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The Book Collection: A selection of personally recommended books on musical movies, British stage musicals and British movies and their history. Please click on the images to obtain more information on a title. There are no books that cover the exact topic of this web site (namely a survey of British Musical Movies), either in or out of print. Hence, this www site is a unique resource. However, there are two books currently in print which provide invaluable information which directly relates to this topic, and both are outstanding and highly recommended. They are:

TITLE AUTHOR LINK
British Cinema Sheet Music :A Comprehensive Listing of Film Music Published in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia 1919 through to 1994 Donald J. Stubblebine
Entertainers in British Films Denis Gifford

 

Some other recommended "in print" titles of related interest (where I post a comment, I own a copy of the book)

TITLE AUTHOR INFO/LINK
The Musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber

Large format, covers shows in detail, excellent photographs, some in colour

Keith Richmond
The Complete Phantom of the Opera

If you love the show you must have this book!

George Perry
Hey, Mr. Producer! : The Musical World of Cameron MacKintosh

Large format, covers all MacKintosh musical productions, Outstanding photographs, many in colour

Sheridan Morley, Ruth Leon
Cats : The Book of the Musical

Essential for all fans of the show. Excellent photos

T. S. Eliot, Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber - His Life and Works : A Critical Biography

A more detailed work on ALW. Covers the man and the creation of the shows. Excellent. Many photos, some in color

Michael Walsh
Song and Dance; The Complete Story of Musicals

Introductory account with excellent photos of US and British stage musicals

Kurt Ganzl
TITLE AUTHOR INFO/LINK
Julie Andrews : A Life on Stage and Screen

Comprehensive Biography

Robert Windeler
Julie Andrews

Much detailed factual information on Julie's Showbiz career- not a biography

Les Spindle
The Golden Age of Movie Musicals and Me

Personal account by celebrated movie musical producer

Saul Chaplin
TITLE AUTHOR INFO/LINK
Beatles at the Movies

By the director of A Hard Day's Night and Help. Definitive

Roy Carr,

Richard Lester

Beatles Movies Bob Neaverson
TITLE AUTHOR INFO/LINK
Show Music on Record : The First 100 Years Excellent Discography covering theatre,movies and television (many UK references). Highly Recommended. Jack Raymond
Videohound's Soundtracks -Music From the Movies, Broadway and Television. Mainly US material, and biased towards non-vocal movie music, rather than musicals, but some useful reviews of musicals soundtracks Didier C. Deutsch
TITLE AUTHOR INFO/LINK
The Great Hollywood Musical Pictures James Robert Parish, Michael R. Pitts
Hollywood Song : The Complete Film & Musical Companion

Comprehensive scholarly reference Work

Ken Bloom

TITLE

AUTHOR

INFO/LINK

J. Arthur Rank and the British Film Industry A well written, detailed account with good B/W photos on a key figure in the development of the British Film industry from 1935-1960. The best book written to date on this topic

Geoffrey MacNab

An Autobiography of British Cinema : By the Actors and Filmmakers Who Made It

Large, outstanding collection of interviews with the famous and not so famous: anecdotal and fascinating Essential reading, especially for coverage of films from 1940 through to 1970

Brian McFarlane  
British National Cinema

Well written introductory survey, outlining some of the main themes of British movies. Some Photos in B/W. For a more detailed account, see Landy below.

Sarah Street
The Companion to British and Irish Cinema

Introductory survey, a collection of essays by different contributors, providing a range of viewpoints. For a more detailed account, see Landy below.

John Caughie/ Kevin Rocket (Eds)  
 Sixties British Cinema

A good, well written thematic survey: covers minor movies as well as the famous ones.

 Robert Murphy  
 Gaumont British Cinemas

Well researched account of UK Cinema Chain from the 1930's to 1960. Lists all their releases during this period .Good B/W photos.

  Allen Eyles  
All Our Yesterdays : 90 Years of British Cinema Comprehensive collection of essays on aspects of British Movies, including topics rarely covered elsewhere (variety artists in movies, Diana Dors etc) Charles Barr (Ed)
Brief Encounters : Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema 1930-1971

A fascinating account of the subtexts of many British movies.

Stephen Bourne
British Genres; Cinema and Society, 1930-1960

Detailed, comprehensive account of genres in British films of the past - thorough and well written. Very extensive coverage, with comment and analysis on many rarely seen films. Highly recommended.

Marcia Landy

A Selection of Some Excellent Titles currently Out of Print (but which can be obtained by Amazon Special Order)

TITLE (category in brackets) AUTHOR INFO/LINK
(A)The British Musical Theatre

Outstanding very detailed chronology/reference

Ian Bevan, Kurt Ganzl
(F) The British film collection, 1896-1984 : a history of the British cinema in pictures

Photo collection of many rare B/W stills

Patricia Warren
(F) The British film catalogue, 1895-1970; a reference guide

Due to be reissued (in 2 volumes) by British Film Institute Publishing in next 12 months, when it will be updated to cover all British 20th Century movies

Outstanding Reference/Catalog -ESSENTIAL

Denis Gifford
(F) The Age of the Dream Palace : Cinema and Society in Britain 1930-1939

Excellent account of Matthews, Fields, Formby, and cinemas and audiences in 1930's . An outstanding book, by far the best and most readable on 1930's popular British cinema

Jeffrey Richards
(A) Spread a Little Happiness : The First Hundred Years of the British Musical

A unique uurvey of stage musicals with good photos(some Color), by writer with long established theatrical connections

Sheridan Morley
(F) Portraits of the British Cinema : Sixty Glorious Years 1925-1985

Superb Photo Collection

John Russell Taylor, John Kobal
(B) Jessie Matthews : a biography Michael Thornton
(F) Illustrated Who's Who in British Films

Mainly Filmographies, some B/W illustrations

Denis Gifford
(E) Gotta sing, Gotta dance; A pictorial history of film musicals .Outstanding Book on Hollywood Musicals, by an expert in the field. Many rare stills John Kobal
(B) Gene Kelly: A Celebration

Well written photo survey of Gene's career with excellent photos, some in colour, beautifully reproduced

Sheridan Morley
(F)British Film Studios : An Illustrated History

B/W Photo Survey: many good photos, but the text is rather short on detail, especially for the minor studios

Patricia Warren
(F) Elstree : The British Hollywood

B/W Photo Survey- many rare stills

Patricia Warren
(B) Top Hat and Tails : The Story of Jack Buchanan

Well written Show Biz biography, of a star who needs to be remembered more

Michael Marshall
(E) They Sang! They Danced! They Romanced! : A Pictorial History of the Movie Musical

Picture Survey. Comprehensive, large format book

John Springer, Gene Kelly
(E) The world of entertainment! Hollywood's greatest musicals

A celebrated account, by expert in this field

Hugh Fordin
(C) The Rock and Roll Movie Encyclopedia of the 1950s

For fans of 1950's pop - essential

Mark Thomas McGee
(F)The Making of Evita (movie)

Excellent Resource. The color photographs are outstanding. If you love the movie, you must have this: superb reproduction

Alan Parker
(E) The Hollywood Musical

One of the best books ever written on the Hollywood movie musical. Well illustrated.

John Russell Taylor
(F) The Golden Gong : Fifty Years of the Rank Organisation, Its Films and Its Stars

A celebratory account by UK showbiz journalist

Quentin Falk
(B) Silver Cliff : a 25 year journal, 1958-1983

Cliff Richard chronicle:fascinating detail for fans

Tony Jasper
(C) Rockin' Reels : An Illustrated History of Rock and Roll Movies Jan Stacy
(A)Musical comedy: a story in pictures

Wonderful photos from the author's collection, with informative text

Raymond Mander
(D) London musical shows on record 1897-1976

Thorough, comprehensive discography by reputed UK collector and expert in this field

Brian Rust
(A)The Complete 'Aspects of Love'

Lavishly illustrated, essential for fans of the show

Kurt Ganzl
(C) Celluloid rock:twenty years of movie rock

Excellent reference book, well illustrated, which gives comprehensive coverage to pop/rock movies from the USA and UK

Philip Jenkinson