Following our recent interview with Sleaford Mods frontman Jason Williamson, we take a look at some of the best music biopics of all time...
George White (Screen Co-Editor) - Rocketman (2019)
Offering everything from underwater piano playing to mid-air performances, it’s safe to say this take on Sir Elton John’s life isn’t one grounded in realism – but that’s what makes 2019’s vibrant yet introspective Rocketman so good. Boasting a slew of stunningly choreographed musical sequences, this is an immersive and encapsulating film from start to finish, with Elton’s trademark rockstar attitude and ability to wow a crowd coming through with each iconic number.
However, amidst the glitz and the glitter, director Dexter Fletcher tells a truly heartfelt, honest story of a man struggling to cope with his newfound fame. Taron Egerton is phenomenal in the lead role – it’s a scandal that he wasn’t considered for an Oscar – perfectly capturing the rise, fall, and rise again of one of the planet’s most beloved artists.
Jamie Morris (Screen Co-Editor) - Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
The Oscar-winning Bohemian Rhapsody is a true crowd-pleaser, telling the story of one of the most iconic stars in music history with an uncanny lead performance from Rami Malek. Granted, it’s a bit clunky and lacking in subtlety – Mercury’s realisation that he’s gay is depicted by him gazing longingly at the word “MEN” on a public toilet door, for example – but this abridged version of the singer’s life still makes for an enjoyable and inspiring watch.
Rather than going right up to Mercury’s untimely death in 1991, this whistle-stop tour through Queen’s greatest hits culminates with the band’s show-stealing 1985 Live Aid performance, ending the tribute on a fittingly bittersweet note.
Katie Green - What's Love Got to Do With It? (1993)
The story behind Tina Turner's music is quite truly one of strength and struggle. Like many singers of her era, it was from a young age that she started to show her true talent. What’s Love Got to Do With It? takes us back to where it all began through to where she met her future husband Ike Turner. They took on the music scene together, but behind closed doors there was an abusive marriage that broke Tina down. However, through the strong spirit she has, she was able to build herself back up. Full of her classics, this film is heart wrenching, and shines a new light on the much-loved singer.
Jack Francis - Walk the Line (2005)
Given his recognition for recent works like Joker, Inherent Vice and You Were Never Really Here, it's easy to forget that Joaquin Phoenix once portrayed the Man in Black. Let me remind you to never forget the Oscar-winning Walk the Line. Phoenix and co-star Reese Witherspoon – playing June Carter – lead a film that brims with charisma and sexuality, while never shying away from the darkest hours of Johnny Cash’s life. It clocks in at a chunky 136 minutes, but never feels like a drag. Walk the Line is simply a serenade through the journey of country music’s greatest son, with a top tier soundtrack to boot.
Jake Leonard - Control (2007)
Based on the book Touching from a Distance by Ian Curtis’s widow Deborah, Anton Corbijn’s biopic manages to be bleak but beautiful, artsy but matter-of-fact – kind of like a Joy Division song.
Sam Riley and Samantha Morton ground the film with a sense of authenticity as Ian and Deborah, gracefully charting their romance, success, and tragedy through the formation of the band, the beginnings of their relationship, and simultaneous professional highs and personal lows.
Corbijn began as a photographer and had met and worked with the band a number of times. This feature debut remains his best and most haunting cinematic work. Partially shot in Nottingham, Control is a quietly brilliant film that deserves all the acclaim it can get.
Beth Green - The Doors (1991)
Oliver Stone brings you this inventive, cyclonic journey, following the rise and fall of the influential Jim Morrison and The Doors. Depicted by Val Kilmer, in what is arguably still one of the greatest biopic castings, Stone shares with us Morrison’s initial struggles to find fame in California, to the eventual narcissistic character he becomes. We embark on an acid-like psychedelic trip exploring Jim’s life, told poignantly through his familiar, poetic songs that are featured throughout.
What The Doors captures so well is the notion that you are equally on this ‘trip’. The more chaotic Jim’s life gets, the more the film emanates this. Its late high recreates the infamous Dade County performance, packed with intense editing, stark angles and shaky camerawork that may leave you questioning your own sobriety. Though what comes up must always come down, and this piece of history reveals that things truly reach ‘The End’.
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