Movies About Composers …
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BlueGreen — 17 years ago(June 02, 2008 11:26 AM)
Accuracy is not a virtue generally exercised by Hollywood (and other) biographic film producers and directors in general.
"Till the Clouds Roll By", about Jerome Kern, is a relatively entertaining film, but features possibly the worst series of inaccuracies EVER.
It seems NOTHING about it is accurate - except the man's name and the titles of his songs.
The same goes for the one about Cole Porter ("Night and Day", was it?)
"Yankee Doodle Dandy" also omits A LOT (like, a wife, no less!).
So, all in all, Forman's "Amadeus" is, for all its inaccuracies, a fairly accurate depiction of Mozart's PERSONALITY, if nothing else.
(Besides, it wasn't supposed to be a biopic proper - rather, it was based on Pushkin's drama.)
And I remember watching an old, black-and-white film about Gershwin many moons ago, that seemed fairly accurate. -
Isaac5855 — 17 years ago(June 03, 2008 07:05 AM)
Till the Clouds Roll By", about Jerome Kern, is a relatively entertaining film, but features possibly the worst series of inaccuracies EVER.
It seems NOTHING about it is accurate - except the man's name and the titles of his songs.
If you're looking to find out something about Jerome Kern, you really won't learn anything from TIL' THE CLOUDS ROLL BYit was just an excuse to put all the stars on contract to MGM at the time in one of their all-star revues, though there are some wonderful numbers, including two classic Judy Garland solos and a nice mini-tribute to SHOWBOAT. Same goes for WORDS AND MUSIC, the alleged biography of Rodgers and Hart with Tom Drake and Mickey Rooneyjust another excuse to bring all the contract stars together in one movie. -
lubin-freddy — 17 years ago(June 24, 2008 07:15 AM)
One of the reasons is that the dynamics of the genre, and its conventions, demand a "eureka moment", when the composer / songwriter / whatever, suddenly "gets it" (this is true of films about scientists, writers, etc.), when that tune starts appearing while playing around at the piano, or strumming the guitar (Johnny Cash starting to mumble "I hear that train a-commin'"). Anyone who has created art, whatever it be, knows that along with that rare moment of inspiration, the act of creation is much hard work, that in inherently uncinematic.
(The only film I can mention that presented the complex creative process is Victor Erice's "El Sol del membrillo", with Antonio López García playing himself.) -
paul_johnr — 17 years ago(August 06, 2008 08:17 PM)
Moviemakers also try to whip up stories around the actual lives of composers that don't seem very exciting to begin with. Someone like Mozart is an exception - Amadeus brilliantly makes use of rumor by building the story around Salieri rather than Mozart. But try making a film about J. S. BachA brilliant musician, but it seemed that he only wrote great music and fathered 20 children in between, that's all.
Beethoven wasn't even that great of a subject for film, either, IMO. Beethoven was simply a great artist, period. He spent most of his time performing or sitting at his desk writing music, not chasing after women and throwing chairs through windows.
I should mention one other film that does work in an odd kind of way - Ken Russel's Mahler. The story focuses on a train ride with Mahler and his wife Alma, and the possiblity of Alma leaving him.
http://www.geocities.com/paul_johnr/ -
PenTheater — 15 years ago(September 07, 2010 03:24 PM)
I don't know if the Leadbelly movie was accurate, but it was damn sure interesting and sad.
http://www.imdb.com/board/10074781/
Roger Mosley was great. -
hiddenagenda1 — 11 years ago(December 23, 2014 06:52 PM)
Here are the ones that I seen.
Song of Love (1947)- 6/10
Amadeus (1984)- 5/10
Immortal Beloved (1994)- 4 or 5/10
Volker Flenske: (While torturing David) I don't know why you're doing this to yourself! -
Aunt-Peg — 10 years ago(August 22, 2015 02:45 AM)
Ken Russell was the master of films about composers.
Music Lovers & Mahler are both excellent thought I must admit Listzamania has not stood the test of time.
Russell also directed some TV films about composers in the 60's & 70's which are also very good.