Movie review:
View one of the movies listed below, or any other fictionalized film about the life of a popular music band or artist (not a live concert, or a satire). Write a 750 word minimum essay contextualizing the movie within the matrix of concepts, personalities, and music examined in this course. In general, think of this essay as a critical analysis in which you need to explain the points you are asserting. In this way, the assignment is an argumentative essay.
Please address the following points:
- Give a brief (1 paragraph) biographical sketch of the principal character musician.
- Socially and musically, how is principal character/musician portrayed?
- How did the racial and/or class backgrounds of the principal character/musician affect their involvement in music?
- What historical phase of the development of American popular music does the principal character/musician belong to?
- How does their life and music reflect the issues we've examined in relation to that historical phase?
- When citing or paraphrasing sources, make sure to include a bibliographical citation (either in a footnote or in a parenthetical citation) and include a bibliography at the end of your essay.
Possible movies:
The Glen Miller Story (1953)
The Benny Goodman Story (1955)
Lady Sings the Blues (1972) (about Billie Holliday)
Bound for Glory (1976) (about Woodie Guthrie)
The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
Coal Miner?s Daughter (1980) (about Loretta Lynn)
Sid & Nancy (1986) (about Sid Vicious)
Round Midnight (1986) (about Dexter Gordon)
La Bamba (1987) (about Ritchie Valens)
Bird (1988) (about Charlie Parker)
The Doors (1991) (about the California group)
The Mambo Kings (1992) (about the Castillo brothers)
What's Love Got To Do With It (1993) (about Tina Turner)
Selena (1997) (about Selena Quintanilla-Perez)
Sweet and Lowdown (1999) (about Emmet Ray)
For Love or Country (2001) (about Arturo Sandoval)
Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002) (about the Funk Brothers)
Ray (2004) (about Ray Charles)
De-lovely (2004) (about Cole Porter)
Walk the Line (2005) (about Johnny Cash)
I'm Not There (2007) (about Bob Dylan)
El Cantate (2007) (about Hector Lavoe)
Cadillac Records (2008) (about Chess Records)
Others Email Dr. Walton with questions about other possible movies.