Great films where music is a central theme.


I'm a film lover for as long as I can remember. There's nothing like a film that combines my passion for music and film. I'm going to leave out concert films from this, as there are plenty of threads on that. Lets stick to other films - dramas or documentaries - that use music as a central theme, or have it as a key element in the narrative. Here are a few of my own favorites to get the ball rolling.

As it is in Heaven
The Bands Visit
Schultze Gets the Blues
Troubled Water (the Erik Poppe film)
Sweet and Lowdown
Bird
'Round Midnight
I'm Not Here

Documentaries:

Throw Down Your Heart
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Lets Get Close (Bruce Weber)
Buena Vista Social Club
Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

So it's really could be split into two threads; Narative films and Documentaries. But lets try leaving it open to both, just no concert films. What are some of your favorites?
jax2

Showing 6 responses by martykl

Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story

At the risk of sending Marco into a violent, convulsive siezure, I will note that Marshall Crenshaw's sountrack is great. To bring him back out of it, I'd add that the story is a "mockumentary" (a la Spinal Tap) which details the travails and joys of a fictional musician called Dewey Cox and is hilarious.

Marty
Somehow, I didn't expect that my search for "Cornholio" (I was unfamiliar with the reference) would lead to Beavis and Butthead, given that it was driven by references from Marco and Richard. I may have to re-evaluate certain assumptions that I've had about you two. Or, about Beavis and Butthead, I suppose.

Either way, I didn't see that one coming.

Marty
Marco,

Von Trier is not (for the most part) my cup of tea. OTH, I haven't seen "The Kingdom" (or it's "long awaited sequel"...or Beavis and Butthead, for that matter), so I guess that I should have reserved judgement.

Mea culpa.

Marty
Did anyone mention Pirate Radio?

It's easy to forget just how offensive the "establishment" found rock 'n' roll music when it first started to break. For those who can't stomach hip-hop (and I'm not a fan), this film may make you feel old. What's goes around...

Great, great soundtrack, too.
If someone mentioned Sound City, I missed it. This is Dave Grohl's documentary about his efforts to "rescue" the analog sound board from the San Fernando Valley recording studio Sound City. Actually, I think he just wanted to film himself hanging with the folks who recorded there in the '70's and '80's.