What to see about the life of musicians, except for "Rocketman"

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

For the release of the biographical film about Elton John, Lifehacker recalls other worthy pictures about people from the world of music.

1. Sid and Nancy

• Great Britain, 1986.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 111 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

A film based on real events - the biography of the main symbol of English punk culture Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. This is a difficult story of self-destruction with a tragic ending. Young Gary Oldman plays Sid.

2. Doors

• USA, 1991.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 140 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

The film follows the legendary 60s band The Doors and their frontman Jim Morrison. He was played by Val Kilmer - it turned out really convincing and similar. Nevertheless, not everyone liked the film. Former members of The Doors said the script only reveals one side of Jim, showing him more as an out-of-control sociopath than as a talented and upbeat musician. But they also admitted that The Doors is "a good rock 'n' roll movie." And this is something that cannot be argued with.

3. 24-hour party-goers

• UK, 2002.
• Biography, comedy, drama.
• Duration: 117 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The events of "24-Hour Party People" unfold around the musical life of Manchester in 1976-1992 and the person of Tony Wilson in particular. Tony Wilson is a journalist, promoter and founder of Factory Records, which has recorded Joy Division, New Order, Happy Mondays and other Manchester wave bands. Factory Records has become the unspoken symbol of the independent music industry. And "24-Hour Party People" interestingly and humorously tell how it happened.

4. Ray

• USA, 2004.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 152 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

A film about Ray Charles - one of the greatest jazz singers and pianists. The picture tells the story of his formation: from childhood and progressive blindness to the peak of his musical career and widespread recognition. "Ray" began filming before the musician's death, and Charles even caught a preliminary cut of the film. The film won two Oscars, including the Best Actor nomination. To get used to the role of the character, Jamie Foxx even learned Braille. And the actor's face was also covered with makeup, which made him blind for the entire shooting day.

5. Become John Lennon

• UK, 2009.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 98 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 1.

This film is not about The Beatles, which gathers stadiums and writes platinum albums. “Becoming John Lennon” is the story of what came before this worldwide success. About a Liverpool boy who is going through teenage tragedies, learns to play the guitar and forms his first band. A touching and nostalgic picture in which the director tried to convey the spirit of England in the 50s and tell that even world stars are faced with ordinary human problems.

6. Control

• UK, Australia, Japan, 2007.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 122 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 7.

"Control" depicts the life of Ian Curtis, vocalist of the cult Manchester post-punk band Joy Division. In the film, Curtis is torn between two love relationships, collapses from epileptic seizures, and performs. She performs like no one else - with her strange, almost insane movements and glass eyes. The film is black and white and, by all indications, it is an author's cinema. But Joy Division fans love it.

7. Cross the line

• USA, Germany, 2005.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 136 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

American country music is not the most popular style of music in Russia. But if you do decide to get to know the genre, start with Johnny Cash's songs. “Crossing the Line” tells the story of a musician's life in the most realistic way. This is a film about adolescence, a difficult relationship with his father, military service, first success and great love for June Carter. Just be sure to prepare yourself and listen to Johnny Cash's music before watching, otherwise the experience will be incomplete.

8. Amadeus

• USA, 1984.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 153 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 3.

If you are not interested in biographies of rock musicians, you may be interested in describing the life of a classical composer. Amadeus is a film about two classics: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Antonio Salieri. The plot develops around the legend of the murder of Mozart by a less successful and talented composer, so Amadeus should be perceived as an artistic picture full of free assumptions.

9. Elvis. early years

• USA, Germany, 2005.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 165 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

This is a mini-series about the life of the king of rock and roll - touching, truthful and beloved by Elvis fans. The plot is based not only on music, but also on the artist's personal life - the fight against depression and relationships with loved ones, in particular, his mother. The play of Jonathan Reese-Myers deserves special praise - sometimes when watching it it seems that there is no actor on the screen, but the real Elvis.

10. Summer

• Russia, 2018.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 126 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Musical biopics are a rare genre for Russia. There are few examples, only a few good ones. The main one in 2018 was the painting by Kirill Serebrennikov "Summer", which tells about the life and work of St. Petersburg musicians of the 80s. In the center of the plot are Viktor Tsoi and Mike Naumenko from the Zoo group. The film was criticized by live participants in the events described in the film, but the audience liked it. "Leto" is an excellent festival movie with a touching history and a lot of music. We strongly recommend watching.

11. Pianist

• France, Germany, Great Britain, Poland, 2002.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 150 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 5.

Films about musicians are often interesting only because they describe the life of a famous person. But when the director chooses a Polish pianist as the main character instead of the conventional Vischese or Lennon, the value of the picture itself comes to the fore. An excellent example is Roman Polanski's The Pianist about the life of Vladislav Shpilman, a part of which fell during the Second World War. This is a hard story about how terrible events can change the life of a successful musician. The film was critically acclaimed and won three Oscars.

12. Love and mercy

• USA, 2014.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 121 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 4.

The story of Brian Wilson, founder and songwriter of The Beach Boys. If you were not fond of the work of this group, be sure to listen - even The Beatles spied on them. The film tells about the peak of the band's fame, the progressing mental illness of Wilson at about the same time and Melinda Ledbetter, the musician's beloved, who helps him cope with all this.

13. Voice of the Streets

• USA, 2015.
• Biography, drama.
• Duration: 147 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 9.

N. W. A. - Californian group with which gangsta rap began. The crime here is not a marketing gimmick. At first, the financial issues of the team were really solved with the money received from the sale of drugs. We will not tell you how this story ended, but it has a tragic end - and it's all about the same prohibited substances. “Voice of the Streets” tells about the emergence of the group, the criminal events taking place around the heroes, and how, in all this horror, they managed to engage in creativity.

14. Unsolved case

• USA, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 8, 0.

A television series about the investigation of the murders of cult rap musicians: Tupac Shakur and Biggie Smalls, better known as 2pac and The Notorious B. I. G. It's an almost documentary tale of the 90s crime scene and the Death Row vs. Bad Boy war that killed some of the most influential hip-hop artists of the day. If you're looking for a weekend show, Voice of the Streets is a great option.

15. Vinyl

• USA, 2016.
• Drama.
• Duration: 1 season.
• IMDb: 7, 8.

Richie Finestra is the head of a declining American recording studio. The 70s were the heyday of a wide variety of musical genres - this is the idea that the director of the label clings to, collaborating with John Lennon, David Bowie, Alice Cooper and other musicians. Despite the fact that Vinyl was produced by Martin Scorsese and Mick Jagger, the ratings were not very good - a rather niche series was closed after the first season. But he's pretty damn good, which any music lover will probably attest.

16. Bohemian Rhapsody

• UK, USA, 2018.
• Drama.
• Duration: 134 minutes.
• IMDb: 8, 1.

The loudest biopic of the past year is the story of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. If you want, you can find fault with the facts, temporary inconsistencies and the lack of enthusiasm of the British frontman in the actor Rami Malek, but the film turned out to be quite good. This is evidenced by viewers' ratings: on IMDb the biopic has 8, 1 points, on Kinopoisk - 8, on Metacritic - 7, 8. The film tells about the life of Mercury from the moment he met Brian May and Roger Taylor until the Live Aid concert. Bohemian Rhapsody is a story about the formation of Queen, the first concerts and recordings, about commercial producers, a serious illness, the search for love, loneliness and friendship.