Seven films about musicians

Walk the line (2005, James Mangold)

At the turn of the century, a debt was paid to American musical history with the release of 'Walk the line', based on the remarkable and tumultuous life of Johnny Cash, an icon of country music. The difficult task of interpreting the musician was entrusted to Joaquin Phoenix, who, at the time, was not as well known but who had already demonstrated his talent. The role of June Carter would be played by an outstanding Reese Whiterspoon, who went on to receive the Oscar for best actress for this film. Both put their all into preparing for the role, including when it came music, placing themselves in the hands of producer T-Bone Burnett, a musician with an extensive career, who in the audiovisual world had produced or revised the music of 'True Detective', 'Cold Mountain' and, in cooperation with the Coen brothers, 'Inside Llewyn Davis', 'O Brother, Where Art Thou?' and 'The Big Lebowski'. Unfortunately, Johnny Cash and June Carter would not live to see the result of the biopic, as they both died in 2003.

Last Days (2005, Gus Van Sant)

A film that angered the heirs of the mythical lead singer of Nirvana, a grunge band and world icon to this day, who left us in the spring of 1994. In it, director Gus Van Sant crafted a fictional portrait of Kurt Cobain's last days or taking inspiration from them, with Michael Pitt ('Funny Games', 'Hannibal', 'Ghost in the shell') playing a character named Blake, an introspective artist who was totally overcome by fame heading hopelessly into isolation. Pitt, who is also a musician, performed all the songs and added a few of his own compositions, which impressed the film's musical advisor, none other than Thurston Moore from Sonic Youth, who encouraged him to create his own band. And that is how Pagoda was born, a New York band with an EP and two full-length albums. 'Last days' was a risky and thought-provoking film, in line with some of his other films like 'Gerry' and 'Elephant', which meant the return of the director of 'The Indomitable Will Hunting' to independent, avant-garde cinema.

The Blues Brothers (1980, John Landis)

Life can be wonderful, as our beloved Andrés Montes would say. The proof of the pudding is the Blues Brothers. In Spanish, its title was changed to "Rogues at full speed", with the mere existence of the film demonstrating that sometimes, the order of the factors does alter the product. You have to go back to 1976 and the Saturday Night Live sketch starring John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd that went beyond comedy and become a real band, performing live and producing the film in question. The film sees the lives of Jake Blues and Elwood Blues, respectively, take a 180-degree turn when they find themselves on a mission: raise money for the Catholic orphanage they were raised in. The film is a veritable feast of rhythm and blues and soul, at a time when it suffered a drop in popularity, with performances by James Brown, Aretha Franklin, Cab Calloway, Ray Charles and John Lee Hooker. The death of John Belushi just two years after the film's release did not mean the end of the band, which released albums, toured and even released sequels. A rare avis of music history, turning fiction into reality.

The Runaways (2010, Floria Segismondi)

The Runaways knocked down a huge barrier as a teenage band formed only by women, in the world of music and rock. They did so under the magnifying glass and while infamously being considered a mere marketing folly manipulated by their manager, Kim Fowley, so evidently their story deserved to be told. The band formed in 1975 as a result of an initial meeting between Joan Jett and Sandy West and would ultimately de depicted in a film version in the form of a biopic in 2010, directed by Floria Sigismondi, famous photographer and music video director. The casting and characterisation were first rate, with Kristen Stewart playing Joan Jett and Dakota Fanning playing the original singer, Cherrie Currie. Jackie Fox, bassist of the final formation that achieved success, refused to give up her image rights, meaning that for the film, Alia Shawkat played a fictional character named Robin Robbins. Michael Sannon played Fowley, producer and entrepreneur in the shadows. The film is based on Cherrie Currie's autobiography, 'Neon Angel: A Memoir of a Runaway', which portrays a brief but turbulent career.

Habana Blues (2005, Benito Zambrano)

With a friendly sheen and an exciting mix of characters, Habana Blues portrayed the difficult decisions that Cubans face when it comes to emigration. The dilemma between capitalism and communism and another eternal and complex debate, the commodification of art. The film follows the story of Ruy (Alberto Yoel García) and Tito (Roberto San Martín), two musicians who through a delicious mix of Cuban music with blues and rock and roll get the opportunity to go professional and achieve stardom thanks to an offer from a Spanish record label. The film won the Goya for best original music and resulted in the formation of a band in real life, at the hand of producers Juan Antonio Leyva and José Luis Garrido.

Elvis (2022, Baz Luhrmann)

First of all, a symbolic fact. In his interpretation of Elvis Presley, Austin Butler was awarded the BAFTA and the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama, as well as being nominated for the Oscar for best leading actor and one of the favourites for the award that was eventually taken home by Brendan Fraser. On the flip side, Tom Hanks won the Razzie for worst supporting actor in his role as "Colonel" Tom Parker. It is not a matter of focussing solely on awards, but it does reflect the extremes between which the film moves, having received mixed reviews. When it comes to music biopics, we usually encounter the problem of being accurate or loyal to the facts, either on account of the legal obstacles imposed by the artists and heirs or intentionally by the creators. Could the king of rock who be the character who least needs this accuracy? In all likelihood, Elvis works better as an idea, symbolically, and a director like Baz Luhrmann ('Romeo + Juliet', 'Moulin Rouge!') was the perfect person to reflect the excesses and the path to madness that Tupelo showed us so many times through his performances. The first hour really is frantic and powerful.

Cadillac Records (2008, Darnell Martin)

So, just to give you an idea, how does listening to Beyoncé recording in the studio in the skin of Etta James, in the early years of Chess Records sound? 'Cadillac Records' offers that and much more; this film, written and directed by Darnell Martin, immerses itself in the early years of R&B and rock and roll, featuring true pioneers such as Chuck Berry (played by rapper Mos Def) or Etta James herself. The film follows in the footsteps of Jewish immigrant Leonard Chess, played by Adrien Brody (though first offered to Matt Dillon), who, inspired by the music of Muddy Waters and Little Walter, founded Chess Records in Chicago in the late 50s. And the rest is history, African-American culture and music.


So tell us, music lover, have you seen them all? And what other films like these have come to mind? We'd love to read your comments. We are on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.