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50 greatest music films ever
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| Perfectly composed: Tom Hulce (right) as Mozart in 'Amadeus' |
30 Amadeus
(Milos Forman, 1984)
Milos
Forman opened out Peter Shaffer’s play with an all-American naturalism
that left some spectators missing the original’s stylised
gossips-cum-Greek chorus, the venticelli. The basic lack of historical
empathy remains: Shaffer seems to regard young Mozart as a freak by the
standards of Home Counties tennis-playing A-level sitters; Forman makes
him a mischievously foul-mouthed American high-school senior. Neither
takes into account the child prodigy trotted round the courts of Europe
by his proud father, performing before royalty when tiny, and when
necessary perfectly sophisticated in polite society (and there was none
more rigidly, formally polite than the ancien régime).
Both
film and original play underline the inexplicable ‘otherness’ of
genius, seen as an arbitrary gift dished out by a capricious deity,
irrespective of the artist’s personal worth. It’s a view much favoured
by the Romantics and heaven-sent for the movies that create heroes
apart, alone, obsessed, dashingly irresistible, sometimes shocking but
ultimately justified by harnessing a God-given talent to a good cause
(or phantasmagorical look-at-me naughtiness as recycled over the years
by perpetual enfant terrible Ken Russell). Examples include the ripely
florid posturing of ‘A Song to Remember’, climaxing when the tubercular
Chopin haemorrhages blood on the keyboard as he plays his heart out.
Charles Vidor’s 1944 slice of Polish patriotism was taken dead
seriously despite the presence of Merle Oberon as George Sand striding
around in the male garb that concealed her throbbing femininity. By a
strange quirk, the same director’s attempt to repeat the formula 16
years later, with ‘Song Without End’ presented Capucine as Liszt’s
innamorata giving the impression of a rather masculine identity beneath
the frills. This added to the improbability of the whole ludicrous mess
despite Dirk Bogarde having learned the fingering for the piano pieces
(the soundtrack was actually by Cuban pianist Jorge Bolet).
At
least he refrained from laying his head on the piano as he played,
rather a difficult feat though creditably managed by Gary Oldman in
‘Immortal Beloved’. Bernard Rose’s Beethoven biopic was underrated; in
comparison with the recent, crass ‘Copying Beethoven’ it’s a
masterpiece. The deaf dynamo is inevitably presented as an outsider but
explicably so, with some sort of explanation for personality defects
laid at the fashionable door of childhood abuse. There’s real musical
appreciation here, a sense of occasion at the climactic performance of
the Choral Symphony that, even with the Disneyfication of the starry
heavens twinkling above, leaves you moved. Perhaps the moral is to stop
nudging the audience in the ribs with the behavioural aberrations of
the so-called genius (a bit of a challenge with the humdrum domesticity
of Bach, say) and let the art do the talking. Martin Hoyle
Greatest hit The
brattish Mozart plays a piece by his older rival Salieri, distorting
it, mocking it and turning it into his own much better version, ending
by blowing a raspberry – so good they filmed it twice: see the recent
‘Copying Beethoven’.
Top 50 index | 50-41 | 40-31 | 30-21 | 20-11 | 10-6 | 5-1
Author: Dave Calhoun. Written by Derek Adams, Geoff Andrew, Dave Calhoun, Wally Hammond, Michael Hodges, Martin Horsfield, Martin Hoyle, David Jenkins, Trevor Johnston, Eddy Lawrence, Sharon O'Connell, Chris Parkin, Graeme Thomson, Peter Watts
User comments on this story
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- Harry said...
- The Chuck Berry film Hail Hail Rock'n'Roll is a great documentary about the contrary genius. And your admiration for Keith Richards can only increase - he displays inifinite patience when Chuck corrects his playing. Posted on Mar 29 2008 20:49
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- A Sad Man said...
- What about the Monkees film "Head" its a surrealist, psychadelic classic. And Velvet Goldmine too. Posted on Jan 31 2008 15:22
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- Holly said...
- Nice...personally, i like "Raise your voice!", "Confessions of a teenage drama queen"...something more modern :D:D Posted on Jan 31 2008 14:22
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- KevinT said...
- I would have to include the documentary 'A Great Day In Harlem' - one of the best films about jazz musicians. Posted on Oct 17 2007 17:20
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- Brendan Thorpe said...
- How about "Born to Boogie"? Marc Bolan at the height of TRextasy - the arty bit may not be great, but the concert stuff is excellent! Posted on Oct 16 2007 15:37
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- J said...
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Taste is subjective, so we'll cut you some slack... But how could you snub "Ray" or the Cash film "Walk the Line?" "Rockers" was pretty amazing. "The Wall..." and the new release of "The Grateful Dead Movie" is hot. The bonus features (esp. the performances uncut) kick ass. AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" & come on... "Yellow Submarine."
Personally I think "Spinal Tap" & "Hedwig & The Angry Inch" should be included. The bands may have been born out of the movies (the original play in Hedwig's case), but they are rocking bands nonetheless. Posted on Oct 14 2007 12:52 - Report as inappropriate
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- Alex Murillo said...
- Just to correct a common mistake..."This Is Spinal Tap" is not "Christopher Guest's mockumentary", as you said...it was directed by Rob Reiner. Guest was indeed a co-writer, and of course the film bares a resemblance to Guest's later films, but I think it's unfair to both Reiner and the other members of Spinal Tap (McKean, Shearer) to label the film as Guest's alone. Posted on Oct 11 2007 02:49
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- alex said...
- Actually I'm positive Spinal Tap did a few novelty shows back in the L80's/E90's (8 in all I believe) one at the lamented CBGB/OMFUG in NYC. Even one novelty show brings a band into the plane of existence as anyone knows who has ever been in bands. I've been in a lot, some did only one show, and they ALL existed even if no one but the three of us knew it. So Spinal Tap existed. QED. Posted on Oct 10 2007 16:23
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- Graz said...
- I also forgot to metion the Rock n' Roll, Australian Japanese Surfing Road Movie " Bondi Tsunami". 2004. Check it out. Posted on Oct 10 2007 04:32
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- Graz said...
- What about B.Middler in t"The Rose". Garland and Striesand in thier versions of " A Star is Born" . The briilant "Hair" and now also "Hairspray". But absoutley " Once" is brillant. Who compiled this list? Posted on Oct 10 2007 03:28
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- kay said...
- where the hell is PURPLE RAIN?!?!?! this surely has to be in the list?! Posted on Oct 08 2007 14:58
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- Don said...
- You've missed some of the truly great performances by real bands while playing up other performers imitating the stars. And some are as much fantasy as reality based on someone's interpretation of what happened. That is not a true documentary, just fiction passed off as one. Posted on Oct 08 2007 13:42
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- kanna77 said...
- this is great ! Posted on Oct 08 2007 03:47
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- Vince said...
- this list is horse shit, wot's the deal, because the brits hate the irish you can't out "the commitments" or "once" up in the top 50? and did you forget about a movie one of your own made called "the wall"? and the number one film listed is a bloody movie about the world's worst singer karen carpenter? wot the hell???? Posted on Oct 06 2007 05:04
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- Massimo said...
- The worst movie ever, with the best soundtrack ever: Streets of Fire! Posted on Oct 05 2007 20:53
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