Music has been an integral part of cinema since sound & vision first synched up in 1928’s The Jazz Singer.
Although Al Jolson in blackface belting out Mammy is somewhat of an uncomfortable watch now, films with tunes, films about tunes and films about the people who make the tunes have endured as a movie going mainstay.
Being lovers of music & movies (but really, who isn’t?) PD thought we’d compile a brief list of films with music at their heart.
There are tons to choose from the 1950’s heyday of Technicolor musical block-busters to the Oscar baiting bio-pics. We thought we’d focus on those films where music is the beating heart of a fictional story.
In no particular order:
1: 24 Hour Party People
Admittedly we’re starting with a bit of a cheat. Although based on a true story, by their own admission the filmmakers play fast and loose with the truth (probably because most of those involved don’t actually remember it). Michael Winterbottom’s film is more interested in the legend of Factory Records and the Manchester scene the label gave life to.
24 Hour Party People makes our list for the predictably cracking soundtrack, capturing the spirit of a musical legacy if not the facts and being hilarious. Apart from the bit where Ian Curtis hangs himself, which isn’t very funny.
2: School Of Rock
A rare 90 minutes where-in Jack Black’s particular brand of loudmouth irritant actually benefits the story and manages to show some sense of character development.
This feel good slice of rock education belongs to the scarily talented kids playing uptight Public School brats who take on a local Battle Of The Bands and learn all sorts of lovely, Hollywood life lessons about acceptance and “sticking it to the man” along the way.
It’s a fun movie that Richard Linklater, showing rare family movie director chops, instills with a lot of heart without tipping over into sentimentality.
3: We Are The Best
Lukas Moodyssen has always been a master at using pop music to evoke specific emotions tied to specific moments in time. His bookending of “Together” with Abbas “SOS” conjures up a uniquely effecting sense of euphoric melancholy.
In “We Are The Best” he finally puts pop at the centre of the story. Billed as a film for anyone who is was and will be 13 years old, We Are The Best follows 3 just teenage girls who are proud outcasts from their blow-dried, Human League loving peers as they battle adversity (or a distinct lack of talent or instruments) to set themselves up as a punk band.
Funny, appropriately anarchic and moving “We Are The Best” succeeds in evoking that bewildering twilight between childhood & adulthood and boasts a cracking Swedish punk soundtrack.
4: God Help The Girl
The closest thing to a traditional musical on this list, Stuart Murdoch’s (Belle & Sebastian) film started off as a side project tribute album to 60’s girl groups.
God Help The Girl does come on like a Belle & Sebastian album in pictures and in the direction Murdoch wears his obsession with French New Wave as a slightly too conspicuous badge of honour.
Those with a violent allergic reaction to indie-whimsy should steer clear. If you happily acknowledge your own inner dysfunctional geek the tale of young Cassie escaping a psychiatric hospital to go in search of like minded losers to form a band is likely to leave you with a mile wide grin.
The songs are fun, Emily browning is gorgeous, we liked it.
5: Whiplash
JK Simmonds is an actor who has made average films watchable simply by virtue of being in them for 5 minutes. That Whiplash finally allowed us to see him let rip in a lead role is enough to applaud the film alone. Music School band leader Fletcher has to be one of the most terrifying, mentor characters committed to film. Psychotic, charismatic, sadistic but somehow you can’t help but admire him.
Miles Teller manages to be simultaneously hateful & sympathetic as the burgeoning monster to Simmonds’ explosive Frankenstein.
This study of 2 egos colliding messily in search of artistic perfection is so tightly constructed it barely gives the viewer space to breath during its claustrophobic 90 minute runtime.
Drummers in film have historically been portrayed as Neanderthal tub-thumpers (who frequently, spontaneously combust if Spinal Tap is to be believed). Whiplash is economically and elegantly shot, much of it in long takes that focus not just on the physicality but the intricacies of Tellers’ drumming, with macro shots from the POV of the kit getting stuck right into the power & precision.
6: Frank
Co-Written by Jon Ronson, Frank started life as a straight biog of cult punk / music-hall hybrid act Frank Sidebottom alter ego of Chris Sievy who wore a balloon like papier mache head on stage while performing cover versions of popular chart tunes in a broad Manchester accent.
During script development with Director Lenny Abrahamson, Frank transformed into a trag-comic amalgamation of a number of eccentric musicians driven by the need to just create music for music’s sake and who would go to extreme lengths to find their muse.
As well as Sievy’s bizarrely endearing creation, echoes of Captain Beefheart & Daniel Jonson can be seen in Frank as he and his band The Soronprfbs kidnap Domhnall Gleeson’s ambitious but talentless Jon as replacement for a keyboardist who suffers a sudden and slightly damp nervous breakdown.
Jon in return introduces Frank, who just wants his music to be heard, to social media and a battle between fame & artistic integrity is joined.
Michael Fassbender, with his face hidden under Papier Mache was robbed of numerous acting awards for Frank. The film soars & dives between farcical hilarity and heart wrenching tragedy and does for Music what Birdman tried to do for acting. Why that film scooped the gongs while Frank barely scraped together an audience is baffling.
Frank went straight into Penny Dreadful’s Top 10 movies the second the end credits rolled.
7: This Is Spinal Tap.
Apparently This Is Spinal Tap was Liam Gallagher’s favourite movie until someone pointed out that it wasn’t a documentary and the band was fake.
“The review for ‘Shark Sandwich’ was merely a two word review which simply read ‘Shit Sandwich’.”
“It’s such a fine line between stupid, and uh…”
“Clever.”
“Yeah, and clever.”
“ They’re not gonna release the album… because they have decided that the cover is sexist.”
“Well, so what? What’s wrong with bein’ sexy? I mean there’s no…”
“Sex-IST!”
“We’re very lucky in the band in that we have two visionaries, David and Nigel, they’re like poets, like Shelley and Byron. They’re two distinct types of visionaries, it’s like fire and ice, basically. I feel my role in the band is to be somewhere in the middle of that, kind of like lukewarm water.”
This list is by no means exhaustive. What do you think? What did we miss? Any other recommendations? Give us a shout on Facebook or Google+
