The British Film Institute will celebrate the film musical with a major season dedicated to the silver screen’s best-loved song and dance movies.
Running from October this year until January 2020 BFI Musicals! The Greatest Show On Screen will include hundreds of screenings and events at venues across the UK.
Announcing the musical-themed season, Robin Baker, head curator, BFI National Archiver and BFI Musicals! programmer said: “Following the blockbuster successes of La La Land and The Greatest Showman, movie musicals are hitting a chord with audiences everywhere and the BFI will celebrate the very best of them together with rediscoveries and surprises.
“We’ll celebrate the biggest stars – from Judy Garland to Barbra Streisand – together with the composers who get our feet tapping, choreographers who make us want to dance in the aisles and the directors who have turned movie musicals into sublime art.
“Audiences flock to musicals in troubled times – from Depression-era hits like 42nd Street to the masterpieces made by MGM’s Freed Film Unit during and after the Second World War. So it’s no surprise that the big screen musical is enjoying its biggest success for decades. What better way to escape from our uncertain times than by immersing yourself in the emotional, hairs-on-the-back-of-your-arms-raising joy of the film musical? Forget your troubles, come on get happy!”
With the full programme to be announced on 10 September 2019, the BFI has revealed a taste of the season’s star attractions which will include the UK-wide re-release of classic musicals including Singin’ in the Rain and BFI DVD and Blu-Ray releases of Yentl, Hair and Les Demoiselles de Rochefort.
Highlights will include: a series at the BFI Southbank celebrating the musicals’ greatest stars, director, composers and choreographers with screenings, one-off events and special guest appearances; events at venues from Chester and Bristol to Glasgow and Birmingham programmed in partnership with BFI Audience Network (BFI FAN); and a touring programme of 12 musical films from Hollywood classics to international musicals presented by the Independent Cinema Office.
Home viewers will also get access to a showcase of classic films through the VOD BFI Player with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers, Little Shop of Horrors and Meet Me At St Louis among the titles on offer.
The Mediatheque at BFI Southbank will offer a new extensive free to view collection of TV documentaries from the past 50 years – most unavailable to view elsewhere – exploring the making of our favourite musicals and profiling star writers, choreographers and performers.
There will also be a strand dedicated to BFI Musicals in the Into Film Festival from 6-22 November 2019.
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.