In the 1970s, many critics and filmgoers had given up on the movie musical. While the mid-60s had seen the phenomenal successes of The Sound of Music, Mary Poppins and My Fair Lady, most subsequent attempts to adapt hit Broadway shows or develop new film musicals did not make back anything close to their large budgets.
A more radical approach was needed: not one that would merely bloat a stage show for the camera, but one that would re-imagine the material for the medium of film.
