The perfect companion to cinema's most spectacular genre, "The Rough Guide to Film Musicals" reveals how an escapist entertainment became Hollywood's most ingenious art form. From such enduring classics as "Singin' In The Rain" and "West Side Story" to recent successes like "Evita" and "Chicago", this book reviews 50 essential musicals, including several forgotten gems. There are profiles of musical icons such as Fred Astaire, Judy Garland and George Gershwin and details of musicals from around the world. Complete with a list of the best soundtracks, websites and books for further reading, this "Rough Guide" takes a behind the scenes look at this magical movie genre.