Since its release across the pond last year, the big-screen adaptation of Les Misérables has been winning rave reviews from critics and cinema-goers alike. And we at Source couldn’t be more pleased.
You see, we love a good musical, in the biggest, flashiest, jazz-handiest way possible. The costumes, the goosebump-inducing musical numbers, the lights, the predictable storylines – we love it all. And we’re absolutely over the moon that our favourite cinematic genre is making a comeback.
Musicals have a bit of a bad rep. It’s all camp, sparkly fun – not real cinema. But the new Les Mis adaptation from Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper (The King’s Speech) is changing all of that. With Hugh Jackman, Anne Hathaway and Russell Crowe telling the tale of poverty-stricken France at the time of the revolution, musicals just got serious – and the cinematic take on the beloved West End hit is, by all accounts, one the best films this year has to offer.
Les Mis hits UK cinemas this Friday (11 Jan), but if you can’t wait until then, why not check out the silver screen’s take on these stage sensations?
Guys and Dolls
Joseph L. Mankiewicz, 1955
From the golden age of the Hollywood movie musical, Guys and Dolls is the big-screen take on the smash-hit 1950 stage show. Starring screen legends Marlon Brando, Jean Simmons and ol’ blue eyes himself, Frank Sinatra, this movie has all the right ingredients for good old-fashioned musical magic. With a few slight changes from the stage version, this is all about 1940s gambling and crime in New York. Nathan Detroit (Sinatra) needs to raise $1,000 to stage a gambling session, so he bets his mate and fellow gambler Sky Masterson (Brando) that he can’t get Save a Soul Mission sergeant Sarah Brown to go to Havana with him. And what happens next with the unlikely duo is fairly predictable. The incredible sets and huge musical numbers bring Broadway straight to your front room in this classic.
The Producers
Susan Stroman, 2005
This adaptation of the 1998 Broadway musical, based on the film of the same name (figure that out if you can), The Producers is a laugh-out-loud musical triumph. Starring Will Ferrell, Matthew Broderick and Nathan Lane, this top-class comedy cast will have you laughing from beginning to end. Leo Bloom (Broderick) is a bored accountant who comes into contact with failed theatre producer Max Bialystock. Together, they hatch a plan to put on the worst musical Broadway has ever seen – and take off with the investment money when it flops. Little do they know that their show, based on the life and times of, er, Hitler, will be a huge success. With musical numbers including Springtime for Hitler and Keep it Gay, this will be a million miles away from anything you’ve ever seen – and it’s phenomenal. Here’s the trailer…
Chicago
Rob Marshall, 2002
Director/choreographer Bob Fosse pioneered the seductive, finger-clicking, shoulder-shrugging dance style brought into the spotlight by Liza Minelli smash hit Cabaret, and it’s here to be seen in all its glory in Chicago too. The Rob Marshall interpretation of the Fosse-directed stage show, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones and Renée Zellwegger, looks at the dirty world of celebrity and corruption of Jazz Age Chicago. Fame-hungry Roxie Hart (Zellwegger) finds herself on death row, locked up in the city’s notorious women’s prison after shooting her boyfriend when it turns out he can’t make her a star. Behind bars, Roxie enlists the help of the ever-charming, slightly slimy lawyer Billy Flynn (Richard Gere) to get her out of jail and into the spotlight – but not without a little competition from fellow aspiring starlet and inmate Velma Kelly (Zeta Jones). This is a witty, dark and clever musical, packed with memorable musical numbers and big names – and all that jazz.
Grease
Randal Kleiser, 1978
Oooh, oooh, oooh – we love Grease! And it really was a stage show before Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta captured the hearts of the ENTIRE WORLD as they slipped into the roles of good girl Sandy and slick-haired Danny in this 1950s comedy romp. The original high school musical, Sandy and Danny meet in the summer and fall in love – only for Sandy to transfer to Danny’s school after the break. Can this summer romance become the real deal? Loads of fun, unforgettable singalong hits and we’re still in awe of Sandy’s skin-tight trousers. They make those American Apparel disco pants look comfortable.
Moulin Rouge!
Baz Luhrmann, 2001
We know this one’s cheating a bit, because Moulin Rouge, strictly speaking, isn’t a stage show. But it’s so good. After amazing us with Romeo + Juliet back in 1996, king of extravagance Luhrmann didn’t disappoint with this jukebox musical. Loosely based on 19th century Italian opera La Traviata, Moulin Rouge! Tells the tale of penniless writer Christian (Ewan McGregor), who moves to Paris in search of inspiration – and love. The wide-eyed, naive youngster ends up falling for glamorous, terminally-ill Satine (Nicole Kidman) – who is also a courtesan. What could possibly go wrong? Featuring revamped chart-toppers such as Elton’s Your Song, Sting’s Roxanne, Lady Marmalade, Like a Virgin and even Smells Like Teen Spirit, we dare you not to fall in love with this opulent tale of tragic romance.
