Cabaret 1972 15 118min Colour

The songs are great, so is the acting, but best of all Bob Fosse's film vividly evokes the decadence and danger of 1930s Berlin as the Nazis came to power. As Sally Bowles, the cabaret singer in a triangular bisexual relationship with two men, Liza Minnelli was never better, while Joel Grey is outstanding as the cynical master of ceremonies. This is a rare musical that actually has something serious to say and says it extremely well.

Say it again! "I'm going to be a great film star! That is, if booze and sex don't get me first." Sally Bowles

Oscars Bob Fosse - Directing; Liza Minelli - Actress; Joel Grey - Supporting Actor

Did you know? In the scene where men throw their hats in the air, all the hats were suspended on fishing line

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Moulin Rouge! 2001 12 122min Colour

Pop songs through the ages invigorate Baz Luhrmann's bold fantasy centred on the famous Parisian nightclub in 1899, at the centre of which is the love affair between young English writer Ewan McGregor and singer/courtesan Nicole Kidman. It would have been even better if Luhrmann had allowed more time for the chemistry to sizzle between the lovers, but otherwise it's highly imaginitive and visually stunning.

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Singin' in the Rain 1952 U 99min Colour

Cobbled together on a shoestring, grabbing its music wherever it could, this is the best of all musicals, full of energy and joie de vivre. The story (Hollywood making the transition to talkies) is excellent, the humour is sharp and funny, and the dancing - especially Kelly with the title number and Donald O'Connor with Make 'Em Laugh - is superb. True, the over-serious Broadway Rhythm Ballet fantasy sequence with Kelly and Cyd Charise has nothing to do with the rest of the film but that, too, like everything else is superbly done.

Did you know? The scene between Gene Kelly and the cop on the beat (played by Brick Sullivan) at the end of the title number was later spoofed brilliantly by Eric Morecambe and Ernie Wise in their 1976 Christmas show

Say it again! "What do they think I am? Dumb or something? Why I make more money than - than - than Calvin Coolidge! Put together!" Lina Lamont

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West Side Story 1961 PG 145min Colour

Leonard Bernstein's reworking of Romeo and Juliet replaces inter-family squabbles with a turf war between rival gangs, the Sharks and the Jets, in 1950s New York. The dramatic sequences hardly do justice to Shakespeare, but the songs and the exuberant dance numbers are all first-rate and deservedly win it a place among the best. Natalie Wood stars as Maria. The film won a remarkable ten Oscars; Singin' in the Rain won none. Go figure.

Did you know? The producers feared intimidation from local street gangs, but the only trouble came from very young children, who regularly threw stones at the cast

Say it again! "I feel pretty. Oh, so pretty... I feel pretty and witty and bright!" Maria

Oscars Best Picture; Jerome Robbins, Robert Wise - Directing; George Chakiris - Supporting Actor; Rita Moreno - Supporting Actress

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Chicago 2002 12 108min Colour

Chicago in the 1920s - fast and loose women, all that jazz and murder. Renée Zellweger is the showgirl on trial for murdering her two-timing lover, Richard Gere is the smooth lawyer who defends her and Catherine Zeta-Jones the showgirl/husband killer she meets in clink. The story unfolds to the accompaniment of a string of glitzy, glossy song-and-dance numbers, energetically performed. Even Gere, unencumbered though he is by two left feet, makes a passable tap dancer. Intersting plot, dazzling spectacle.

Did you know? Catherine Zeta-Jones won her role after impressing producer Marty Richards with her carol-singing at a party

Say it again! "This trial... the whole world... it's all... showbusiness." Billy Flynn

Oscars Best Picture; Catherine Zeta-Jones - Supporting Actress

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The Red Shoes 1948 U 127min Colour

Britain is not noted for its musicals but this is a vivid exception. Yes, it deals with ballet rather than song-and-dance numbers and can be viewed asa tragedy as much as a musical. But Powell and Pressburger’s story of a dancer torn between her Mephistophelian impresario and a lovelorn composer, incorporating Hans Christian Andersen’s tale of the girl who couldn’t stop dancing, works on every level and Moira Shearer makes an astonishing film debut. 

Did you know? Some people complained about the bleak ending, but in the original fairy tale, the ballerina had her feet hacked off by a woodsman, so maybe audiences should have been thankful for small mercies.

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My Fair Lady 1964 U 166min Colour 

Never mind that Julie Andrews, creator of the role of Eliza on stage, was cruelly denied the film part. Audrey Hepburn can’t sing half as well and was largely dubbed by Marni Nixon but still makes an adorable substitute. Anyway, Rex Harrison, as Professor Higgins, doesn’t really sing at all but Alan Jay Lerner and Frederick Loewe’s charming adaptation of Pygmalion overcomes such trivial quibbles with never a backwards glance. 

Say it again! “I’ve grown accustomed to her face.” Henry Higgins 

Oscars Best Picture; George Cukor - Directing; Rex Harrison - Actor

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High Society 1956 U 102min Colour 

A musical version of The Philadelphia Story, and admittedly much flimsier and less spiky than the original. But the songs by Cole Porter are terrific and just look at the cast — Sinatra, Crosby, Louis Armstrong, Celeste Holm and Grace Kelly. It’s gossamer-light but warm and funny. My wife loved it all so much that she named our elder daughter after the song I Love, Samantha. 

Did you know? The song Well, Did You Evah was added at the last minute because there wasn’t a song for Frank Sinatra and Bing Crosby to duet on

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Saturday Night Fever 1977 18 118min Colour

John Travolta is the leader of a bunch of disaffected Brooklyn kids on the verge of delinquency, who live for Saturday nights at the disco. There’s a much harder edge to the story of young people with little ambition and few prospects than is usual in musicals and that’s a plus. What you remember most though is the Bee Gees on the soundtrack and the iconic image of Travolta in his white suit on the dance floor. 

Did you know? Karen Lynn Gorney notched up a few sales of her paintings on the film, with buyers including John Travolta, director John Badham and the Bee Gees

Say it again! “Would you just watch the hair. Ya know, I work on my hair a long time and you hit it.” Tony Manero

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Kiss Me Kate 1953 U 105min Colour 

I like this more every time I watch it. Howard Keel is admirably suited to the role of amiable lout trying to persuade his ex-wife (Kathryn Grayson) to join him in a musical production of The Taming of the Shrew, Ann Miller dances up a storm and Cole Porter’s score is one of his best. It was originally made in 3D but you don’t miss the extra dimension because the flat screen version is so enjoyable. 

Did you know? Future Oscar-winning director Bob Fosse can be seen in a duet with Carol Haney during From This Moment On, where he does a complete backflip

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Help choose Barry's 101st film and give yourself a chance to win a Sky Go package with an iPad and Sky Movies free for a year 

Barry Norman's 101 Greatest Films of All Time! part 1 was first published in Radio Times magazine (21-27 January 2012)

Barry Norman's 101 Greatest Films of All Time! part 2 is available in this week's Radio Times magazine (28 January-3 February 2012)