in movies world

“The Screening Room” has chosen 10 favorite music biopics recently (order doesn’t matter, as they say):

1. “Amadeus” (Milos Forman, 1984) – about Mozart.
2. “Shine” (Scott Hicks, 1996) – based on the life of Australian pianist David Helfgott, who made a comeback after suffering a nervous breakdown.
3. “The Buddy Holly Story” (Steve Rash, 1978).
4. “Ray” (Taylor Hackford, 2004) – A portrayal of soul and R&B legend Ray Charles.
5. “Coal Miner’s Daughter” (Michael Apted, 1980) – about Loretta Lynn.
6. “La Vie En Rose” (Olivier Dahan, 2007) – about Edith Piaf.
7. “Walk the Line” (James Mangold, 2005) – about Johnny Cash.
8. “Bird” (Clint Eastwood, 1988) – about Charlie Parker.
9. “Backbeat” (Iain Softley, 1994) – about the early days of The Beatles.
10. “La Bamba” (Luis Valdez, 1987)- about Ritchie Valens.

Read here for arguments. But reading this top one more music biopic came to my mind – “I’m not there” (2007) by Todd Haynes about Bob Dylan.  This biopic was one of those rare ones which succeeds to show different sides of the main hero (person? character?).  And it does it not by strictly  following tiny details of subject’s life but by making so called interpretational biography. The fact that Bob Dylan is being represented by six actors, including afroamerican child and a woman (the one and only Cate Blanchett), reveals a lot. However, ironically, he isn’t there…

Would you like to add more music biopics to the top list?

Share on Facebook