Elton John and the other musical biographical films to see
The rhythm of a musical biography is reassuring and familiar: a talented musician of humble origins perseveres against all expectations, breaks through and reaches glory, ending up struggling under the limelight. A fall in style follows the redemption, interspersed with stimulating live performances, tormented recording sessions, hedonistic rock and roll attacks and a soundtrack that will make you browse the entire repertoire of the artist as soon as the closing credits appear.
The formula has proved profitable for many recent releases, first of all Bohemian Rhapsody of 2018, the story about Queen's frontman, Freddie Mercury, who grossed over $ 900 million worldwide. For this reason, a series of new films about music icons is currently in the works. Among these, the biography of Elvis Presley directed by Baz Luhrmann starring Austin Butler, Jennifer Hudson as Aretha Franklin in a project led by Liesl Tommy, and Lucy Boynton in the part of Marianne Faithfull in a drama by Ian Bonhôte set over the years '60.
In view of these new releases, we retrace 10 classics of the genre.
1. Billie Holiday's trauma that shaped her art: The lady of the blues (1972)
A legend of music that interprets another legend of music in the hymn of Sidney J Furie to the famous jazz singer, who marked Diana Ross' great film debut. Ross is enchanting in the guise of the young Holiday, a brothel slut who is raped and ends up prostituting herself, before becoming a night club singer. Floating through the ballrooms in beaded dresses and flowers in her hair, she is sensational, but her best work stems from the tragedy that surrounds her. It is a delicate study of the character that will break your heart.
2. The unlikely road to the success of the country singer Loretta Lynn: The girl from Nashville (1980)
How does a destitute mother of four from the Kentucky countryside go from playing in the local taverns to dominating American radio frequencies? With determination, determination and the voice of an angel, according to Michael Apted, who directs this pleasant dramatization of Loretta Lynn's life. A beaming Sissy Spacek impersonates Lynn with ease, while Tommy Lee Jones supports her as her husband, buying her a guitar and becoming one of her first fans. The film, built around the warm folk melodies that made Lynn a star, is a joy to behold.
3. Tina Turner's struggle for autonomy: Tina - What's Love Got to Do With It (1993)
Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne show off the best performance of their career in the role of Tina and Ike Turner in the portrait of the musical duo in a tumultuous wedding by Brian Gibson. After meeting in St Louis, Tina begins to perform with her band, but the relationship with Ike becomes violent when her fame begins to eclipse that of him. Tina survives, however, and becomes an icon of resilience - a soul legend who filed for divorce, started a solo career and later became one of the most successful singers.
Due to the way in which personal stories proceed, that of the prolific pianist can be defined as an immortal tale: raised on a sharecropping plantation in Florida, Ray becomes blind at just seven years, a few years after seeing his brother drown. Saved by his talent for music, he starts playing in a night club band - and the rest is legend. Jamie Foxx directed by Taylor Hackford is impressive in the main role, able to adopt the singer's poses and extravagances, also capturing his charisma, spirit and pure willpower.
5. How did Johnny Cash manage to get out of the abyss: When love burns (2005)
A dark and passionate interpretation that of Joaquin Phoenix in the drama with a bittersweet flavor on the star of country music by James Mangold. Tormented by the death of his beloved brother, Johnny turns his anguish into melancholy ballads, which take him on tour. During the tour he meets the charming June Carter (Reese Witherspoon in an interpretation that earned her the Oscar) and their relationship manages to bring him up, even if in the end he succumbs to the use of substances. His pain is honest, the eventual triumphant hospitalization and the details of the period - from vintage buses for the tour to Carter's 1960s wardrobe - excellent.
Very thin eyebrows, cherry red lipstick, wavy headband and voila, Marion Cotillard turns into the French icon before our eyes in the melancholy tribute of Olivier Dahan to the genius of Piaf. Through a series of non-chronological memories, we see Piaf as a child singing on the streets of Paris for a few pennies, until the owner of a night club becomes infatuated with her. Success follows, but it is intertwined with tragedy: the murder of his mentor, lost love and his poor health. Despite everything, his music remains magical as usual.
Todd Haynes revolutionized the traditional structure of the biography in a wide-ranging saga with six actors to interpret different iterations of the living legend. Cate Blanchett, Ben Whishaw, Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, Richard Gere and Marcus Carl Franklin. The result is a dizzying tour de force, wide-ranging and full of allusions, which sheds light on an artist who is still at the peak of his career. Viewing the film is essential pending its next original album, scheduled for the month of June.
8. The love that broke the Joy Division frontman, Ian Curtis: Control (2007)
The debut film by photographer and music video director Anton Corbijn is this little gem that talks about the post-punk band and its tormented frontman, played by the incredible Sam Riley. Filmed in an evocative black and white, it shows Curtis' transition from lean schoolboy to rock star, until his suicide, which occurred in 1980. Curtis suffers from epileptic seizures and is unable to choose between two women - his wife (Samantha Morton) and a journalist (Alexandra Maria Lara) - but thanks to the band's success and Corbijn's keen eye for photography, the film is extraordinarily beautiful, rather than gloomy.
9. How the hip hop pioneers NWA managed to conquer the world: Straight Outta Compton (2015)
Three of the four founding fathers of gangsta rap - Eazy-E (Jason Mitchell), Dr. Dre (Corey Hawkins) and Ice Cube (O'Shea Jackson Jr, who plays his father) - are the protagonists of the explosive film by F Gary Gray. It narrates the success of the 80s NWA group, which popularized the subgenre with their outspoken texts on police violence and brutality. Set in the context of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles, it is a red-hot study on discrimination, ambition and exploitation of the industry as a means of resistance.
10. The surreal tale of Elton John's rise: Rocketman (2019)
The fantastic musical by Dexter Fletcher is a free adaptation of the biography of the rock star. Impersonated by the virtuoso Taron Egerton, Elton is an idealistic young man looking for connections - a piano prodigy whose fortuitous friendship with the author of texts Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) leads to a series of hit collaborations. Between a whirlwind of unforgettable performances, gaudy changes of costume and a downward spiral caused by drugs, we follow Elton on the road to rehabilitation.
