10 Best Films Based On Stage Musicals

10 Best Films Based On Stage Musicals

Making the move from stage to the big screen can be a difficult one but these movies managed to do it in expert fashion.

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When it comes to adapting something meant for the stage for the screen, there can be mixed results, to say the least. The film adaptation can capture perfect choreography and performances and host them forever, while a theatrical performance has varying results each time it goes. Thus, some films can be on par with or even outdo the musical versions, and their general accessibility helps with that. Frequently, the change from stage to film comes across awkwardly, such as in Cats or The Phantom of the Opera. Or, they can come out well, such as the following 10 films managed.

10 Annie

There are actually three adaptations of the Annie musical. A 1982 theatrical film, a 1999 Disney made for TV version, and a 2014 contemporary version. The story of little orphan Annie trying to find her parents while under the cruel tutelage of Miss Hannigan is a pretty renowned musical. Songs like “Hard Knock Life” and “Tomorrow” are sung frequently in pop culture or referenced in all forms of media, and characters like Daddy Warbucks are fairly iconic. Each film version of the musical is decently known amongst the generations they were introduced in, and there will likely be plenty more films to come, so tackling this stage musical wasn’t impossible.

9 Gentlemen Prefer Blondes

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes is so painfully stuck in the 1950s that it’s somewhat charming. Based on a 1949 stage musical which was in turn based on a 1925 book, the film’s jokes rely on timeless humor, so it’s still viable in terms of comedy. Jane Russell’s exceedingly witty and grand performance could carry the movie on its own, but the added bonus of Marilyn Monroe and the famous “Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend” sequence elevate it even further. The shenanigans to get married for superficial reasons are oddly self-aware for its time.

8 Chicago

Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones star as Roxie and Velma, two aspiring women who end up in prison together for murder and put their heads together to find a way to avoid execution, with the help of their slimy lawyer Billy (Richard Gere). Chicago is one of the few musicals to have won the Oscar for Best Picture, and with the help of Moulin Rogue!, it re-invigorated the musical film genre. It features a lot of snazzy, sexy, strange 1920s shenanigans, is a solid crime film and likewise, a solid comedy.

7 West Side Story

West Side Story just hit the Broadway stage for a revival this month, and a film adaptation by none other than Steven Spielberg is set to be released by the end of the year as well. The story is a re-telling of the Romeo and Juliet tale, but the dueling factions are a white gang vs. a Puerto Rican gang in the Upper West Side of Manhattan (hence the name). The 1961 film holds the record for the most Oscar wins for a musical, and was the highest-grossing film of 1961. There’s a reason La La Land drew comparisons to this classic when it was released.

6 Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street

Sweeney Todd is one of the few good films Tim Burton has directed since the start of the new millennium. Burton wanted to get his hands on a film adaptation since his career took off in the 1980s, and frankly, his long-missed passion is on full-force in this film. Johnny Depp stars as the titular lead, an English barber who kills his customers and makes them into meat pies. The film is a wonderful return to form for Tim Burton, while both Depp and his co-star, Helena Bonham Carter, bring their A-game with their top-notch performances.

5 Dreamgirls

Dreamgirls was a fantastic and groundbreaking Broadway musical in 1981. Its exquisite Motown sounds, diverse black cast, and breathtaking vocals, from Jennifer Holliday in particular, made it one of the best musicals to come out of the ’80s. The story of “The Dreams” (based on The Supremes and other such groups) resonated with people around the world. To say the least, the movie had big shoes to fill.

And thankfully, the film did a resoundingly good job. The performances from stars like Jamie Foxx, Beyoncé, Eddie Murphy, and Jennifer Hudson were beyond impressive. Though the musical is hard to top, the film did a great job of making not just a passable version, but a good version for people to enjoy. The film debut of Hudson, fresh off of American Idol, was a wise choice.

4 Grease

The 1978 film version of Grease was the highest-grossing musical upon its release, and with good reason. It’s actually much better than the original stage production, due largely in part to the original songs added specifically for the movie, including “Hopelessly Devoted To You,” “Sandy,” and even the smash-hit, “You’re The One That I Want.” Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta’s performances have entered the pop culture codex, and any subsequent version of the stage musical has had to tweak their version to suit the movie’s standards it set for audiences.

3 Little Shop Of Horrors

Originally an off-Broadway musical based on a 1960 horror-comedy film of the same name, Little Shop of Horrors received a fantastic 1980s adaptation form none other than Frank Oz, master of puppets. The story concerns the shy florist Seymour Krelborn (the last name being synonymous with “nerd” thanks to Malcolm in the Middle) discovering an alien plant with a taste for blood.

Little Shop of Horrors is filled to the brim with ’80s stars, including Rick Moranis, Jim Belushi, Vincent Gardenia, John Candy, Bill Murray, Steve Martin, Christopher Guest, and others. Likewise, it hosts impressive and hilarious performances from Audrey (Ellen Greene), Seymour’s love interest, and Audrey II (Levi Stubbs), the plant Seymour discovers and names for his love. There are two completely different endings to the film, a theatrical and a director’s cut. Long story short, the director’s cut is longer and darker, and much better.

2 The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Few live shows are as fun as The Rocky Horror Show, but the breakout performance of Tim Curry and wonderfully awkward and fun direction from Jim Sharman makes for one of the best stage-to-musical adaptations there is. The film is so popular that it maintains the record for the longest-running film in history, due to its consistent limited release. The transformation from the stage to the screen was seamless thanks to the over the top nature of the show and the outlandish musical numbers, costumes, and extreme sexual liberation.

1 The Sound Of Music

Rodgers and Hammerstein created many of the world’s most famous musicals, among them The King and I, Oklahoma!, South Pacific, and Carousel, but their crowning achievement is The Sound of Music. It was treated with a film adaptation starring Julie Andrews in 1965. To be frank, the film is pretty perfect, and audiences are by far more familiar with the landmark film than the original musical at this point. Based on a real story set in Austria on the eve of the Nazi occupation, this movie set the record for the highest-grossing film of all-time upon its release and won Best Picture at the Oscars. It was well-deserved.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/greatest-movies-adapated-stage-musicals/

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