Steve Rash’s The Buddy Holly Story, 1978, with Gary Busey received wide acclaim and condemnation alike and the 1987 La Bamba starring Lou Diamond Phillips, was a timely reminder to all of us eighties kids of the wonder of the music that was created by those legends and which affected rock and roll from the 1950’s onwards; from Little Richard, Bob Dylan to The Beatles and beyond.
There are many films whose musical focus makes them stand out. Immediately to mind springs This is Spinal Tap (1984), The Blues Brothers (1980) and A Hard Day’s Night (1964). These lack the biographical edge for my taste, but I can still enjoy them. I challenge anyone not to love Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles or James Brown in The Blues Brothers, or not tap along to A Hard Day’s Night. It is as though sound and vision have fused together in a wonderful alchemy and bonded forever in our hearts.
Musicals, and Jukebox films (Mama Mia a recent example) also show the continuing love for some of the music used. It is the love of the music that makes these films are so special. In this iPod generation where we can carry with us the soundtrack to our lives, these are films that offer us the opportunity to witness the music being created vividly, often dramatically, if not always accurately. And on a day that has marked such a loss to music it is we should be thankful to the film-makers out there retelling the stories of our musical legends and keeping the music alive.