“The art of making art is putting it together.” For those unfamiliar with that line, it’s a lyric from Sunday in the Park with George, which has long been my favorite musical. Musicals were the focus of this year’s Arts and Faith list, specifically movie musicals. Fourteen members of the Arts and Faith community came together (virtually) to participate in the art of putting together a list of twenty-five spiritually significant movie musicals.
“Movie musicals” is probably easier to define than “spiritually significant,” or perhaps not, as questions arose as to whether Fantasia is a musical due to the prominent role music plays in that film, whether Duck Soup is a musical for its two brief musical numbers, whether Summer of Soul is a documentary musical or just a concert film, or whether a film about performers like Inside Llewyn Davis is a musical. For the record, the only rules established were that the characters must sing and that the list would focus on movie musicals—that is musicals conceived as movies, not filmed stage productions (so no Hamilton or Les Misérables in concert). To be sure, a movie musical could be an original subject or adapted from a stage show, but the choices made in preproduction for a movie and editing it together are fundamentally different from recording a live performance.
“Spiritually significant” was left up to each voter to determine, and I’m positive that each of the fourteen voters had a slightly different definition, as faith and spirituality are to some extent personal beliefs. For those unfamiliar with the Arts and Faith community, it is a group of cinephiles and art enthusiasts that has been around for the better part of two decades, hosting discussions on the merging of all genres of art and faith, as well as creating film lists on various topics, such as horror, growing older, mercy, and several top 100 lists of spiritually significant movies. Over the years, we have had members who are Catholic, mainstream Christian, nondenominational, and Atheist.
The main things that connect the members of Arts and Faith is a love for excellence in the arts, a respect for each other’s faith journeys, and an interest in how faith and art merge in each member’s lives.
As the resident musician of Arts and Faith, I had pushed hard for a movie musicals list for several years, partially out of a desire to recognize excellence in one of my favorite genres and partially out of a desire to get Jacques Demy musicals and All That Jazz on an Arts and Faith list. (Regarding the latter desire, I was only half successful.) However, the final list is a unique and enriching collection of movie musicals that should appeal both to musical aficionados and those who know little to nothing about the genre.
Musicals mean enough to me that I would consider arguing that there’s an inherent spiritual quality in the sheer joy and wonder of combining singing, acting, and dancing. After all, is it possible to watch “Make ‘Em Laugh,” “Good Morning,” or the title sequence from Singin’ in the Rain without a smile on your face? Considering a musical as tragic as All That Jazz, does the ugliness of the story detract from the razzle-dazzle of the production numbers? Or does the grittiness of the story combine with the gloriousness of “Everything Old Is New Again” and “Bye Bye Life” to form a whole that celebrates art and all relationships while condemning artists who abuse their talent?
One musical I nominated was Mary Poppins, largely because it was the most significant film of my childhood, which probably makes it more responsible for my love of musicals than any other film. It did not make the final list. Oddly, this was not a disappointment for me. I would not say I have outgrown Mary Poppins, as I still love it. However, one purpose of any film list is to challenge us and expand our horizons, and on a list of only twenty-five films, how many perennial favorites should there be? If a movie list was made up solely of titles with which one was familiar, what use would it be? The final list contains some familiar titles and some off the beaten path. There are a handful of finalists that I saw for the first time ever in preparing to vote on this list.
I think the final list shows the type of growth that comes from expanding our horizons. Much like Mary Poppins was a gateway for me to other riches that movie musicals have to offer, I hope this list will be a springboard for whoever encounters it—either to more movie musicals or to other Arts and Faith film lists.
There are obvious candidates for a list of spiritually significant musicals, such as Fiddler on the Roof and Les Misérables, but only one of those was even nominated. Jesus Christ Superstar and Godspell are both Gospel accounts, but the voters felt more strongly about one than the other. Considering other faith traditions, Yentl and Sita Sings the Blues were both nominated. Moving onto more subtle examples of spirituality in musicals, should the scathing critique of materialism in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes qualify it for the list? How about the sheer joy and importance of friendship in It’s Always FairWeather? Does the sacramental ending of Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again qualify it? Or possibly the obvious morality tale of Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street?
Obviously, something could be a great stage musical and have a bad film adaption, or something could be a great film but voters felt it lacked spiritual significance. The former scenario definitely hurt several musicals, either through a lack of a nomination or low-value votes on it. The latter scenario is harder to define as every voter had their own reasons and opinions for what should make the list.
The twenty-five finalists are a reflection not only of great movie musicals, but also a community that cares deeply about cinema, music, and faith. It is a list that combines all of those things, and I hope that care comes across in watching any one of these twenty-five films.
— Evan Cogswell (Catholic Cinephile)