OK, I'll have to take some responsibility for the errant ways of my pupils here. Obviously I've somehow given the some misleading guidance from the start, and neglected to consider that folks tend to read three words and think they understood everything there was to understand about a post on the Internet. In retrospect I should have called the thread "Movies about Music", but I didn't really want to eliminate films where music was a plot element, yet was not necessarily the central theme. So I titled the thread what I did, and tried to describe it as best I could. I hope folks realize my "wrath" is all tongue-in-cheek and, being a film lover, as well as a music lover, I always love hearing about new films I may not have seen or aspects of films I didn't know about. I will continue to endeavor to keep the thread on track because there ARE plenty of threads on soundtracks and scores already and I did NOT want this to be another one of those. I will continue to edit with a sense of humor - I hope no one takes it personally, and I hope Richard's visits to various members who violated my dictate here... well, I hope those scars heal quickly, and that the women and children of the households did not have to bear witness to those disciplinary actions.
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?
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?
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- 159 posts total
08-06-11: Jax2While "Psycho" is clearly not within the thread's boundaries, it brings to mind another Hitchcock film scored by Bernard Herrmann that does fit, the 1956 version of "The Man Who Knew Too Much." The section entitled "Music" in this Wikipedia writeup on the film has some interesting information, including the fact that Mr. Herrmann was the orchestral conductor during the film's lengthy climactic (although not concluding) scene. Best regards, -- Al |
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 |
Jax2, Surprised we didn't come up with Young Frankenstein. I think the violin theme definitely meets the parameters. Then there is also Dreamgirls, which we missed somehow. Back to your question about Close Encounters: I said "close" because I wasn't entirely persuaded it fit the thread. The idea that the "space people" communicated via music, including the fugue written on that five note theme, is why I think it belongs. I couldn't come up with Crossroads, but glad Bianchi did. It was hovering just outside my awareness. David |
- 159 posts total