When Music and Movies Merge

THE TOP 7

Musical movies in the shelf of every film aficionado…

When music and movies- two powerful elements of entertainment- merge, the result leads to the creation of invigorating cinema that is scintillating to the senses. Films transport us to a world of fantasy before we snap out of the dream and wake up to the call of life as we know it…


“I think in art, but especially in films, people are trying to confirm their own existences.”- Jim Morrison

Films are a slice of reality, reflecting real life characters that we attempt to understand as the hidden wonders and vagaries of the world unfold before our eyes…Films hold a mirror to the world to help us witness what lies beneath, above and within us, stirring inexpressible emotions… There are films we connect to, films that evoke laughter, tears, myriad sentiments, films that ignite a spark and invoke a catharsis, leaving an indelible mark on our memories, never fading with time…

“When words leave off, music begins.” - Heinrich Heine

Films are incomplete without music to create and set rhythm and tempo for the plot to bloom. Actors break into song to poetically express that which cannot be spoken, which only violins, flutes, harps and stilling beats can harmonize and knock against one’s heart. While these timeless classics have dominant themes depicting the era they embrace, their articulately composed background scores make them legendary for soul-stirring melodies, foot-tapping numbers and jazzy rhythms we can’t help dancing to. Here are some magnificent musical films with outstanding soundtracks that we listen to over and over again…

MY FAIR LADY- a 1964 American musical film adaptation of George Bernard Shaw’s Pygmalion
Director: George Cukor
Music: Frederick Loewe, Alan Jay Lerner
Starring: Audrey Hepburn, Rex Harrison
Star Quote: “I sold flowers; I didn't sell myself. Now you've made a lady of me, I'm not fit to sell anything else.”
Henry Higgins, the short-tempered professor of phonetics, believes that one’s accent determines one’s position in society. He brags to Colonel Pickering that with his proficiency he could pass a common woman for a duchess. He takes a flower girl- Eliza- off the streets and under his tutelage. How she overcomes her cockney accent is entertaining to watch, with songs like Why Can’t the English, Wouldn’t It Be Loverly, The Rain In Spain, I Could Have Danced All Night, On The Street Where You Live, You Did It, A Hymn to Him and I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC- 1965 American Musical from the book The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp
Director: Robert Wise
Music: Richard Rodgers, Oscar Hammerstein II and Irwin Kostal
Starring: Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer
Star Quote: “A captain with seven children, what’s so fearsome about that?”
Filmed in the breathtaking mountains of Austria and Southern Germany, the film begins with Maria singing “The hills are alive with the sound of music…” Young and free-spirited, she leaves the convent to become a governess to the family of the naval captain widower Georg von Trapp. The movie is replete with melodious songs like Edelweiss, My Favorite Things, Climb Ev'ry Mountain, Do-Re-Mi and Sixteen Going on Seventeen.

FIDDLER ON THE ROOF- 1971 American film adaptation of the 1964 Musical
Director: Norman Jewison
Music: John Williams, Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick
Starring: Chaim Topol, Norma Crane, Leonard Frey
Star Quote: “Without our traditions, life would be as shaky as…as…as a fiddler on the roof!”
Set in the harsh times of Tsarist Russia in 1905, the film is a touching tale of a Jewish family living in Anatevka. Their life of contentment in the face of struggle are portrayed through unforgettable songs like Tradition, Matchmaker, If I Were a Rich Man, Miracle of Miracles, the haunting Tevye’s Dream, To Life, Do You Love Me, Anatevka and Wedding Celebration- The Bottle Dance. Tevye, the charming protagonist says, “Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize there's no shame in being poor...but it's no great honour either. So what would have been so terrible if I had a small fortune?

SANKARABHARANAM- 1975 Telugu Musical film
Director: Dr. K. Viswanath
Music: K. V. Mahadevan, Veturi Sundararama Murthy
Starring: J. V. Somayajulu, Manju Bhargavi, Chandra Mohan
Star Quote: “Music is divine, whether it is Western or Indian.”
Sankarabharanam deals with the fall in popularity of Carnatic music and the student-teacher relationship. It revived Indian classical music in Andhra Pradesh. Sankara Sastri is a popular Carnatic singer who mastered the raga Sankarabharanam, amazed the youth by singing pop music and awakened the minds of youngsters. Beautiful renditions of Omkaranadhanu, Raagam Taanam Pallavi and Shankaranatha Shariravara with other ragas by S .P. Balasubramaniam, Vani Jayaram and S. Janaki take the story to great heights.

THE LION KING- 1994 Hand drawn animation film by Walt Disney Pictures
Director: Roger Allers, Rob Minkoff
Music: Hans Zimmer, Elton John, Tim Rice, Lebo M
Starring: Matthew Broderick, Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Moira Kelly
Star Quote: “Hakuna Matata…It means no worries for the rest of your days!”
The Lion King Mufasa and Queen Sarabi of Pridelands announce Simba as the heir to the throne, much to the unhappiness of Scar- Mufasa’s selfish brother. Simba’s life as a growing lion are depicted through enjoyable and touching songs like Circle of Life, I Just Can’t Wait To Be King, Hakuna Matata, The Lion Sleeps Tonight and Can You Feel The Love Tonight, enriched with African harmonies.

LAGAAN: Once Upon A Time in India- 2001 Indian drama film
Director: Ashutosh Gowariker
Music: A. R. Rahman, Javed Akhtar
Starring: Aamir Khan, Gracy Singh, Rachel Shelley, Paul Blackthorne
Star Quote: “Toot Gayi Jo Ungli Utthi, Paanchon Mili To Ban Gaye Mutthi.” (The accusing finger upon us has been broken, we five have come together like a fist).
In an ancient, barren village near Bhuj, peasants suffer due to heavy taxes imposed by the British Raj. Praying and singing for the rain to fall on their crops, the village folk request the British to reduce taxes, but settle for a wager- tax exemption for three years if they win a game of cricket against the British officers, a challenge courageously accepted. The music and dance sequences have an earthly essence, showing the simple yet culturally rich lives with songs like Ghanan Ghanan, Mitwa, Radha Kaise Na Jale, O Re Chori, Chale Chalo and O Paalanhaare.

MAMMA MIA! - 2008 Musical romantic comedy
Director: Phyllida Lloyd
Music: Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus, Stig Anderson, Original Music by ABBA
Starring: Meryl Streep, Amanda Seyfried, Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth, Julie Walters
Star Quote: “Typical isn't it? You wait 20 years for a dad and then three come along at once.”
After discovering from her mother’s diary that she has three possible fathers, a bride-to-be tries to find her father by posting three wedding invitations to three men in Sweden, New York and Britain. Songs like I Have A Dream, Money Money Money, Fernando, Mamma Mia, Chiquitita, Dancing Queen, Take A Chance On Me, Voulez-Vous, SOS among others make Mamma Mia a fun-filled and heart-warming family movie, a thorough entertainer!

Endowed with cultural, historical, social and inspirational value, these films are high on entertainment. They are treasures that captivate our senses and inspire moments of joy. For those yet to watch them, do so not once, but twice! You might just set aside that bowl of buttery popcorn and get so involved in the story, before you realize it’s over and you want nothing more than to watch it again!

Written on 14th October, 2010