In honour of this week’s release of Frank, Lenny Abrahamson’s film about a young musician who joins a band led by an eccentric frontman who always wears a papier-mâché head, I’m With Geek is going to Band Camp! Today, we’ve got two articles in which we’ll be looking over the films that try to capture the insane, intoxicating and turbulent world of being in a band.
This edition: Musician Biopics!
This edition: Musician Biopics!
Stars of the music world represent a way of living beyond the standards of everyone else, the image of the rock star being synonymous with wild hedonism and debauchery and living on the edge and conveying the resultant effects of their lives through their music. And if the music documentary is a filmmaker's attempt to come the closest to living the lives of music's biggest names or to convey just why exactly we find them so fascinating in as a true a manner as possible, the music biopic is the attempt to simultaneously give an up close perspective on its subject and reinforce the mythic status they appear to have. Either through the desire to highlight a moral in the lives of musicians, or simply a way to contextualise their work in the grander scheme of society and art, when a musician's life finds its way to the big screen, it inevitably becomes a factually distorted tale, though such is the way when the lives of real people are writ by dramatists.
You know what you can really appreciate from a biopic of a musician and/or band, though? Something that can give the films that extra boost? When the actors get the chance to perform the music themselves. And there have been a number of films where the stars have shown their musical capabilities. It doesn’t even have to be just like the When Sam Riley took on the role of Ian Curtis for Control, he and his co-stars performed all of the Joy Division songs themselves. For Floria Sigismondi’s film The Runaways, which looked at the early days of the all-girl punk band of the 1970s, both Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart performed many of the songs themselves, as well as turning in solid performances (yes, even Stewart). For biopics of individual music stars, the likes of Ray, The Buddy Holly Story and Walk the Line see their stars turn in not only incredible acting performances (Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, Gary Busey as Buddy Holly and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, respectively), but musical turns that would make their subjects very proud. However, for my money, the best of the bunch is Sissy Spacek’s turn as Loretta Lynn in Michael Apted’s film Coal Miner’s Daughter. It’s an intelligent and heartfelt film, and proves very well that Spacek has some a damn fine voice to go along with her skills as an actress. Haven’t seen it? Go do that.
You know what you can really appreciate from a biopic of a musician and/or band, though? Something that can give the films that extra boost? When the actors get the chance to perform the music themselves. And there have been a number of films where the stars have shown their musical capabilities. It doesn’t even have to be just like the When Sam Riley took on the role of Ian Curtis for Control, he and his co-stars performed all of the Joy Division songs themselves. For Floria Sigismondi’s film The Runaways, which looked at the early days of the all-girl punk band of the 1970s, both Dakota Fanning and Kristen Stewart performed many of the songs themselves, as well as turning in solid performances (yes, even Stewart). For biopics of individual music stars, the likes of Ray, The Buddy Holly Story and Walk the Line see their stars turn in not only incredible acting performances (Jamie Foxx as Ray Charles, Gary Busey as Buddy Holly and Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash, respectively), but musical turns that would make their subjects very proud. However, for my money, the best of the bunch is Sissy Spacek’s turn as Loretta Lynn in Michael Apted’s film Coal Miner’s Daughter. It’s an intelligent and heartfelt film, and proves very well that Spacek has some a damn fine voice to go along with her skills as an actress. Haven’t seen it? Go do that.
Oliver Stone’s biopic The Doors took on the task of bringing the story of one of the most iconic bands of the 1960s and 70s to the big screen, though it put the bulk of its focus behind the status of frontman Jim Morrison as a force of the counterculture. The role of Morrison is portrayed by Val Kilmer who, without necessarily meaning to light on punning territory, is on fire in the role. Kilmer carries Morrison's charismatic, egotistical swagger with ease. Family and friends of the band heavily criticised Stone's film as taking great liberties with the truth in pursuit of a more sensationalist story (which doesn't always succeed), but Kilmer does turn out a hell of a show. He even manages to perform the songs himself in a way that apes Morrison's distinctive vocals in a way that is often eerily accurate.
The point of a film taking serious liberties with the life stories of musicians (and people in general) is a very common tale. Much like The Doors, another film to be criticised by those whose lives appear onscreen is What's Love Got to Do With It?, the loose adaptation of the lives of Tina and Ike Turner. The abuse suffered by Tina at the hands of her husband Ike, and the subsequent personal and legal battle that ensued, is the kind of stuff that was always going to wind up on film at some point. Finally, in 1993, the film landed, with the main roles being filled by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. As a work of telling a true story, it’s really quite inaccurate. However, as a piece of dramatisation, it’s really quite something, and the performances from Bassett and Fishburne are amongst the best they’ve ever done. Heavily made up? Yes. Compelling viewing? Also yes.
The point of a film taking serious liberties with the life stories of musicians (and people in general) is a very common tale. Much like The Doors, another film to be criticised by those whose lives appear onscreen is What's Love Got to Do With It?, the loose adaptation of the lives of Tina and Ike Turner. The abuse suffered by Tina at the hands of her husband Ike, and the subsequent personal and legal battle that ensued, is the kind of stuff that was always going to wind up on film at some point. Finally, in 1993, the film landed, with the main roles being filled by Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne. As a work of telling a true story, it’s really quite inaccurate. However, as a piece of dramatisation, it’s really quite something, and the performances from Bassett and Fishburne are amongst the best they’ve ever done. Heavily made up? Yes. Compelling viewing? Also yes.
In the piece on music documentaries, there was talk of the repeated fascination with the Rolling Stones for documentary filmmakers. Well, if that’s the case, it’s The Beatles that pull the most interest for narrative filmmakers. The two best examples of such a fascination come in the form of Iain Softley’s Backbeat from 1994 and Sam Taylor-Wood’s Nowhere Boy from 2009. The former film looks at the early days of the Beatles in Germany, with the primary focus being on the relationship between John Lennon and Stuart Sutcliffe, the one who left the band before they hit big. It’s a better film than is remembered, though does rather suffer by having a total number of zero Beatles songs in it. The latter film dials the history back a bit further and looks more at the about teenage years of John Lennon, and the relationships he fostered with family and band mates which would eventually lead onto the creation of his first band, The Quarrymen and, eventually, The Beatles.
The Fab Four themselves even got in on the act more than once, appearing in a few films as themselves in some fashion, though they can’t really be considered as biopics. 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night comes the closest to that, as it saw them literally running around at the height of the whole Beatlemania thing, chased by fans and the like. It exists in our same world, but the actual story of a train journey and Paul’s cantankerous grandfather causing problems are fiction. This same notion of real world/fake events continues in Help!, with the four trying to outwit and outrun a cult looking to sacrifice Ringo (it’s an odd one, but since this was my introduction to The Beatles, I’ll always love it). The 1967 TV movie Magical Mystery Tour, released as an accompaniment to the album of the same name, is even stranger since this was the band now well into their psychedelic phase. A whacked-out bus tour, four wizards and the Walrus himself… yeah, it’s very interesting.
The Fab Four themselves even got in on the act more than once, appearing in a few films as themselves in some fashion, though they can’t really be considered as biopics. 1964’s A Hard Day’s Night comes the closest to that, as it saw them literally running around at the height of the whole Beatlemania thing, chased by fans and the like. It exists in our same world, but the actual story of a train journey and Paul’s cantankerous grandfather causing problems are fiction. This same notion of real world/fake events continues in Help!, with the four trying to outwit and outrun a cult looking to sacrifice Ringo (it’s an odd one, but since this was my introduction to The Beatles, I’ll always love it). The 1967 TV movie Magical Mystery Tour, released as an accompaniment to the album of the same name, is even stranger since this was the band now well into their psychedelic phase. A whacked-out bus tour, four wizards and the Walrus himself… yeah, it’s very interesting.
The jazz world has also provided more than a few biopics, offering looks at various musicians who have lived hard lives, affected heavily by drug addiction, erratic personal relationships and the incredible music that came out of their pain. Charlie "Bird" Parker was one such jazz star, whose life story was recounted in Clint Eastwood's affecting 1988 biopic Bird. Forest Whitaker plays the titular jazz saxophonist whose troubled life came to an untimely end at age thirty-four, and he is superb (a brief moment when Parker sends a telegram to his wife after receiving some devastating news is utterly heart-breaking).
Then there’s the biopic of a jazz legend that took the interesting tactic of casting an already established jazz legend in the lead role. Lady Sings the Blues tells the story of the great Billie Holiday, with the lead role filled by Diana Ross. It’s a hard life led by Holiday, and the film looks to bring out those harsh events to weave a tale of talent and tragedy. It’s not subtle, occasionally even kind of clumsy in its attempt at wringing every bit of drama from Holiday’s life, but Diana Ross is really very good, even bagging an Oscar nomination for her efforts.
What other music biopics do you have? Better yet, who deserves one? (Note: we’ll actually be getting another jazz biopic hopefully within the next year or so, with Don Cheadle taking on the mighty Miles Davis. You best believe I’m looking forward to that). Let us know in the comments below.
Then there’s the biopic of a jazz legend that took the interesting tactic of casting an already established jazz legend in the lead role. Lady Sings the Blues tells the story of the great Billie Holiday, with the lead role filled by Diana Ross. It’s a hard life led by Holiday, and the film looks to bring out those harsh events to weave a tale of talent and tragedy. It’s not subtle, occasionally even kind of clumsy in its attempt at wringing every bit of drama from Holiday’s life, but Diana Ross is really very good, even bagging an Oscar nomination for her efforts.
What other music biopics do you have? Better yet, who deserves one? (Note: we’ll actually be getting another jazz biopic hopefully within the next year or so, with Don Cheadle taking on the mighty Miles Davis. You best believe I’m looking forward to that). Let us know in the comments below.
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