana Boym, ''Common Places''  (Cambridge MA: Harvard University Press, 1994), 200-201. {{ISBN|9780674146266}}; and Birgit Beumers, ''A History of Russian Cinema'' (Oxford: Berg, 2009). {{ISBN|9781845202149}}
</ref>

==Lists of musical films==
{{See|Lists of musicals}}

* See [[List of musical films by year]] for a list of musical films in chronological order.
* See [[List of Bollywood films]] for a list of Bollywood musical films.
* See [[List of films based on stage plays or musicals]] for a list of musical films based on theatre productions.
* See [[List of highest-grossing musical films]] for the highest-grossing musical films.

==See also==
* [[AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals]]
* [[Revolutionary opera]]
* [[Lists of musicals]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==Further reading==
{{Library resources box|by=no|onlinebooks=no|about=yes|wikititle=musical film}}
* {{cite book |last1=Hirschhorn |first1=Clive |title=The Hollywood Musical |date=1991 |publisher=Portland House |location=New York |isbn=978-0517060353 |edition=2nd}}
* McGee, Mark Thomas. ''The Rock and Roll Movie Encyclopedia of the 1950s''. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland & Co., 1990. 0-89950-500-7.
* Padva, Gilad. Uses of Nostalgia in Musical Politicization of Homo/Phobic Myths in ''Were the World Mine,'' ''The Big Gay Musical'', and ''Zero Patience''. In Padva, Gilad, ''Queer Nostalgia in Cinema and Pop Culture'', pp.&nbsp;139–172. Basingstock, UK and New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2014. {{ISBN|978-1-137-26633-0}}.
* {{cite book |last1=Sennett |first1=Ted |title=Hollywood Musicals |date=1981 |publisher=H.N. Abrams |location=New York |isbn=978-0810910751}}
* {{cite news |last1=Stern |first1=Alan |title=A song and a dance: Why they don't make musicals like they used to |url=https://archive.org/details/sim_boston-phoenix_1981-07-21_10_29/page/n62/mode/1up |access-date=9 April 2024 |work=The Boston Phoenix |date=21 July 1981}}

{{Film genres}}
{{Filmsbygenre}}

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[[Category:Musical films| ]]
[[Category:Film genres]]
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