International Movie Musicals
While some movie musicals are still marketed in a way that downplays or downright conceals their genre, critical darling Emilia Perez has garnered ten Golden Globe nominations and is already shortlisted for six Academy Awards. In celebration of the movie musical, the following list features some of our favorites from around the world.
16 Titles
Date Created: January 8, 2025
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
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The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
Jacques Demy
·
1964
·
France, West Germany
The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (Les parapluies de Cherbourg)
A film for all the young lovers of the world.
- France, West Germany · 1964
- Director: Jacques Demy
- Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Mireille Perrey, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: Amazon Video, Shout! Factory TV, Plex Channel, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Criterion Channel, HBO Max, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Plex, Kanopy, Tubi TV
Dancer in the Dark
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Dancer in the Dark
Lars Von Trier
·
2000
·
Denmark, Germany, Netherlands
Dancer in the Dark
A Czech immigrant on the verge of blindness, uses her love of musicals to escape her life's troubles.
- Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Sweden, Finland, Iceland, Argentina · 2000
- Director: Lars Von Trier
- Cast: Björk, Catherine Deneuve, David Morse, Peter Stormare, Joel Grey, Cara Seymour
- Genre: Drama
- Available on: YouTube, MUBI, Google Play Movies, MUBI Amazon Channel, Plex Channel
Oliver!
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Oliver!
Carol Reed
·
1968
·
United Kingdom
Oliver!
An orphan meets a pickpocket on the streets of London and joins a gang who are trained to steal for their master.
- United Kingdom · 1968
- Director: Carol Reed
- Cast: Ron Moody, Shani Wallis, Oliver Reed, Harry Secombe, Joseph O'Conor, Peggy Mount
- Genre: Drama, Family, Music
- Available on: Google Play Movies, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, Tubi TV, YouTube, The Roku Channel
Where Do We Go Now?
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Where Do We Go Now?
Nadine Labaki
·
2011
·
France, Lebanon, Egypt
Where Do We Go Now? (Et maintenant on va où ?)
The women of a Middle Eastern village must quell rising tensions between their Christian and Muslim men.
- France, Lebanon, Egypt, Italy · 2011
- Director: Nadine Labaki
- Cast: Claude Msawbaa, Leyla Hakim, Nadine Labaki, Yvonne Maalouf, Antoinette Noufaily, Julian Farhat
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Available on: Amazon Video, Fandango At Home, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Apple TV
Dil Se..
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Dil Se..
Mani Ratnam
·
1998
·
India
Dil Se.. (दिल से..)
When journalist Amar falls for a mysterious woman on an assignment, she does not reciprocate his feelings.
- India · 1998
- Director: Mani Ratnam
- Cast: Shah Rukh Khan, Manisha Koirala, Preity Zinta, Mita Vasisht, Arundhati Rao, Raghuvir Yadav
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: Netflix, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Netflix Standard with Ads, Amazon Video, YouTube
Office
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Office
Johnnie To
·
2015
·
China, Hong Kong
Office (華麗上班族)
A takedown of capitalist corruption and greed that's savvily packaged as a song-and-dance extravaganza.
- China, Hong Kong · 2015
- Director: Johnnie To
- Cast: Chow Yun-Fat, Sylvia Chang, Eason Chan, Tang Wei, Wang Ziyi, Lang Yueting
- Genre: Music, Drama
- Available on: Fandor, Tubi TV, Cineverse, Apple TV, AsianCrush, OVID, Fandango At Home
Hipsters
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Hipsters
Valery Todorovsky
·
2008
·
Russia
Hipsters (Стиляги)
Hot Jazz meets Cold War in this Soviet-era forbidden love story!
- Russia · 2008
- Director: Valery Todorovsky
- Cast: Anton Shagin, Oksana Akinshina, Maksim Matveev, Igor Voynarovskiy, Ekaterina Vilkova
- Genre: Drama, Romance
- Available on: Kanopy
Black Orpheus
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Black Orpheus
Marcel Camus
·
1959
·
Brazil, France, Italy
Black Orpheus (Orfeu Negro)
A retelling of the Greek legend of Orpheus and Eurydice that introduced Bossa Nova to the world.
- Brazil, France, Italy · 1959
- Director: Marcel Camus
- Cast: Breno Mello, Marpessa Dawn, Marcel Camus, Fausto Guerzoni, Lourdes de Oliveira, Léa Garcia
- Genre: Drama, Fantasy, Music, Romance
- Available on: Kanopy, Fandango At Home, HBO Max Amazon Channel, Criterion Channel, Apple TV, HBO Max, Amazon Video
Once
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Once
John Carney
·
2007
·
Ireland
Once
Two aspiring musicians collaborate, finding love along the way.
- Ireland · 2007
- Director: John Carney
- Cast: Glen Hansard, Markéta Irglová, Hugh Walsh, Gerard Hendrick, Alaistair Foley, Geoff Minogue
- Genre: Drama, Music, Romance
- Available on: Broadway HD Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video
The Saddest Music in the World
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The Saddest Music in the World
Guy Maddin
·
2003
·
Canada
The Saddest Music in the World
In Depression-era Winnipeg, a legless beer baroness hosts a contest for the saddest music in the world, offering a grand prize of $25,000.
- Canada · 2003
- Director: Guy Maddin
- Cast: Isabella Rossellini, Mark McKinney, Maria de Medeiros, David Fox, Ross McMillan, Louis Negin
- Genre: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Music
- Available on: AMC Plus Apple TV Channel, Philo, AMC+ Amazon Channel, Fandango At Home, AMC+
Changing Partners
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Changing Partners
Dan Villegas
·
2017
·
Philippines
Changing Partners
Through four gender-bending variations, this film showcases the downfall of Alex and Chris’s love story.
- Philippines · 2017
- Director: Dan Villegas
- Cast: Agot Isidro, Jojit Lorenzo, Sandino Martin, Anna Luna, Nicco Manalo
- Genre: Music, Romance
- Available on: Amazon Video, Apple TV
Mother India
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Mother India
Mehboob Khan
·
1957
·
India
Mother India
In this Bollywood classic, a poverty-stricken woman rises above her circumstances to be there for her children and for herself.
- India · 1957
- Director: Mehboob Khan
- Cast: Nargis, Sunil Dutt, Rajendra Kumar, Raaj Kumar, Kanhaiyalal, Kumkum
- Genre: Drama
- Available on: Amazon Video, Eros Now Select Apple TV Channel, Criterion Channel
Tokyo Tribe
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Tokyo Tribe
Sion Sono
·
2014
·
Japan
Tokyo Tribe (TOKYO TRIBE)
In dystopian Japan, a war breaks out between the warring gangs that dominate the streets of Tokyo.
- Japan · 2014
- Director: Sion Sono
- Cast: Ryohei Suzuki, Young Dais, Nana Seino, Ryuta Sato, Shota Sometani, Denden
- Genre: Action, Crime, Drama, Music, Science Fiction
- Available on: Amazon Video, Apple TV, The Roku Channel, Tubi TV
Black Cat, White Cat
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Black Cat, White Cat
Emir Kusturica
·
1998
·
Yugoslavia, France, Germany
Black Cat, White Cat (Crna mačka, beli mačor)
After a failed business deal, a small time hustler forces his teenage son into an arranged marriage.
- Yugoslavia, France, Germany, Austria, Greece · 1998
- Director: Emir Kusturica
- Cast: Bajram Severdzhan, Srđan Todorović, Zabit Memedov, Florijan Ajdini, Branka Katić, Ljubica Adzovic
- Genre: Comedy, Romance
- Available on: Klassiki
Le Million
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Le Million
René Clair
·
1931
·
France
Le Million (Le million)
Chase the jacket! Follow the money!
- France · 1931
- Director: René Clair
- Cast: René Lefèvre, Annabella, Jean-Louis Allibert, Paul Ollivier, Vanda Gréville, Constantin Siroesco
- Genre: Comedy, Music
- Available on: Criterion Channel
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
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Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham
Karan Johar
·
2001
·
India
Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham (कभी ख़ुशी कभी ग़म)
When Rahul marries a poor woman, his father disowns him and Rahul moves to London to build a new life.
- India · 2001
- Director: Karan Johar
- Cast: Amitabh Bachchan, Jaya Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol, Hrithik Roshan, Kareena Kapoor Khan
- Genre: Comedy, Drama
- Available on: Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Netflix Standard with Ads