Updated 6/06/2026

Note: On the first page, you'll find a “Top 100” of sorts—kicking off with my Top 10 (ranked), followed by the remaining 90 listed in chronological order. If the format feels clunky, you might prefer sorting by earliest release year.

This list blends classic genre musicals, concert films, and music documentaries with films where music plays a central narrative role (think Baby Driver), or where a musical moment unexpectedly emerges—like in Gilda, Bonjour Tristesse, or The Conformist. I’ve always had a soft spot for those surprise musical numbers, and this is my attempt to gather them alongside more traditional music- and dance-driven cinema.
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MY FAVORITE MUSICALS (chronologically listed):

Proper musicals:
UNDER THE ROOFS OF PARIS (1930, René Clair)
THE BARTERED BRIDE (1932, Max Ophuls)
ONE HOUR WITH YOU (1932, Ernst Lubitsch)
LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932, Rouben Mamoulian)
GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933, Mervyn LeRoy)
TOP HAT (1935, Mark Sandrich)
SWING TIME (1936, George Stevens)
THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939, Victor Fleming)
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942, Michael Curtiz)
YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942, William A. Seiter) 
MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944, Vincente Minnelli)
ON THE TOWN (1949, Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952, Stanley Donen, Gene Kelly)
THE BAND WAGON (1953, Vincente Minnelli)
GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953, Howard Hawks)
A STAR IS BORN (1954, George Cukor)
IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955, Stanley Donen)
OKLAHOMA! (1955, Fred Zinnemann)
FUNNY FACE (1957, Stanley Donen)
PYAASA (1957, Guru Dutt)
GIGI (1958, Vincente Minnelli)
WEST SIDE STORY (1961, Robert Wise)
A HARD DAY'S NIGHT (1964, Richard Lester)
MARY POPPINS (1964, Robert Stevenson)
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964, Jacques Demy)
THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965, Robert Wise)
FUNNY GIRL (1968, William Wyler)
OLIVER! (1968, Carol Reed)
HELLO, DOLLY (1969, Gene Kelly)
FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1971, Norman Jewison)
WILLY WONKA AND THE CHOCOLATE FACTORY (1971, Mel Stuart)
CABARET (1972, Bob Fosse)
JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973, Norman Jewison)
THE PHANTOM OF THE PARADISE (1974, Brian De Palma)
THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975, Jim Sharman)
SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977, John Badham)
GREASE (1978, Randal Kleiser)
ALL THAT JAZZ (1979, Bob Fosse)
HAIR (1979, Milos Forman)
PENNIES FROM HEAVEN (1981, Herbert Ross)
YENTL (1983, Barbra Streisand)
PURPLE RAIN (1984, Albert Magnoli)
HAIRSPRAY (1988, John Waters)
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991, Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise)
LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA (2001, Ashutosh Gowariker)
MOULIN ROUGE! (2001, Baz Luhrman)
LA LA LAND (2016, Damien Chazelle)
A STAR IS BORN (2018, Bradley Cooper)
CYRANO (2021, Joe Wright)
INU-OH (2021, Masaaki Yuasa)
WEST SIDE STORY (2021, Steven Spielberg)
WICKED (2024, Jon M. Chu)

Favorite musicals that aren’t really musicals:
JULY 14th (1933, Rene Clair)
GILDA (1946, Charles Vidor)
THE RED SHOES (1948, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
ROAD HOUSE (1948, Jean Negulesco)
TALES OF HOFFMAN (1951, Michael Powell, Emeric Pressburger)
BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970, Russ Meyer)
THE WICKER MAN (1973, Robin Hardy)
NASHVILLE (1975, Robert Altman)
FAME (1980, Alan Parker)
AMADEUS (1984, Milos Forman)
THE COTTON CLUB (1984, Francis Ford Coppola)
‘ROUND MIDNIGHT (1986, Bertrand Tavernier)
RADIO DAYS (1987, Woody Allen)
HAIRSPRAY (1988, John Waters)
MURIEL’S WEDDING (1994, P.J. Hogan)
THE HOLE (1998, Ming-liang Tsai)
TOPSY TURVY (1999, Mike Leigh)
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008, Danny Boyle)
SPARROW (2008, Johnnie To)
PINA (2011, Wim Wenders)
THE GREAT BEAUTY (2013, Paolo Sorrentino)
LOVERS ROCK (2020, Steve McQueen)
RRR (2022, S.S. Rajamouli)
SINNERS (2025, Ryan Coogler)
THE TESTAMENT OF ANN LEE (2025, Mona Fastvold)

Best music-based documentaries: [note: there are plenty of films in this category of films I've yet to see, so please consider this section a work in progress]

DON'T LOOK BACK (1967, D.A. Pennebaker)
THE BLUES ACCORDIN' TO LIGHTNIN' HOPKINS (1970, doc short, Les Blank)
GIMME SHELTER (1970, Albert Maysles, David Maysles)
WOODSTOCK (1970, Michael Wadleigh)
AMAZING GRACE (1972, Sydney Pollack)
THE LAST WALTZ (1978, Martin Scorsese)
THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION (1981, Penelope Spheeris)
SAY AMEN, SOMEBODY (1982, George Nierenberg)
STOP MAKING SENSE (1984, Jonathan Demme)
LET'S GET LOST (1988, Bruce Weber)
MADONNA: TRUTH OR DARE (1991, Alek Keshishian)
BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999, Wim Wenders)
DIG! (2004, Ondi Timoner)
BOB DYLAN: NO DIRECTION HOME (2005, Martin Scorsese)
GEORGE HARRISON: LIVING IN THE MATERIAL WORLD (2011, Martin Scorsese)
20 FEET FROM STARDOM (2013, Morgan Neville)
AMY (2015, Asia Kapadia)
LINDA RONSTADT: THE SOUND OF MY VOICE (2019, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman)
MILES DAVIS: THE BIRTH OF COOL (2019, Stanley Nelson)
THE BEE-GEES: HOW CAN YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART (2020, Frank Marshall)
DAVID BYRNE'S AMERICAN UTOPIA (2020, Spike Jonze)
THE BEATLES: GET BACK (2021, Peter Jackson, Michael Lindsay-Hogg)
BILLIE EILISH: THE WORLD’S A LITTLE BLURRY (2021, R.J. Cutler)
THE SPARKS BROTHERS (2021, Edgar Wright)
SUMMER OF SOUL (…OR WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED)  (2021, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson)
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND (2021, Todd Haynes)
TAYLOR MAC'S 24-DECADE HISTORY OF POPULAR MUSIC (2023, Rob Epstein, Jeffrey Friedman)

Favorite musical numbers:
“Jazz Up Your Lingerie,” THE SMILING LIEUTENANT (1931)
“Hot Voodoo,” BLONDE VENUS (1932)
“One Hour with You,” Oh, that Mitzi!” “Three Times a Day,” “What Would You Do?” ONE HOUR WITH YOU (1932)
“Isn’t It Romantic?”, “Mimi,” LOVE ME TONIGHT (1932)
“Remember My Forgotten Man,” GOLD DIGGERS OF 1933 (1933)
“Cheek to Cheek,” TOP HAT (1935)
“Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” FOLLOW THE FLEET (1936)
“Pick Yourself Up,” SWING TIME (1936)
"Let's Call The Whole Thing Off,” SHALL WE DANCE (1937)
“Over the Rainbow,” THE WIZARD OF OZ (1939)
"South American Way,” DOWN ARGENTINE WAY (1940)
“America I Love You,” TIN PAN ALLEY (1940)
“For Me and My Gal,” FOR ME AND MY GAL (1942)
"The Yankee Doodle Boy," "You're a Grand Old Flag," "Give My Regards to Broadway," YANKEE DOODLE DANDY (1942)
“Audition Dance,” “The Shorty George,” “You Were Never Lovelier,” YOU WERE NEVER LOVELIER (1942)
"Brazil (Aquarela Do Brasil)", "The Lady in the Tutti Frutti Hat,” THE GANG’S ALL HERE (1943)
“You’ll Never Know,” HELLO, FRISCO, HELLO (1943)
“The Trolley Song,” “Skip to My Lou,” “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” “Under the Bamboo Tree,” MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS (1944)
“How Little We Know,” “Am I Blue,” TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT (1944)
"“A dramatic pantomime: Limehouse Blues," "A Great Lady Has an Interview,” and “The Babbitt and the Bromide,” ZIEGFELD FOLLIES (1945)
“Put the Blame on Mame,” “Amado Mio,” GILDA
"On the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe,” THE HARVEY GIRLS (1946)
"When the Midnight Choo Choo Leaves for Alabam’,” "A Couple of Swells," EASTER PARADE (1948)
“The Ballet of the Red Shoes,” THE RED SHOES (1948)
“One More for the Road,” ROAD HOUSE (1948)
"New York, New York," "Prehistoric Man," ON THE TOWN (1949)
“Get Happy,” SUMMER STOCK (1950)
"Our Love Is Here to Stay," AN AMERICAN IN PARIS (1951)
"You're All the World to Me," ROYAL WEDDING (1951)
"I've Been Kissed Before," AFFAIR IN TRINIDAD (1952)
“Fit as a Fiddle,” “All I Do Is Dream of You,” “Good Morning,” “Singing’ in the Rain,” SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN (1952)
“Louisiana Hayride,” “The Girl Hunt,” “Dancing in the Dark,” THE BAND WAGON (1953)
“You're Just In Love,” CALL ME MADAM (1953)
“Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend,” GENTLEMEN PREFER BLONDES (1953)
"The Heat Is On!" MISS SADIE THOMPSON (1953)
“The Man That Got Away,” “Someone at Last,” A STAR IS BORN (1954)
“Thanks a Lot, but No Thanks,” “I Like Myself,” IT’S ALWAYS FAIR WEATHER (1955)
"Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'," The Surrey With the Fringe On Top," "I Cain't Say No," "Oklahoma!," OKLAHOMA! (1955)
"Hum aapki aankhon mein," (PYAASA, 1957)
"Jailhouse Rock," JAILHOUSE ROCK (1957)
“Steam Heat,” PAJAMA GAME (1957)
“Bonjour Tristesse,” BONJOUR TRISTESSE (1958)
"Whatever Lola Wants, Lola Gets," DAMN YANKEES (1958)
“The Night They Invented Champagne,” GIGI (1958)
“Roly Poly,” PILLOW TALK (1959)
“Jet Song,” Something’s Coming,” “Maria,” “America,” WEST SIDE STORY (1961)
Anna Karina dancing around a jukebox, VIVRE SA VIE (1962)
"A Spoonful of Sugar," "Chim-Chim-Cheree,"
'C'Mon Everybody,' from VIVA LAS VEGAS (1964)
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," "Stay Awake," "Feed the Birds (Tuppence a Bag)," "Let's Go Fly a Kite," MARY POPPINS (1964)
“I Will Wait for You,” THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (1964)
"The Sound of Music," "Do-Re-Mi," "My Favorite Things," "I Have Confidence," "The Lonely Goatherd," "Edelweiss," "Something Good," THE SOUND OF MUSIC (1965)
“Don’t Rain on My Parade,” “My Man,” FUNNY GIRL (1968)
“I'd Do Anything,” “Oom-Pah Pah,” “Reviewing the Situation,” OLIVER! (1968)
"Before the Parade Passes By," "Hello, Dolly!" HELLO, DOLLY! (1969)
“Come with the Gentle People,” BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (1970)
"Tango Di Rabbia," THE CONFORMIST (1970)
“Matchmaker,” “If I Were a Rich Man,” “Sunrise, Sunset” “Tradition,” FIDDLER ON THE ROOF (1971)
“Mein Herr,” “Money, Money,” “Tomorrow Belongs To Me,” “Cabaret,” “Maybe This Time,”CABARET (1972)
“He Plays the Violin,” 1776 (1972)
“What’s the Buzz,” “Everything’s Alright,” “This Jesus Must Die,” “I Don’t Know How to Love Him,” “Superstar,” “The Crucifixion,” JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR (1973)
“I’m Easy,” NASHVILLE (1975)
“Science Fiction/Double Feature,” “Dammit Janet,” “Over at the Frankenstein Place,” “The Time Warp,” “Sweet Transvestite,” “I Can Make You a Man,” THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW (1975)
"Holi Ke Din," SHOLAY (1975)
“Seems Like Old Times,” ANNIE HALL (1977)
“But the World Goes ‘Round,” “Theme from ‘New York, New York,’” “Happy Endings,” NEW YORK, NEW YORK (1977)
“You Should Be Dancing,” SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977)
“Summer Nights,” “Hopelessly Devoted to You,” “Greased Lightning,” “There Are Worse Things I Could Do,” “You're the One That I Want,” GREASE
“On Broadway,” “Take Off With Us,” “Everything Old Is New Again,” ALL THAT JAZZ
“Hell on Wheels,” ROLLER BOOGIE (1979)
“Aquarius,” “Ain't Got No,” “I Got Life,” “Hair,” “Flesh Failures (Let the Sunshine In),” HAIR (1979)
“Red Light,” “Fame,” “Hot Lunch Jam,” “I Sing the Body Electric,” FAME (1980)
“He Needs Me,” “He's Large,” POPEYE (1980)
“Prom Night,” PROM NIGHT (1980)
“Xanadu,” XANADU (1980)
“Love Is Good for Anything That Ails You,” “Let's Misbehave,” PENNIES FROM HEAVEN
“Every Sperm Is Sacred,” “Christmas in Heaven,” THE MEANING OF LIFE (1983)
“Ill Wind,” “Stormy Weather,” “Tall, Tan and Terrific,” THE COTTON CLUB (1984)
“Somewhere That's Green,” LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS (1986)
“You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To,” RADIO DAYS (1987)
“I’m Still Here,” POSTCARDS FROM THE EDGE (1990)
“Belle,” “Be Our Guest,” “Gaston,” “Something There” BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (1991)
“Piensa en mí,” “Un año de amor,” HIGH HEELS (1991)
"Kool Thing," SIMPLE MEN (1992)
“Kyle’s Mom’s a Bitch,” “Mountain Town,” SOUTH PARK: BIGGER, LONGER, UNCUT (1999)
dance sequence cut from IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000)
“Ghanan Ghanan,” “Mitwa,” LAGAAN: ONCE UPON A TIME IN INDIA (2001)
“Your Song,” “One Day We’ll Fly Away,” MOULIN ROUGE (2001)
“Crying (Llorando),” MULHOLLAND DRIVE (2001)
“Bum Bum Bhole,” LIKE STARS ON EARTH (2007)
“The Winner Takes It All,” MAMMA MIA! (2008)
"Jai Ho," SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE (2008)
“Zoobi Doobi,” 3 IDIOTS (2009)
“Who Were We?,” HOLY MOTORS (2012)
“Another Day of Sun,” “Someone in the Crowd,” “City of Stars,” “Audition (The Fools Who Dream),” LA LA LAND
"Supernatural," CLIMAX
"The Shallow," "Always Remember Us This Way," A STAR IS BORN [2018]
"Being Alive," MARRIAGE STORY (2019)
“Silly Games,” LOVERS ROCK (2020)
“Someone to Say,” “Wherever I Fall,” CYRANO (2021)
“Jet Song,” “The Dance at the Gym,” “Maria,” “America,” “Tonight,” “Mambo,” WEST SIDE STORY (2021)
"Naatu Naatu" from RRR (2022)
"“Rock DJ," BETTER MAN (2024)
"If My Friends Could See Me Now," "If My Friends Could See Me Now," "If You Go Away" JOKER: FOLIE À DEUX (2024)
"Paddington in Peru," PADDINGTON IN PERU (2024)
"Popular," "Defying Gravity" from WICKED (2024)