With a particular knack for directing musicals, romantic dramas, and comedies,Vincente Minnelliwas one of the most acclaimed and consistent filmmakers active duringthe Golden Age of Hollywood. His earliest films were released near the start of the 1940s, and he continued to work steadily until the start of the 1970s (technically until 1976, when his last film,A Matter of Time, was released, though he apparently disowned that one).
Like any director who was able to churn out one or two movies just about every year for more than a couple of decades, Minnelli’s filmography might not be entirely consistent, though there are more hits than misses. The following titles are some of the best to be found within his body of work, andinclude well-known hits alongside some more underrated gems. These films are ranked below, starting with the pretty good and ending with the pretty great.
10’Gigi' (1958)
Starring: Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jourdan
Aromantic musical that surprisingly won Best Pictureat the Academy Awards (alongside eight other wins, impressively sweeping all nine categories it was nominated for), time hasn’t been the kindest toGigi. It could charitably be called old-fashioned, given it was made decades ago and takes place decades before then, centering on the journey of a young woman as she goes from being immature and boisterous to “classy” and “ladylike.”
It’s also a film that contains some awkward moments and a few even more awkward songs, butGigiis at least presented extremely well and can prove worth watching for the aesthetics on offer alone. It’s a well-directed and well-shot movie that narratively doesn’t exactly hold up, but it’s not a total misfire and clearly had an impact on people back in 1958, so for those reasons, it is worthy of some recognition.
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9’On a Clear Day You Can See Forever' (1970)
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Yves Montand, Bob Newhart
Another musical that can, at the very least, be described as “interesting,”On a Clear Day You Can See Foreverwas Vincente Minnelli’s second-last movie, and the last one he directed that he didn’t also disown. While it therefore marked something of an end for his filmmaking career, its star,Barbra Streisand, was well-established but still fairly new on the cinema scene, withOn a Clear Day You Can See Foreverbeing her third leading role.
It’s not quite as good as the prior two musicals she starred in (Funny GirlandHello Dolly), but it still features some solid songs and is another good-looking film. It’s also a curiosity for some of its odder elements, including the premise – which involves therapy and reincarnation – and for its cast, which, besides Streisand,features the likes of a youngJack Nicholson,Yves Montand, and Bob Newhart.
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8’Lust for Life' (1956)
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Anthony Quinn, James Donald
One of numerous movies thatdemonstrated Minnelli was capable of more than just musicals,Lust for Lifeisa solidly made biographical filmabout troubled and talented artistVincent van Gogh. It’s one ofKirk Douglas’smore surprising roles, especially for anyone who recognizes him from hiswork in film noir moviesand more action-packed fare, but he’s quite good here as van Gogh.
Beyond being a biopic,Lust for Lifeis also a bit of a melodrama and all feels quite heightened, but given Vincente Minnelli movies often use color strikingly, that bold approach works for a movie about an artist and their sometimes colorful work. There have been better biographical films made since Lust for Life, and maybe a few better ones made before, too, but it’s overall well-done and certain aspects of it hold up pretty well.
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7’Some Came Running' (1958)
Starring: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Shirley MacLaine
Some Came Runningrevolves, in part, around romance, but probably functions best as a surprisingly raw and ultimately rather upsetting drama; one that surprisingly lacks the “melo” that sometimes precedes the “drama.” It is a little in-your-face andhas that 1950s approach to drama that some may feel is overwrought by today’s standards, sure, but going in knowing how old the film is does allow much of it to still be appreciable.
It centers narratively on a veteran who returns to his small hometown, jaded and often drunk, and while there, clashes with his very different brother while also falling for two women, more or less at the same time. Tensions build and everything barrels toward a striking ending, and thoughSome Came Runningfeels a tad overlong at nearly 140 minutes, it is engaging for the majority of that runtime.
Some Came Running
6’Meet Me in St. Louis' (1944)
Starring: Judy Garland, Margaret O’Brien, Mary Astor
A classic 1940s musical, and one of Vincente Minnelli’s best-known movies,Meet Me in St. Louisalso stands as one of the filmmaker’s earliest films. It’s set around the start of the 20th century, and has a rather simple premise it uses as a vehicle to have charming songs and dance numbers, given the “plot” is really just about four sisters dealing with love and life while also preparing to make a move from St. Louis to New York City.
Meet Me in St. Louisis perhapsbest remembered for starring Judy Garland inone of her most iconic musical roles,and she and Minnelli ended up getting married the year after the film came out. It’s a good one overall, and it’s pretty easy to call it essential viewing for anyone who likes old-school musicals yet has somehow missed checking it out already.
Meet Me in St. Louis
5’The Clock' (1945)
Starring: Judy Garland, Robert Walker, James Gleason
Speaking of the year afterMeet Me in St. Louiscame out and Judy Garland,The Clockwas released in 1945 and once again saw Minnelli directing Garland in a leading role. She was cast alongsideRobert Walkerhere, with the pair playing two young people who fall in love while Walker’s character – a G.I. – is on leave, leading to them having a frantic and fast-moving romance that very quickly barrels towards marriage.
The Clockisan underrated 1940s movie overall, andproves to be surprisingly intense for what initially looks like it’ll be a rather charming and breezy romance. It’s not heavy-going or depressing necessarily, but the relationship at its core is an intensely passionate one, andThe Clockalso isn’t shy about displaying the chaos that was/is New York City.
4’Tea and Sympathy' (1956)
Starring: Deborah Kerr, John Kerr, Leif Erickson
Tea and Sympathyis easily one of Vincente Minnelli’s very best serious movies, and it’s honestly quite surprising how bold this film gets for its time. It’s a heavy drama that deals with heady themes, following an ostracized student who turns to the wife of his headmaster for emotional support, as she seems to be one of the few people in his life who cares for and doesn’t bully him.
A strange sort of bond develops between the two, all the while the young student deals with increasing emotional turmoil and isolation in other areas of his life. It waslikely alarming for audiences back in the 1950s, given it’s still a movie that feels heavy nowadays.Tea and Sympathyis only let down slightly by a finalscene that was added to this film adaptation(of a 1953 play) to make it a little more “acceptable” by the standards back then, and it does weigh the impact of the rest of the film down a tad when it’s watched today.Otherwise, this is a pretty great drama.
3’The Band Wagon' (1953)
Starring: Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Oscar Levant
Even a badmusical starringFred Astairemight still be worth checking out, given what a dynamite talent he was when it came to elaborate and always charming song-and-dance sequences.Yet when Astaire found himself in a movie where everything around him was also very good, movie magic usually followed, and thankfully,The Band Wagonis one instance of Astaire being typically great in a film that’s also pretty great all-around.
The plot? Who cares! No one really should;The Band Wagonis all about having a good time and being breezy, with it loosely following an aging star and various other individuals all cooperating to put on an ambitious and often chaotic Broadway show. There are entertaining musical numbers both outside this show and within it (it’s like a show within a movie), and it’s all very lightweight but also visually dazzling, making for a very enjoyable two hours.
2’An American in Paris' (1951)
Starring: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron, Oscar Levant
Scratching a similar itch toThe Band Wagonin terms of being a great-looking and very fun musical,An American in Pariscan also be compared toGigiin a couple of key areas. Both films starredLeslie Caron, and both won Best Picture at the Oscars the year they came out, with the moreengaging, charming, and funnyAn American in Parisstanding today as the superior Vincente Minnelli-directed Best Picture winner.
Also, likeThe Band Wagon, the narrative ofAn American in Parisfeels secondary at best, mostly just focusing onGene Kellyfalling for Caron’s character while trying to make it as an artist in the titular city. Thelack of a complex or surprising story is perfectly fine when everything else works so well and proves to be entertaining, andAn American in Parisis great old-fashioned entertainment that’s still rewarding to watch to this day.
An American in Paris
Starring: Kirk Douglas, Lana Turner, Walter Pidgeon
The Bad and the Beautifulis a cutting and powerful drama about the darker side of Hollywood, andholds up well enough to count itself amongthe best movies of the 1950swith ease. It uses a series of flashbacks to show an intense and intimidating Hollywood producer making his way to the top of the film industry, investigating the difficult relationships he has with various people along the way.
AlongsideLust for Life, it was another Vincente Minnelli movie that starred Kirk Douglas in the lead role, and it’s certainly one of the actor’s greatest-ever performances. WhileThe Bad and the Beautifulmight not be as fun or easy to rewatch as some other more comedic Minnelli movies, it functions extremely well as a hard-hitting showbiz drama, and some of it still manages to feel topical more than 70 years on from its initial release.
