And the category is: Best Movie Musical Sequences

March 10, 2020 5:25 PM

I would like to compile a video playlist of the best live-action movie musical sequences. Please submit your favorites (with commentary! Criteria within.

Ok, so.

1. Must be from a live-action movie musical.
2. Must be more than just a good song! The staging, the cinematography, the editing -- it's all gotta be remarkable.
3. Ideally has words and isn't just a dance number. (Notable exception: the 9 minute masterpiece that is "The Jet Song" from West Side Story.)
4. Can be in any language.

For reference, my ultimate favorites are:

"Rock Island", The Music Man, 1962
"Pick-A -Little, Talk-A-Little", The Music Man, 1962
"The Jet Song", West Side Story, 1961

Ok, go! 🎶

posted by Kitchen Witch to Media & Arts (47 answers total)

You're All the World to Me - Royal Wedding, 1951
Cell Block Tango - Chicago, 2002
Take Off with Us - All That Jazz, 1979
posted by XtineHutch at 5:40 PM on March 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

Response by poster: Oh God I forgot to include something from Fiddler on the Roof, assume I listed something from Fiddler on the Roof
posted by Kitchen Witch at 5:40 PM on March 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Also Telephone Hour from Bye Bye Birdie
posted by Kitchen Witch at 5:50 PM on March 10, 2020

I’m not sure if it really meets your criteria, given the examples provided, but the opening sequence of Baby Driver Is so good that “Bellbottoms” doesn’t sound right to me anymore without sirens and tire screeching.
posted by mhoye at 5:51 PM on March 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

I LOVE the opening number from La La Land
posted by stellathon at 5:57 PM on March 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

"Chaiyya Chaiyya" from Dil Se, 1998

Lyrics-free runner-up:
"Let My Baby Ride" from Holy Motors, 2012
posted by Mothlight at 5:58 PM on March 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

"It's a Fine Life" from Disney's "Newsies".
posted by forthright at 6:17 PM on March 10, 2020 [1 favorite]

Nicholas Brothers from Stormy Weather Jumpin' Jive considered by Fred Astaire to be the finest dance sequence ever filmed. From 1943
posted by ladyriffraff at 6:25 PM on March 10, 2020 [9 favorites]

Ishq Kameena from Shakti with SRK and Aish Rai.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:26 PM on March 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

Singin’ in the Rain is still stunning.
posted by FencingGal at 6:34 PM on March 10, 2020 [11 favorites]

Ev'ry Sperm Is Sacred from Monty Python's Meaning of Life
Another Day of Sun - La La Land Opening
Singin' in the Rain Singin' in the Rain
Cabaret - Cabaret
Something from All That Jazz
The movie version of Chorus Line was lackluster, but One is a spectacular dance number.
posted by theora55 at 6:40 PM on March 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

barn raising from seven brides for seven brothers
posted by 20 year lurk at 6:43 PM on March 10, 2020 [5 favorites]

Step in Time, Mary Poppins, is the one that always comes to mind first for questions like this, and if I were limited to a single answer this would be it.

Jai Ho, Slumdog Millionaire

The Other Side, The Greatest Showman

I always bring it up in threads like this, and I have to claim an exemption to #3 (no words here), but I will still nominate the Grand Central Station scene from The Fisher King. It's not the most spectacular choreography, either, but it makes up for it in sheer whimsy. Whenever I see it I wish for real life to have moments like that.

And it may be premature to say so, but based on the trailer alone I'm really looking forward to some of the numbers from In the Heights.

(And a hearty thumbs up to "Another Day of Sun" from La La Land. I'm kind of meh on that movie as whole, but I love the opening number.)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:35 PM on March 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

My two slightly defy your criteria but are worth it, I think.

I'll go in for What's Opera, Doc? admittedly not live-action (and which is, thanks to copyright, quite difficult to find online in full and in acceptable quality). It's one of the greatest of the Looney Tunes in its golden age, and it's both an adaptation and a parody on a number of levels—a straight Bugs Bunny cartoon, adaptation of Wagner, parody of Disney's Fantasia (the Night on Bald Mountain), parody of opera clichés, a parody of Warner Brothers' own anti-German propaganda work from WWII, and a self-referential parody of the whole genre of violent cartoons (Kill the wabbit!). Not for nothing is it in the US National Film Registry.

I'll also offer I'm Tired, which, admittedly not in a musical, is just a perfectly executed parody of musical theatre (Marlene Dietrich, Cabaret) and vaudeville, from a director who was intimate with both, and which pretty much by itself earned Madeleine Kahn an Oscar nomination.
posted by Fiasco da Gama at 7:37 PM on March 10, 2020 [4 favorites]

Donald O'Connor did all the stunts in Make 'Em Laugh (Singin' in the Rain) himself, despite being a massive chain-smoker. He had to spend several days in bed afterwards.
posted by praemunire at 7:43 PM on March 10, 2020 [7 favorites]

(People need to watch that Nicholas Brothers clip, because, good Lord, those two were amazing.)
posted by praemunire at 7:44 PM on March 10, 2020 [5 favorites]

No Dames, from Hail Caesar
posted by angiep at 8:17 PM on March 10, 2020 [5 favorites]

The opening of The Sound of Music. I recently saw it in HD on a huge screen, and mein Gott, it is visually stunning.

"We're in the Money" from Gold Diggers of 1933. Fun-as-heck costumes and sets, Busby Berkeley staging at its best, and Ginger Rogers singing in Pig Latin.

Speaking of Ginger, any of her big dance numbers with Fred Astaire. "Cheek to Cheek" from The Gay Divorcée is usually the one people go for, but I'm partial to either "Let's Face the Music and Dance" from Follow the Fleet or "The Carioca" from Flying Down to Rio (looks like the entire number isn't available on YouTube; just segments).

Speaking of Fred, well, too many to mention. Dancing on the ceiling in Royal Wedding leaps to mind.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:02 PM on March 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

"Cheek to Cheek" from Top Hat.

Busby Berkeley's 13-minute "Lullaby of Broadway," from Gold Diggers of 1935.

From the film's Wikipedia entry:

One of the most famous Busby Berkeley numbers is actually a short film-within-a-film, which tells the story of a Broadway Baby who plays all night and sleeps all day. It opens with a head shot of singer Wini Shaw against a black background, then the camera pulls back and up, and Shaw's head becomes the Big Apple, New York City. As everyone rushes off to work, Shaw returns home from her night's carousing and goes to sleep. When she awakens, that night, we follow her and her beau (Dick Powell) from club to club, with elaborate large cast tap numbers, until she is accidentally pushed off a balcony to her death. The sequence ends with a return to Shaw's head, as she sings the end of the song. Of all the musical numbers Berkeley created in his career, he named this as his personal favorite.

It's surprisingly hard to find a clip of the whole sequence online, but it's in three pieces on YouTube: 1, 2, 3. The whole thing is overwhelming on a big screen.

Oh and to go back to Ginger Rogers for one last clip, she also stars in this version of "We're in the Money" (with its absolutely bonkers verse in pig latin) from Berkeley's Gold Diggers of 1933.
posted by bcwinters at 9:09 PM on March 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

Wig in a Box from Hedwig.
(The entirety of Les Parapluies de Cherbourg?!)
posted by less of course at 9:18 PM on March 10, 2020 [6 favorites]

Without apology, Dancin' from Xanadu.
posted by less of course at 9:27 PM on March 10, 2020 [2 favorites]

In Lagaan, a poor village in India must unite the quarrelsome neighbors during a drought and form a cricket team. Said team not only has to learn how to play a foreign game, they have to defeat the local English garrison team, or they will pay triple taxes, and everyone starves.

I give you one of the best training montages you will find.
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 9:28 PM on March 10, 2020 [3 favorites]

no wizard of oz? how about the munchkins parade?
posted by 20 year lurk at 12:46 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

"You Can't Stop the Beat" and "Run and Tell That" from _Hairspray_
posted by tmharris65 at 2:06 AM on March 11, 2020

DAMMIT ALL Y'ALL HAVE ALREADY PICKED THE ONES I'D HAVE SUGGESTED FIRST

Uh, so. Nthing "Singin' In The Rain" and "Dancing Cheek to Cheek".

I'd add the rendition of "Man Of Constant Sorrow" from O Brother, Where Art Thou from when the Soggy Bottom Boys are at the political rally. It's more fleshed-out than the previous version, you get to see George Clooney dance like a goon, and it's the triumphant victory for our heroes as one of their antagonists literally gets run out of town on a rail.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 4:13 AM on March 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

Ann Miller's Shakin' the Blues Away from Easter Parade.

(partially non-lyrical: Eleanor Powell's Fascinating Rhythm from Lady Be Good. Continuous shot with multiple piano players and the the stage being pulled away as she goes. There's a great behind the scenes on That's Entertainment 3 that I can't find on youtube that shows the stages etc. being shifted.)
posted by halcyonday at 4:15 AM on March 11, 2020

Also, I’ll be specific for Fiddler on the Roof. To Life.

And thank you for this thread. Good Lord, I needed this right now.
posted by FencingGal at 5:16 AM on March 11, 2020 [4 favorites]

"Rich Man's Frug" from Sweet Charity Choreography by Bob Fosse. It's in three sections -- The Aloof, the Heavyweight, the Big Finish. Dance number without words but it's amazing ... the lead dancer, Suzanne Charney, is mesmerizing... just the way her wrists move.

"Skid Row/Downtown" from Little Shop of Horrors.
posted by profreader at 5:43 AM on March 11, 2020 [5 favorites]

Malhari from Bajirao Mastani. Astonishing.
posted by socksister at 6:28 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

No Wicked? How about Defying Gravity or Popular?
posted by emmet at 6:58 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

No Wicked? How about Defying Gravity or Popular ?

They aren't (yet) in a live-action movie musical, as OP was looking for. BUT I encourage everyone to search "Defying Gravity animatic" (there are many results) to see animators' take on how they would 'stage' that song. It's a popular song for animators to practice their craft on -- some of them are really breathtaking.
posted by profreader at 7:12 AM on March 11, 2020

Stretching your terms a bit; not from a musical but a total favorite of mine and classic. Emotionally gripping on its own, very dramatic in context, and features a line at the end you should recognize. La Marseilles from Casablanca. Vive la France!
posted by conscious matter at 7:38 AM on March 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Another option from Sweet Charity is "The Rhythm Of Life", which made quite an impression on people when it was the subject of an FPP.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:46 AM on March 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

The one-shot Saturday Night's Alright from Rocketman! The Rocket Man and Goodbye Yellow Brick Road sequences are remarkable too.
posted by low_horrible_immoral at 7:57 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

Must have Fred Astaire dancing on the ceiling from Royal Wedding. From Singing in the Rain I nominate ‘Make ‘Em Laugh’ and ‘Moses Supposes’.
posted by bq at 8:42 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

"Cheek to Cheek" from The Gay Divorcée

"Cheek to Cheek" from Top Hat.

D'oh! Of course it was Top Hat. I guess I'll turn in my character shoes. The Gay Divorcée was "The Continental."
posted by The Underpants Monster at 9:34 AM on March 11, 2020

Fame!!!

Let the Sunshine In from Hair (rips you wide open, especially in context)

Both Everybody Rejoice and the colors sequence from the Wiz

I know you want more than just dance, but I don't care this is my favorite thing ever: Time After Time from Romy and Michele's High School Reunion

Plus if you can count this as live action, Movin' Right Along

And seconding the barn-raising scene from Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (amazing choreography) and Rhythm of Life from Sweet Charity (just insane and perfect)
posted by Mchelly at 10:28 AM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

This might not count because it's from a TV show, not a movie, but I really enjoyed "Don't Say Yes Until I've Finished Talking" from Smash!

Also A Cover is Not the book from Mary Poppins Returns is pretty great.

(I guess I kind of like Shaiman and Wittman.)
posted by kristi at 12:08 PM on March 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

Bohemian Dance from Funny Face. The link is to the full scene, but the dance doesn't start for about three minutes. (Note: The scene has Fred Astaire in it, but the dancing is all Audrey Hepburn.)
posted by LizardBreath at 12:51 PM on March 11, 2020

(500) Days of Summer: You Make My Dream Come True.

Might be pushing the definition of "dance" but: Baby Driver: Coffee Run.
posted by SPrintF at 1:19 PM on March 11, 2020

Hello my friend.
"Take Off With Us" from All That Jazz
"Everything Old is New Again" from All That Jazz
"A Lot of Livin' To Do" from Bye Bye Birdie
The whole "Small House of Uncle Thomas" sequence from The King & I (semi-yikes but still amazing)
"Ascot Gavotte" from My Fair Lady is a little bonbon of staging/costume/production design
posted by overeducated_alligator at 1:49 PM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

"Time Warp" from The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
posted by The Underpants Monster at 3:00 PM on March 11, 2020 [1 favorite]

All the dance numbers in Bollywood's "3 Idiots".
Sorry don't know how to link to them.
Movie's in the library system.
posted by Mesaverdian at 4:32 PM on March 11, 2020 [2 favorites]

Aretha Franklin's "Think" from the Blues Brothers
The set is perfect, and the way the extras are drawn into the dance number is organic and feels natural. Check out the other songs in Blues Brothers for great cameos by R&B legends.
posted by cosmicbandito at 5:35 PM on March 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

'Who Will Buy?' from 'Oliver!' is an utterly mind-bending musical set-piece about the theory of economics of a posh Victorian suburban microcosm that brings tears to my eyes. So many fascinating little facets whip by: roses? toy windmills? fresh milk? What's with that wierd guy tooting a fife? An army? And the bad guys watching at the end...
posted by ovvl at 9:32 PM on March 11, 2020 [3 favorites]

I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here from Annie (1982)
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:35 PM on March 11, 2020

I've always suspected that the staging for "Every Sperm is Sacred" was inspired by the staging for "Who Will Buy?"
posted by The Underpants Monster at 10:53 PM on March 11, 2020 [1 favorite]