Book Review: "Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget"

Author Richard Barrios has chronicled the movie musical from the beginning of the sound era, starting with the very first one, The Broadway Melody (1929) and ending with La La Land (2016). In between there are 48 other movie musicals profiled for readers to enjoy (and argue about).

Some of the choices are suspect to me, but the author makes a good case for each musical by giving us background information on what made them unique for the time or, in his opinion, timeless. For example, Singin’ in the Rain (1952), considered a classic now, barely made back its investment upon first release, nor was it a big critical success. Today it is considered, by many, to be the greatest movie musical of all time.

The book is lavishly illustrated with many images in full color. Even if you don’t agree with all of Barrios’s choices, you will definitely find many of your favorites between the covers; I surely did.

Like other recent movie books released by Running Press and Turner Classic Movies, the book’s design and layout is superior. Page layouts are just creative enough to be attractive, but not overly cluttered with display fonts that make it unreadable.

The book includes a foreword by Michael Feinstein, the singer, pianist, and musical archivist.

Must-See Musicals: 50 Show-Stopping Movies We Can’t Forget
Paperback: 264 pages
Publisher: Running Press (October 10, 2017)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0762463163
ISBN-13: 978-0762463169
Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 1 x 9.2 inches
Price: 23.86

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