Movies Similar to Hollywood Singing and Dancing: A Musical History

Laurel & Hardy: Their Lives and Magic(2011)

The lives of Stan Laurel (1890-1965) and Oliver Hardy (1892-1957), on the screen and behind the curtain. The joy and the sadness, the success and the failure. The story of one of the best comic duos of all time: a lesson on how to make people laugh.

7.7

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Building a Better Bond(2006)

Teaser promotional documentary made for theaters and exhibitors, shot in 1994 during pre-production to promote the then upcoming James Bond movie GoldenEye (1995).

5.0

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The Return of Bond: The Start of Production Press Event(2006)

A short documentary about the press of GoldenEye.

5.5

A Profile of 'The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp'(2000)

A documentary on "The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp."

0.0

Score: A Film Music Documentary(2017)

Music is an integral part of most films, adding emotion and nuance while often remaining invisible to audiences. Matt Schrader shines a spotlight on the overlooked craft of film composing, gathering many of the art form’s most influential practitioners, from Hans Zimmer and Danny Elfman to Quincy Jones and Randy Newman, to uncover their creative process. Tracing key developments in the evolution of music in film, and exploring some of cinema’s most iconic soundtracks, 'Score' is an aural valentine for film lovers.

7.1

Behind the Bull(2000)

When Forgotten Silver — the story of pioneer filmmaker Colin McKenzie — unspooled on 29th October 1995, in a Sunday TV slot normally reserved for drama, many believed the fable was fact. Controversy ensued as a public reacted (indignant, thrilled) to having the wool pulled over their eyes. Costa Botes, who originated the mockumentary, later made this doco, looking at the construction of McKenzie's epic, tragic, yet increasingly ridiculous story. He interviews co-conspirator Peter Jackson and other pranksters, and they muse on the film's priceless impact.

0.0

Afro Promo(1997)

Co-curated by Jenni Olson and the late Black gay activist Karl Knapper, this entertaining showcase of vintage movie trailers traces the evolution of African American cinema through its most crucial period, 1952-1976. Filled with insights on race and social dynamics, this fascinating compendium of coming attractions explores an extensive range of stylistic approaches—Blaxploitation, Comedy, Music Bio, Plantation Drama and more—offering an outrageous joyride through motion picture history. Beyond mere camp, these marvelously condensed gems crystallize a range of African American identities and personalities, tracking the meteoric careers of Sidney Poitier, James Earl Jones, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, Pam Grier and others through their bold performances in movies both hugely popular and practically forgotten. Afro Promo provides a compact glimpse at the representation of African Americans through twenty-five dynamic years of American cinema history.

0.0

Classic Albums: Elvis Presley(2002)

The story behind Elvis's first album features performances from 1955 and '56, interviews with the King and rare home movies of him at play and work.

6.6

David Bowie: Out of this World(2021)

Through his ever changing reinvention, Bowie has become a symbol for fearlessness, innovation and creativity. He has become a true icon. A Phenomena that people will always remember, as he altered music forever.

5.8

Blood & Flesh: The Reel Life & Ghastly Death of Al Adamson(2019)

Brought to life through archival material and the reflections of over 40 colleagues, friends and fans, BLOOD & FLESH is much more than the story of a moviemaking life most unusual. It beautifully captures the worlds of outsider filmmaker communities that existed in California in the ’70s, and the weird ways they intersected with Hollywood mainstream and union indies. On Adamson shoots, regular Orson Welles crew and cinematographers like Gary Graver, Vilmos Szigmond and Lazlo Kovaks worked alongside Bud Cardos — and at one point, Charles Manson! Director David Gregory (founder of Severin Films, director of LOST SOUL: THE DOOMED JOURNEY OF RICHARD STANLEY’S ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU) spent years making this film, speaking to everyone down to the cops who investigated Adamson’s murder, vividly encapsulating both a bold life and tragic demise, with alien conspiracies, go-go dancers and Colonel Sanders coming in along the way. If you’ve got even a passing interest in cinema, you want to see this

6.8

Kim Dotcom: Caught in the Web(2017)

The larger-than-life story of Kim Dotcom, the 'most wanted man online', is extraordinary enough, but the battle between Dotcom and the US Government and entertainment industry—being fought in New Zealand—is one that goes to the heart of ownership, privacy and piracy in the digital age.

6.6

California Dreams(2017)

Five unique individuals in pursuit of a big life change. Through auditions set up in small towns across Southern California, the film shows genuine characters with big Hollywood aspirations who, for various reasons, have never had the opportunity to pursue their dreams.

6.3

Tell Me Iggy(2022)

This new intimate documentary looks at the extraordinary journey of the 75-year-old American rocker, who has come back from everything, and especially from the worst, but with his capacity for wonder intact.

8.0

Bresson: Without a Trace(1965)

An episode of the television program Cinéastes de notre temps in which the director gives his first on-camera interview.

9.0

Melville Steps Out of the Shadows(2010)

A documentary about the making of Jean-Pierre Melville's 1949 film "Le silence de la mer"

0.0

Sidney Poitier: One Bright Light(2000)

Actor/director Sidney Poitier discusses his life and career. He tells of his upbringing in Jamaica; the difficulties he encountered in New York City at the start of his career; his involvement in the US civil-rights movement; and efforts to end apartheid in South Africa. Friends and acquaintances, as well as other performers, give their insights about what makes him so special.

6.0

Cocaine: History Between the Lines(2011)

Cocaine has always gotten a bad rap, and for a reason. It is a drug used by the rich and the poor legally and illegally, Mexican cartels fought over it with Colombia once associated with the brutal cocaine wars, and a source of tension between the American and Mexican borders on the people who are illicitly bringing in cocaine from one side of the border to another and will do anything to do it. So it can be surprising at times to the viewer throughout the course of the documentary special, that it was never always like this.

0.0

In the Lost City(2009)

The city of Madrid as it appears in the Spanish films of the 1950s. A small tribute to all those who filmed and portrayed Madrid despite the dictatorship, censorship and the critical situation of industry and society.

4.0

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Ich bin Ernst Busch(2000)

Ernst Busch, singer and actor, was a political artist. For the 20th anniversary of his death on June 8, 2000, Peter Voigt embarked on an unusual search for clues. The focus of his film about the idiosyncratic artist is not biographical details, but the central conflicts in the field of tension between politics and culture that determined Busch's life.

0.0

Aznavour by Charles(2019)

In 1948, French singer Charles Aznavour (1924-2018) receives a Paillard Bolex, his first camera. Until 1982, he will shoot hours of footage, his filmed diary. Wherever he goes, he carries his camera with him. He films his life and lives as he films: places, moments, friends, loves, misfortunes.

6.9