What are the best movies about rock and roll? I would include documentaries as well as movies about or with a rock and roll theme. Here’s my list:
Hard Day’s Night/Help – The Beatles started it all with these two films. Part of the phenomena of this group is how camera-ready these guys were. Though “Help” hints at the darker years to come, both these movies perfectly capture Beatle-mania and the charm of the Fab Four.
Don’t Look Back – I was never really a fan of this film but it does accurately represent the weirdness of being Bob Dylan in 1965. It is a cautionary glimpse of the paparazzi culture to come years later. No wonder the guy dropped out for eight years.
Woodstock – If you couldn’t be there this was the next best thing. The film introduced split screen technology so we could see interviews, bathing shots and bands on stage all at the same time. Performance highlights include the breakout performances by Santana and Ten Years After, The Who, Rich Havens opening set and of course, Jimi’s take on the “Star Spangled Banner” during his breakfast set on Sunday morning.
Gimme Shelter – It’s hard to believe this was only four months after Woodstock. Altamont became everything Woodstock was not. Peace and love replaced with violence and menace and the Rolling Stones as the sixties stumbled to a close.
Almost Famous – This feels like a movie about my high school years (I was 15 in 1973, the same age as the main character who becomes a reporter for Rolling Stone). The meaning of the film is summed up for me in a line from late in the movie: “…they don’t even know what it means to be a fan, to truly love some silly little piece of music or some band so much that is hurts.” I can, and do, watch it again and again.
The Last Waltz – The Band’s grand farewell at Winterland on Thanksgiving 1976 included an all-star guest list (Neil Young, Clapton, Van Morrison et al) and an A-List director (Martin Scorcese). Even though it was heavily edited, as was the music, it still shows The Band at the height of their powers, closing things out in style. The interspersing of the very entertaining interview segments fills in the group’s back story and what led them to this final show (e.g., Ronnie Hawkins telling The Band, then known as the Hawks, that he can’t pay much but they’ll get more pussy than Frank Sinatra.).
High Fidelity – The other non-documentary on this list, captures the spirit of rock and roll that lives in a record shop. John Cusack’s character owns the record store and provides us with the theory of the perfect mix tape. Meanwhile Jack Black has a hilarious breakout role as one of Cusack’s non-paid store clerks.
Sound City – Dave Grohl’s love letter to this magical studio in Van Nuys, California where bands from Fleetwood Mac and Nirvana recorded their classic albums on the “Neve” console. It has a very similar vibe to the “Muscle Shoals” documentary. Both are important contributions in documenting rock and roll history.
Afterwords: Following up on my post “I Want My iTV!”, I think the new Verizon FIOS offering of a $55 mini-bundle is on the right track based on the fact that ESPN and other content providers are squealing like stuck pigs. ESPN filed suit today but Verizon is standing its ground. Watch this space.