I enjoy watching biopics of famous musicians, it's great to enjoy their music while watching their life stories unfold on screen. Over the recent holiday period I enjoyed watching Green Book, the story of a famous pianist and the man he employed to drive him on his tours. Their relationship was rocky at first but developed into a long friendship. Today I watched Walk The Line, the story of Johnny Cash, I'd seen it before but it's worth watching again. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were fantastic and apparently they actually sang all the songs themselves (it sounded so good I thought it must have been dubbed).

There are several films in this genre that I watch whenever they air - The Pianist, The John Denver Story, Shine, Bohemian Rhapsody and Respect to name a few. So, I've started this thread as a place where we can discuss our favourite films about famous musicians.

"Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

    Two of my favorites (well, not famous musicians, but great stories):

    Some of the films we enjoyed:

    • The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
    • The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
    • Scott Joplin (1977)
    • Elvis (1979)
    • The Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)

    Honorable mention: https://www.imdb.com/list/ls074495725/

    I just realized that except Joplin, almost none of those are about pianists. But you did say musicians 😃

    As usual I am exaggerating. It will be fine. Whatever I'm playing - I am just trying not to massacre it completely. A bit of massacre is fine 🙂

    • BBartK

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    There is also Rocketman.

    • SStub

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    Nightowl Walk The Line, the story of Johnny Cash, I'd seen it before but it's worth watching again. Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon were fantastic and apparently they actually sang all the songs themselves (it sounded so good I thought it must have been dubbed).

    That's a great movie! Phoenix and Witherspoon did great jobs with the songs. I had earworms for weeks afterword.

    This is not a film about a musician, but about an instrument--with lots of music, of course: The Red Violin. It's the 'story' of a violin from its creation in the the 1600s (?) up to the present. What a life it led! I've watched it several times and will watch it again.

        A film about Joni Mitchell is being filmed. With Meryl Streep as an older Joni. The youngest Joni was going to be Taylor Swift but something went wrong and finally she won't.

        I liked Rocketman.

        What's love got to do with it, about Tina Turner. It is a good movie but not very enjoyable.

        *
        ... feeling like the pianist on the Titanic ...

          "The Only Girl in the Orchestra", a short (35 minutes) documentary about the life and career of Orin O'Brien, the first full-time female member (string bass) of the New York Philharmonic orchestra.
          I remember seeing her in the section starting in the early '70s (although she joined under Bernstein's tenure, in 1966).
          It's available through Netflix, but there may also be other ways of streaming the film.

            Ooh this is a great thread! Some listed I recognize (like Green Book) but haven't seen yet, so this is a great reminder. Others are new to me.

            I'll see if I can add any to the list as well. 🙂

            Stub That film sounds intriguing, I'll look out for it.

            Johnny Cash had a distinctive voice and a strong stage presence, which Phoenix portrayed very well. I loved reading the little snippets at the end of the film, which rounded the film off very nicely. It's clear that Cash and Carter were soul mates.

            "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

              Animisha That's true, it's very gritty in places - parts of it are brutal! 😬

              "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

                pseudonym58 "The Only Girl in the Orchestra"

                I've seen that one. It's very short but I enjoyed it. 👍

                  Bessie (2015) - Bessie Smith
                  Respect (2021) - Aretha Franklin

                  I liked both

                  • SStub

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                  WieWaldi Amadeus

                  I know the movie got panned for making up a lot of stuff about Mozart and Salieri, but the music--it was wonderful!

                      Stub I know the movie got panned for making up a lot of stuff about Mozart and Salieri

                      Nah, this movie never claimed to be historically correct. It is told from the memories of the old Salieri. And for sure it got way more praise for being great than critic for being inacurate. Come on - it won 8 oscars.

                        Stub Well, you know what they say - never let the truth get in the way of a good story! 😁 Regardless of how inaccurate it might be, it sounds like it's worth seeing, so that's another one for my watch list.

                        WieWaldi I'm not a huge fan of the Beatles, but maybe @Player1 would enjoy watching those two films? 😂🙃 <stands back, waiting for P1 to come along and share his love for their music>

                        "Don't let's ask for the moon, we have the stars." (Final line from Now,Voyager, 1942)

                              Nightowl I am also not a huge beatles fan. But I found the Yesterdsay movie brilliant. It is a movie, not a biography. Actually, I enjoyed it more than Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody (despite I am a big Queen fan)! Put it on your watch list!
                              Yellow Submarine? Forget it if you aren't a Beatles fan.

                                  Nightowl I'm not a huge fan of the Beatles, but maybe @Player1 would enjoy watching those two films? 😂🙃 <stands back, waiting for P1 to come along and share his love for their music>

                                  Oh you just had to go there, didn't you?

                                  Meanies. Meanies everywhere I go, I tell ya.