| The 1950s musical | | | | themselves based on non-musical films, such as |
| Since the 1950s, the musical film has declined in | | | | The Producers and the upcoming Hairspray. |
| popularity. One reason was the change in culture | | | | Slightly under the mainstream radar, there have |
| to rock n' roll and the freedom and youth | | | | been a number of artistically lauded independent |
| associated with it. Elvis Presley made a few | | | | films such as Hedwig and the Angry Inch and |
| movies that have been equated with the old | | | | Dancer in the Dark, foreign films such as 8 |
| musicals in terms of form. Most of the musical | | | | Femmes, The Other Side of the Bed and Yes |
| films of the 50s and 60s, e.g. Oklahoma! and The | | | | Nurse, No Nurse, and the upcoming Clear Blue |
| Sound of Music, were straightforward adaptations | | | | Tuesday. In 2004, the New York Musical Theatre |
| or restagings of successful stage productions. | | | | Festival presented a week-long festival of modern |
| The musical film today | | | | movie musicals that included 10 independent |
| The trend in modern filmmaking after the 1960s | | | | features made since 1996, as well as several |
| had been to avoid "musical films" as such, in | | | | programs of short movie musicals. |
| favour of using music by popular rock or pop | | | | Another exception to the decline of the musical |
| bands as 'background music' in the hope of selling | | | | film is Bollywood, the Indian film industry, where |
| a soundtrack album to fans. There are exceptions | | | | the vast majority of films have been and still are |
| to this rule, however, and films about actors, | | | | musicals. Thanks to the incumbent Bollywood |
| dancers or singers have been made as successful | | | | formula of the often garish and unrealistic "song |
| modern-style musical films, with the music as an | | | | and dance" routine, and the lack of an |
| intrinsic part of the storyline. The other exception | | | | independent Indian popular music scene until the |
| to the rule is the children's animated movie, which | | | | late nineties, the Indian film and popular music |
| almost always include traditional musical numbers, | | | | industries have been intertwined since virtually the |
| some of which, such as Beauty and the Beast | | | | beginning of film production in the country. Some |
| and The Lion King, have later become live stage | | | | top playback singers are celebrities in India due to |
| productions. In the early 2000s however, the | | | | the demand for so-called filmi singles and albums. |
| musical film has begun to rise in popularity once | | | | This trend continues even to date, although a few |
| more, with new works such as Moulin Rouge!; film | | | | of the newer Bollywood films (usually in the |
| remakes of stage shows, such as Chicago, The | | | | English language or art genres) are breaking the |
| Phantom of the Opera, Rent, and Dreamgirls; and | | | | mold by releasing films with no songs (such as |
| even film versions of stage shows that were | | | | Black, Matrubhoomi and 15, Park Avenue). |