Films about rock musicians are of interest to a variety of groups of viewers. It can be fans of the personality around which the plot of the picture is built, there may be people interested in stories about the path to fame, or just those who love this kind of music. You can find a list of the 15 best films about rock musicians in this article.
"Control"
This is a film about rock musicians of the cult English band Joy Division, and primarily about founder and vocalist Jan Curtis. The debut work of director Anton Corbein won great success among the audience and fans of the group, and also aroused great interest among those who had not previously been familiar with the work of Joy Division.
The plot is based on the biography of Curtis described in the biographical book of his wife Deborah. The role of the protagonist was played by British actor Sam Riley, and the surviving members of the group wrote a soundtrack for the film and played it. In 2007, the film "Control" was awarded many different awards - both the main ones, among which there was a BAFTA award, as well as from independent cinema associations.
Doors
The 1991 film Dorz, shot about the life of the famous singer and poet Jim Morrison, as well as about his group The Doors, is considered by many to be the best in the filmography of the scandalous director Oliver Stone. A special highlight of the picture is the non-linear narrative, which is fragments of the musician’s life and memories.
The main role was played by actor Val Kilmer, who in those years had almost a portrait resemblance to the "king of lizards". And Kilmer, whose vocal parts were superimposed on top of the original songs of the group, sang so much like the real Morrison that even the late musician’s former colleagues in the group could not distinguish Val’s vocals from the original. In addition to the film, actors Meg Ryan, Michael Madsen, Crispin Glover and rock musician Billy Idol starred in the film.
The film "Dorz" in 1991 was a member of the Moscow International Film Festival. However, he did not receive any awards.
"Detroit - City of Rock"
This teen comedy, filmed in 1999, tells the story of four friends who are fans of the famous glam metal band KISS and decided to go to their concert in Detroit. The name of the film refers the audience to one of the famous songs of the group - Detroit Rock City.
On the way to the concert, the guys constantly get into various troubles, each time risking not seeing idols at all. But in the end, they still get to Detroit and together with the audience on the other side of the screen watch the performance of KISS, performing the song of the same name.
Despite the fact that the picture was not successful at the box office, now it is popular as a successful reflection of the time shown, and also interests all fans of the group that exists and is touring to this day.
Sid and Nancy
One of the most popular rock films (especially for punk rock lovers) is 1986 Sid and Nancy. He tells of the tragic love and death story of “Romeo and Juliet” of the 70s: the bassist of the cult punk band Sex Pistols Side Vises and his sweetheart Nancy Sponge.
In addition to the story itself, which is interesting to all fans of the group, the film attracts viewers for the most part thanks to the participation of Gary Oldman, who played the main role of Sid.
"I'm not there"
One of the most difficult, surprising and unusual among films about rock musicians is the story about the life of Bob Dylan "I am not there," which was released in wide distribution in 2007. The structure of the picture itself is intriguing: childhood, adolescence, growing up, peak of popularity, maturity and becoming a legend are shown by six different actors, none of whom are called Bob or Robert, but each of which implies a great musician, demonstrating in detail episodes from his biography . It is worth noting that one of the "Beans" was played by the famous actress Cate Blanchett, and the earliest period of life was embodied not by the Jewish, but by the black little boy Marcus Karl Franklin. The other four “Dylans” were played by Richard Gere, Heath Ledger, Christian Bale and Ben Wishaw.
"Hard day's Night"
This feature film, shot in 1964, is one of the cinematic treasures that The Beatles musicians left to their fans for a short creative journey. Hard Day Evening was the first feature film featuring Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, and Starr and was shot in support of the Four's self-titled album.
Why look at the actors playing the Beatles, if you can look at them playing themselves the Beatles? Moreover, in addition to excellent music in the film, an interesting plot and a lot of excellent humor.
"So be it"
And this is the last film shot with the participation of the Liverpool Four in 1969. It is not surprising that he is considered one of the best documentaries about rock musicians, as in it you can see work on the latest album The Beatles - Let It Be. The picture is especially interesting in comparison with the first film, which is described above. There you can see four friends: young, happy, inseparable. Here, there are four adult musicians, between whom, it seems, there was nothing in common except world success and fame. Now they will finish the album and disperse forever - each his own way.
"Become John Lennon"
Moving on to the Beatles movie without the Beatles. It is worth seeing it simply because it talks about the period before the foundation of the cult group, and there are no movie stories with real musicians about this time.
The film "Become John Lennon" was shot in 2009, the then leading actor Aaron Johnson played the main role. The plot tells about the beginning of John Lennon’s career, his family and studies, as well as his acquaintance with Paul McCartney (played by Thomas Sangster).
The plot covers the main key points of Lennon's early youth, which subsequently influenced the creation of The Beatles, but this is not mentioned on the screen - the film ends with the creation of the first group of the musician The Quarryman.
Cracker
And this film is a must-see for all fans of Russian rock, and especially fans of the Leningrad Rock Club. "Cracker" was shot at Lenfilm Studios in 1987 and is partly a feature film, partly a documentary. The main character is Kostya Kinchev, the leader of the Alisa group. The plot unfolds around him, the beginning of his work and life outside the stage, however, musicians of such groups as “Auktsyon”, “AVIA”, “Coffee” and others also appear on the screen.
"Rock star"
The 2001 film "Rock Star", under fictitious names, tells the story of Timothy Owens, lead singer of Judas Priest. In the film, the group is called Steel Dragon, and the name of the protagonist is changed to Chris Cole. The main roles were played by Mark Wahlberg, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Fleming.
In addition to the amazing story of Owens-Cole himself, told in sufficient detail and reliably, the film is interesting with a realistic depiction of the life and backstage of the heavy metal scene of the 80s, and also carries an important subtext about passing through the "copper pipes" about which the creators of rock Films are often forgotten.
The Blues Brothers
The cult feature film about rock musicians “The Blues Brothers” is not only the best musical comedy of the 80s, but also tells about the really existing rock band of actors Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, who played themselves under the pseudonyms Jake and Elwood Blues .
The plot of the film is simple, cheerful and witty, but the main value in it is the participation of a huge number of famous blues musicians, including Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Cab Calloway, John Lee Hooker and others.
"Kill Bono"
The peculiarity of this film about rock musicians is that it tells about the creation and formation of the group U2 and its frontman Bono not directly, but through the creative path of another, less successful group from Dublin, who also went to London. Brothers Neil and Ivan McCormicky understand that their failures are directly related to Bono's successes, which means that by all means they need to get to a more successful fellow countryman and just get rid of him.
The film premiered in 2011, starring Ben Barnes and Robert Sheehan.
"Rose flower"
One of the best, but little-known biographical films about rock musicians is the picture "Rose", which tells about the life of the great singer Janice Joplin. The film was shot in 1979 - nine years after her death and ten - after a triumphant performance at the Woodstock festival.
Since Joplin’s relatives did not sell the rights to the film adaptation of the singer’s life, the authors replaced all real names and titles. Instead of “Pearls” Janice Joplin, the main character was “Rose” Mary Foster. Her role was played at that time by aspiring actress Bette Midler, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award in the category "Best Actress". In addition, the film "Rose" was nominated for four more Oscars, and also awarded three Golden Globes.
"Bohemian Rhapsody"
The latest film on this list is Bohemian Rhapsody, which was released in 2018 and won many positive reviews from both viewers and critics. It tells the story of Freddie Mercury, the leader of Queen and one of the greatest vocalists of all time.
The main role was played by Rami Malek, who won an Oscar for Best Actor. In addition, the picture was awarded four more Oscars from six nominations. They did not deprive Bohemian Rhapsody of several awards such as Golden Globe, Sputnik and BAFTA.
Considering that other Queen musicians took part in the creation of the picture, it turned out to be quite accurate and reliable, and most importantly, overflowing with wonderful music. A fascinating story makes Bohemian Rhapsody an excellent film both for those who are already fans of Mercury and Queen, and for those who would like to get acquainted with the work of the group, and, incidentally, even for those who even managed to hear and not know anything about these musicians.
"Prison Rock"
In films with Elvis Presley, the same rule applies as in films with participants in The Beatles - only the king of rock and roll left a much greater cinematic legacy than the Liverpool four. Prison Rock is a black and white film starring Presley, filmed in 1957 and partly autobiographical.
The feature film is about Vince Everett, a hot-tempered young man who went to prison and gained popularity thanks to a prisoners music concert broadcast on television. Having achieved success, Everett forgets his friends, thanks to whom he was able to climb the musical Olympus.
This is one of the best musical paintings in the extensive filmography of Elvis, as it has an unpredictable plot, unlike subsequent films, shot in the same script with a change in the scene, names and musical numbers.