Best Music Biopics
Most films are a fictional story that makes us feel horror or joy.. However, there is a category of so-called biopics, when the film tells the biography of a famous person in whole or in part.
Telegraph has selected for you the five most successful films that tell about the tragic moments in the lives of music stars. They are guaranteed to not leave you indifferent. Moreover, they all received or competed for Oscars.. And besides this, they have a lot of popular good music that made these people famous.
“Maestro” (2023)
iMDb – 6.7
Bradley Cooper played the leading role in his own film about the popular American composer and conductor Leonard Bernstein. He may be known to the general public as the author of one of the most popular Broadway musicals, West Side Story.. Ukrainians can be especially proud of this man, since Bernstein’s parents are from the city of Rivne. True, Leonard himself was born in Lawrence.. However, the film does not talk about this.
The authors took as a basis the already mature period of his life, when he gradually began to turn from an assistant conductor into a star. True, his musical successes are tangential here. The director focused here on his family relationships, and they were extremely difficult for him due to his orientation. He was married to Chilean actress Felicia Montealegre, who bore him three children.. But he cheated on her with different men. Moreover, the composer did not even try to hide this from his wife and the public. Bernstein insisted on making his lovers also members of his family.. They played with his children and went on picnics together.
In addition, there is a lot of music in the film.. Moreover, these are not only fragments from “West Side Story”, but also classical works.
The film has already been included in the long list of Oscar nominees, but we will find out whether it will win on March 11th.
“Elvis” (2022)
iMDb – 7.3
Film directed by Baz Luhrmann about the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley. He was nominated for eight Oscars, but did not receive any. But it became the second highest-grossing musical biopic in the world after Bohemian Rhapsody.. The film, of course, features many Elvis hits.. But this is not the only reason why many viewers will like it. On the one hand, actor Austin Butler, who played the singer, amazed fans by exactly copying the movements and plasticity of their idol. And besides this, there is a spring in the plot of the film that makes you closely follow what is happening on the screen. Here Elvis is constantly faced with a choice – to come to terms with the situation or to defy his producer and leave his comfort zone. Each time he made a different choice and because of this he either lost or gained a lot.
“Amy” (2015)
iMDb – 7.8
Film about Emmy Winehouse, who died at 27. It won an Oscar for Best Documentary Feature.. The singer's father was outraged by this picture, but that didn't make it any worse. It’s just that her director Asif Kapadia showed Amy as she was, with all her addictions – alcoholism and drug addiction. Watching how a beautiful and titled singer destroyed herself is emotionally difficult. But her character is also well shown here, how she became a superstar from a no-name with jet speed. In addition, you can understand for yourself who is really to blame for her early death. The film contains many memories of her from musicians and relatives, as well as documentary footage.
“Ray” (2004)
iMDb – 7.7
This musical film is about the popular singer, pianist and composer of the second half of the twentieth century, Ray Charles. Some of his songs can still be heard on music TV shows or on the radio. For example, “Hit The Road Jack”. The musician himself did not live just a few months before the moment when the leading actor Jamie Foxx received an Oscar for “Best Actor”. He played the blind man perfectly. It is many times more difficult for such a person to live in America in the mid-twentieth century, since he is also African-American. And this is where all his addictions arise – alcoholism and drug addiction. But he found the willpower to overcome it. And besides this, you wonder how he, like him, with all his limitations, could lead such a riotous lifestyle. Moreover, he also found the strength to fight back against the racist rich people.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (2018)
iMDb – 7.9
Biographical drama about Freddie Mercury, which brought the leading actor Rami Malek a lot of awards, including an Oscar.. It’s interesting that when the film was first released, its viewers were divided into two camps.. Fans categorically did not like Malek in this role, they say he doesn’t look like Mercury at all. But critics sang praises of his acting skills. As a result, the victory at the Oscar reconciled them all.
It became the highest-grossing musical biopic in film history, grossing $903.7 million worldwide.
The film tells how the legendary band Queen appeared and how its popularity influenced, first of all, its lead singer.. And besides this, how his entourage – managers and lovers – brought the artist to the point where he found himself in a vacuum. Because of them, he was sometimes far from reality, but too arrogant. In the film, some key moments of his life are recreated with scrupulous accuracy.. In particular, the surroundings of his last performance.