Rock and film
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What is rock music?
Rock music is a popular music form that emerged in the 1950s. It began as a hybrid of country and blues but has grown to incorporate an immense range of influences. It is hard to define rock music, but it is known for its strong beat. Rock's appeal lies in its ability to provide a sense of belonging, whether to a local scene or a subculture.
The connection between rock and film became apparent with the use of Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” in Blackboard Jungle (1955). Since then, rock music has been used in films in many ways, such as in soundtracks, concert films, and biographical pictures.
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What is a film or movie?
A film, also known as a movie, is a story told through a series of continuously projected pictures and a soundtrack. The illusion of movement in films relies on the optical phenomena of persistence of vision and the phi phenomenon, allowing still frames to appear as continuous motion when projected at the proper speed.
Rock and roll's influence on film became apparent with the opening of Blackboard Jungle (1955), featuring Bill Haley and His Comets’ "Rock Around the Clock". Hollywood initially treated rock and roll as a passing trend, as spoofed in The Girl Can’t Help It (1956). Elvis Presley's Jailhouse Rock (1957) captured rock’s spirit, but rock was relegated to beach movies until the Beatles' A Hard Day’s Night (1964), which set the standard for rock movies.
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How has rock music been used in films?
Rock music's influence on film became apparent with "Rock Around the Clock" in Blackboard Jungle (1955). Initially, Hollywood viewed rock as a fad, but The Beatles' A Hard Day’s Night (1964) set a new standard for rock movies.
Rock is commonly used in movie soundtracks to set the mood, as seen in The Graduate (1967) with Simon and Garfunkel, and in Martin Scorsese's films like Mean Streets (1973). Additionally, rock musicians like Elvis Presley, Mick Jagger, and David Bowie transitioned into acting careers, while biographical films about Buddy Holly, Sid Vicious, and Jim Morrison gained popularity. Heavy Metal (1981) also featured rock music from popular artists of the day.
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What are some famous films that focus on rock musicians or bands?
From the start of rock and roll in film with Blackboard Jungle (1955), several movies have focused on rock musicians and bands. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) set the standard for rock movies, while Don’t Look Back (1967) offered a glimpse into Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour.
Other films include concert films such as Monterey Pop (1969) and Woodstock (1970). The Harder They Come (1972) featured reggae musician Jimmy Cliff. This Is Spinal Tap (1984) is a comedic mockumentary, and Purple Rain (1984) featured Prince. Additionally, biopics like The Buddy Holly Story (1978), Sid and Nancy (1986), and La Bamba (1987) have also been successful.
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How do soundtracks with rock music affect the mood and story of a film?
Rock music in film soundtracks significantly influences mood and story. Early films often used rock as a novelty, but the arrival of the Beatles and influential documentaries like Don't Look Back (1967) changed this perception. Concert films such as Monterey Pop (1969) and Woodstock (1970) further solidified rock's place in cinema.
The use of rock music in films extends beyond concert footage. Rockers began acting in dramatic roles, and soundtracks became a common way to incorporate rock. For instance, Simon and Garfunkel's music set the mood for The Graduate (1967), while Martin Scorsese used rock to enhance Mean Streets (1973), GoodFellas (1990), and Casino (1995), demonstrating rock's versatility in film.
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How have films influenced the popularity and image of rock music and its artists?
Films have significantly shaped the popularity and image of rock music and its artists. Hollywood initially treated rock and roll as a fad, exemplified by movies such as The Girl Can’t Help It (1956). Elvis Presley's films, except for Jailhouse Rock (1957), capitalized on his stardom without capturing rock's true essence.
The arrival of the Beatles and subsequent films like A Hard Day’s Night (1964) set a new standard for rock movies, capturing the "explosion of youth as power". Documentaries such as Don’t Look Back (1967) and concert films like Monterey Pop (1969) and Woodstock (1970) further immortalized rock icons and festivals.
Biographical pictures of Buddy Holly, Sid Vicious, and others, along with rock artists transitioning into acting, have also contributed to rock's image. Soundtracks in movies like The Graduate (1967) and films by Martin Scorsese integrated rock music, enhancing the cinematic experience and giving rock more prominence.
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From the opening strains of Bill Haley and His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” in Blackboard Jungle (1955), the power of rock and roll on film was obvious. Hollywood, however, treated the new music as a fad, which director Frank Tashlin spoofed in The Girl Can’t Help It (1956), the story of a talentless singer (played by Jayne Mansfield) who is transformed into a rock-and-roll star. Yet, despite its condescending attitude, the film includes gorgeously photographed performances by early rockers Little Richard, Gene Vincent, and Eddie Cochran. Also in 1956, Elvis Presley appeared in Love Me Tender, a Civil War-era melodrama that had little to do with rock and roll but sought to capitalize on Presley’s stardom, a formula that would be used throughout his unremarkable movie career. Indeed, of Presley’s films, only Jailhouse Rock (1957) captured rock’s spirit.
Still regarded as a novelty by Hollywood in the early 1960s, rock was relegated to inane beach movies until the arrival of the Beatles. In A Hard Day’s Night (1964) director Richard Lester captured the “explosion of youth as power,” and the film became the standard by which all rock movies are judged. Similarly influential was Don’t Look Back (1967), D.A. Pennebaker’s excellent cinéma vérité documentary of Bob Dylan’s 1965 tour of England. Concert films quickly became a staple of the genre, and the first, Monterey Pop (1969), remains one of the best, featuring Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and a showstopping Otis Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival. More than just a concert film, Woodstock (1970) brilliantly chronicled “three days of peace, music…and love” and remains a monument to hippie culture. In stark contrast, a sense of dread permeates Gimme Shelter (1970), the Maysles brothers’ disturbing documentary of the Rolling Stones’ concert at the Altamont Speedway in California, which culminates with the onscreen murder of an audience member by a Hells Angels security guard.
From Jamaica, The Harder They Come (1972) starred reggae musician Jimmy Cliff as a country boy who has come to Kingston to become a recording star. Boasting one of the finest soundtracks ever, the film was significant both musically and politically. The mainstream entertainment industry, however, continued to exploit rock in films like Ken Russell’s ridiculously overwrought version of the Who’s rock opera Tommy (1975), though director Franc Roddam was much more successful with the Who’s other rock opera, Quadrophenia (1979). The arrival of punk spawned Malcolm McLaren’s deeply cynical history of the Sex Pistols, The Great Rock and Roll Swindle (1980), wherein McLaren claims that the band’s only intention was to bilk the record industry. The antidote for McLaren’s cynicism was Rude Boy (1980), a documentary-like effort that examined life in Britain under Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher through the eyes of a Clash roadie.
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With the advent of MTV in the 1980s, nearly every Hollywood film seemed to contain superfluous musical interludes that could be easily lifted and shown separately to sell movie tickets and compact discs; by the 1990s music video directors had entered feature films and brought their frenetic visual styles with them. Despite the synergistic impulses of the entertainment conglomerates, several notable films emerged, including This Is Spinal Tap (1984), a hilarious “mockumentary” about a heavy metal band; Purple Rain (1984), featuring Prince; and The Commitments (1991), the finest garage band movie yet.
The biographical picture has been the largest of the subgenres. Films on the lives of Buddy Holly (The Buddy Holly Story, 1978), Sid Vicious (Sid and Nancy, 1986), Ritchie Valens (La Bamba, 1987), Jim Morrison (The Doors, 1991), and Tina Turner (What’s Love Got to Do with It?, 1993) and the relationship between John Lennon and Stu Sutcliffe (Backbeat, 1993) were among the most successful, both artistically and financially.
Continuing what Presley had begun, other rockers made careers of acting in dramatic films, with Mick Jagger in Performance (1970), David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976), and Sting in Stormy Monday (1988) doing impressive work.
Ultimately, the most common use of rock in film is on movie soundtracks, and the results are often superb. Simon and Garfunkel set the mood for The Graduate (1967), Dylan wrote the music for and played a supporting role in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (1973), and director Martin Scorsese used a pastiche of rock music in place of a dramatic score in Mean Streets (1973), GoodFellas (1990), and Casino (1995). Scorsese also documented the Band’s farewell performance in The Last Waltz (1978), and Jonathan Demme, another filmmaker who has made careful use of rock music, directed Talking Heads’ compelling concert film Stop Making Sense (1984). With Bruce Springsteen receiving an Oscar for “Streets of Philadelphia,” written specifically for Philadelphia (1993), it seemed that the motion picture establishment had finally taken rock seriously.
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