Historically, historical films often do very well at the box office. Maybe it’s because we like to look back at the past and see how far we’ve come or remember the events that led us to the society we are today. Whatever the reason, plenty of historical films have been made over the years about a wide variety of things, from events that take place over the course of a single day to events that span decades.
However, despite there being no shortage of historical films, these films tend to be less than historically accurate. That can be for several reasons. First, the average movie usually lasts between one and a half and two and a half hours. That’s a very limited time to tell a full story with detailed accuracy. Another reason could be that the true story isn’t as exciting as something Hollywood could come up with. These two reasons together mean that our favorite historical movies are not often as fact-based as we would like.
Today we take a look at the best musicals based on real events. This list ranks them based on the quality of the musical, and not necessarily their accuracy with regard to their historical events. Plus, musicals like Hamilton which have yet to be released as a film and have only been performed live or as a televised play.
The king and me
This 1956 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical is loosely based on the true story of governess Anna Leonowens (Deborah Kerr), who raised the children of King Mongkut of Siam (Yul Brynner) in the early 1860s. The musical is highly fictionalized and takes liberties when it hints of a romantic relationship between Anna and King Mongkut. What it does do well, however, is that Anna deeply respected the king, but also rebuked him for his views on slavery and misogyny. In addition, Anna considered the king’s wives as her sisters and equals and did not take charge of them, as in the film.
evita
Get your tissues ready for this next entry because unlike most musicals, evita has no happy ending. evita tells the story of the life of Argentine political leader Eva Perón, second wife of President Juan Perón, and Eva’s early life before rising to power and fame, as well as her charitable work and ultimately her death from uterine cancer.
In the film, the famous singer Madonna plays Eva, a ruthless, power-hungry woman, who is willing to do whatever it takes to achieve fame and success, even sleeping her way up the political ladder. While Madonna had limitations as an actress, choosing a controversial celebrity to play a controversial historical figure is a genius casting decision, especially since both are unabashedly true to themselves.
Annie Grab your gun
Annie Grab your gun is a fictional retelling of the story of Annie Oakley, who achieved worldwide fame for her skills as a marksman. Annie came from humble beginnings but rose to fame on Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show thanks to her skills with a gun. She would fall in love and marry Frank E. Butler and continue to set records well into her sixties before dying at age 66.
In the 1950 musical, Annie is a petite woman, strong-willed and rough around the edges. The film really plays out the romance between her and Frank, with Annie struggling to choose between her career and romantic ambitions. In the end, Annie pretends to lose to Frank in a gunfight, saving his pride and securing a marriage with him.
1776
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Have you ever wondered what America’s founding fathers were arguing about before the US gained independence from England? The musical from 1972 1776 answers all your burning questions through song and dance. Join Benjamin Franklin (Howard da Silva), John Adams (William Daniels) and Thomas Jefferson (Ken Howard) as they tinker, tinker and decide to draft the United States Constitution. While it’s comical to imagine the Founding Fathers bursting into songs and dances, the issues presented in this musical are very real and give us an insight into what their conversations might have been like many years ago.
The sound of music
“Brown paper packages tied with string. These are some of my favorite things.” The sound of music is also one of many people’s favorite things and is considered one of the most loved musicals of all time. The story follows the Von Trapp family, who were well-known singers before World War II, and tells how Mary left the convent and sisterhood to become governess to the children, eventually becoming a mother to them and a wife to Captain Baron Von Trapp.
While the story is heartwarming and endearing, it takes some liberties for dramatic purposes, such as changing the names and ages of all the children and omitting the three extra Baron and Maria would later have. But perhaps the biggest change was the ending. In the film, the family flees Austria and the Nazis by crossing the Alps to Switzerland. However, all they had to do was cross the railway and board the train to Italy.
Le Miserable
“Another day. Another day, another fate. This infinite road to Calvary.” Les Miserables is a bittersweet musical about sacrifice and love, set in the midst of the June Uprising, otherwise known as the Paris Uprising of 1832. Based on Victor Hugo’s novel published in 1862, the 2012 musical follows Jean’s fictional characters Valjean (Hugh Jackman), Fantine (Anne Hathaway), Cosette (Amanda Seyfried), Marius Pontmercy (Eddie Redmayne), Javert (Russell Crowe), and Madame Thénardier (Helena Bonham Carter) as they find redemption, fall in love, pursue revenge and fight for freedom.
While the characters are all fictional, the events of the June Uprising took place. However, the film does not clearly state that the film is about the Paris Rebellion of 1832 and not about the French Revolution that took place almost years before the events of the film took place in 1789 to 1799.
The greatest showman
“Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you’ve been waiting for.” Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls of all ages, may I draw your attention to: The greatest showman, a musical that loosely follows one of the biggest names in the circus, PT Barnum (Phineas Taylor Barnum). Life in the 1800s wasn’t easy for PT Barnum (Hugh Jackman) who had a dream and barely a penny in his pocket.
By working hard, staying true to himself and defying all odds, PT Barnum eventually went on to realize his dream and start a world-famous circus that would become the greatest show on Earth. The 2017 music film is somewhat accurate, but like all Hollywood creations, it takes liberties and strays a bit from the path, mainly because it paints a heroic picture of PT Barnum, when in reality some of his decisions and marketing tactics were questionable.
Tap, tap… BOOM!
“They’re singing, ‘Happy Birthday,’ you just want to lie down and cry. Not just any birthday, it’s 30/90.” Tap, tap… BOOM! is a biographical musical about Jonathon Larson, the man behind the hit musical, Rent. Most music theater fans are familiar with Rentbut before Netflix came out Tap, tap… BOOM! in November 2021, few knew the true story of Jonathon. It’s a story that many of us will recognize.
Jon is an aspiring composer in New York City who struggles with life, finances and relationships. He fears he has made the wrong career choice by following his dream of breaking into the performing arts and fears that his life may be ticking away. The musical was originally written and performed by Jonathon Larson as a one-man show until he passed away in 1996. Ironically, it seemed like his worst fear that his life might be ticking away came through, but not before leaving behind a musical legacy. Andrew Garfield stars with Vanessa Hudgens and Alexandra Shipp in this epic musical masterpiece.
News items
“Pulitzer and Hearst, they think we’re nothing. Are we nothing? No!” Is a group of teenage boys singing and dancing in the street protesting the price hike for newspapers historically correct? No, but what’s true in it? News items is the events of the paperboy strike just before the turn of the century in 1899. At the time, the streets of New York City were home to hundreds of homeless paperboys, “newsboys” who were simply trying to earn a wage to stuff food into their bellies.
The paper boys went on strike in hopes of getting better wages from the Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst newspapers. After protesting for two weeks, the newspaper companies were forced to make changes and start offering full buybacks of unsold newspapers. News items was successful on Broadway as well as in this wonderful 1992 Walt Disney film starring Christian Bale.