I like to have a movie watching project in the works at pretty much all times. That might mean diving into a genre (like horror, most recently) or knocking out a curated list (I’m currently working my way through Sight & Sound’s top 100 poll). Or it could take the form of a chronological viewing of a director’s whole filmography (as I’ve done in recent years with Wes Anderson, Paul Thomas Anderson, and David Lynch).

My latest challenge was to work my way through the filmography of director Vincente Minnelli, the versatile aesthete best known for his celebrated MGM musicals. Unlike those other directors, Minnelli was largely unknown to me — I believe I had seen only three of his 33 films prior to kicking off the marathon.

Over the next two weeks, I’ll feature some of my favorite musical moments from Minnelli’s filmography while offering up some thoughts on his whole catalog. I’ll finish off with my full ranking of his films.

Kicking things off is a scene from (spoiler) my very favorite Minnelli movie, Meet Me in St. Louis. This was the set on which Minnelli and Judy Garland became an item, marrying shortly after its release. That deep affection shines through in the film — Garland has never been lit or shot more beautifully.

Meet Me in St. Louis has several musical moments I could call my favorite, including the breathtaking ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,’ the sweetly romantic ‘You & I,’ and the rollicking ‘Trolley Song.’ I’ve featured all of those on the blog already, so they’re ineligible.

‘Over the Bannister’ is a short and sweet number that comes early in the film, as Garland’s Esther is working overtime to seduce her new next door neighbor, John Truett. The whole sequence is alternately romantic and hilarious, but this moment is a standout.