Today, we can identify a whole repertoire of music films, ranging from straightforward documentaries, concert films (mostly heavily edited), works directly connected to the music industry to promote sales and also the mockumentary, a parody of some of the aforementioned types of movies. But there are distinct features of the music film, depending on the time of its production and objectives.
Author Neil Fox in seven chapters covers a lot of these aspects, starting with what exactly a music film is, or has been described as such. For not until the mid-1960s has there been such a genre. Today, there are many variations and combinations, that blend fiction, live concert footage and montage of all kinds. Pushing the genre even further, while originally, a concert/artist/portrait music film aimed at transporting authenticity and information. Which brings in another (important) aspect, namely myth and myth making. Fox is a Senior Lecturer in Film at Falmouth University, UK, is also the co-founder and host of the leading film podcast The Cinematologists and has published in various academic magazines and journals of film.
However, here in this title published by the British Film Institute lies an entire set of aesthetics, tone, action and of course audio that makes such works highly interesting. As the films are far more than extended video clips or footage that accompanies musicias on their way to the studio or a gig.
The genre music film has a high cultural relevance, as each movie is document of how a certain musical style went public and for what reasons; and how the director understood that development or failed to include it. Nevertheless, music films are mostly vernacular in style, part of it being the desire to grant authenticity. Popular culture gratefully embraced the combination of the two art forms, film and music; that product is considered much more meaningful than the pure once separate consumer goods it consists of.
The three major parts deal with “Form and Feel,” “Politics and Place,“ and “Perfomativity and Performance” respectively; part three is maybe most engrossing one, as it seeks to find out how authentic – even the earliest – music documentaries were. This starts with the role of the new portable camera equipment in the mid-60s, and continues with the somewhat naive idea of music “documentaries” whenever a musician was at the center of the film. The artist then is performing, hence, to be exact, at this moment he is an actor, who performs a role.
Fox comes up with a number of good theories that leave room for music film criticism, for example how would a performer – who as a person would put you off – be presented by the director? The artist may still be a musician, so will that aspect be covered up, will the artist speak for himself, will those aspects of his character be edited in the final cut, as otherwise consumers would not buy his music anymore? What is more important, authenticity and “truth” or the objective to complete a successful film? Which message shall have priority?
We encounter many similar questions on almost 300 pages, and Fox goes into many aspects and details; he always is critical and he approaches those questions with a philosophical air, rather than that of a film theorist. His chapters read very easily and make this kind of archaeological survey a lot of fun to read.
Among the many films under inspection here, we find popular ones such as The Wrecking Crew (2008), Standing in the Shadows of Motown (2002), Billie (2019), or Grace Jones Bloodlight and Bambi (2017). While the introductory part presents readers with texts on many well documented films from the 1960s and 1970s, as Gimme Shelter (1970), The Rutles: All You Need is Cash (1978), The Last Waltz (1978), Monterey Pop (1968), and Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1979). Easily, we will consider those as the “originals.”
But his mix is really well done, as for example This is Spinal Tap (1984), Summer of Soul (2021), Buena Vista Social Club (1999), Mistaken for Strangers (2013), Twenty Feet From Stardom (2013), The Black Power Mixtape 1967 – 1975 (2011), and The Possibilities are Endless (2014) and other recent titles that get attention. The majority of films is from the US, followed by those from England and Europe. And readers be warned, you will be introduced to quite a few films you never have heard of. They are included, since some films simply are better examples for a certain style or a particular approach than others.
There are longer sections on The Beatles films and classics such as early musical portraits like Don’t Look Back (1967), as they became some sort of blueprint for music films for a certain time, at least until the late 1980s; but that all changed and this is what the title here is about. With regard to the Beatles films, naturally their films, too, let audiences experience that watching such a movie would serve basically the purpose to promote record sales. And that feature would for many years stick to the genre; hence it took a while before the music film in its many variations was considered something more refined.
Actually, the music genre that started the music/film symbiosis was not rock music, but jazz. Already in the 1940s, many shorties and longer feature films existed – and even before that there were thousands of jazz “soundies” – presenting jazz artists either in made up live performances or featured them in any daily situation. Then audiences could watch them suddenly starting to dance, sing or play. However, those jazz documents usually lacked the entire documentary aspects with the possible exception of the classic Jazz on a Summer’s Day (1959).
Naturally, many music films and documentaries try to pack as many key moments and career triumphs into them, especially when referring to an artist who passed away; or insert magical performances or a particular concert. Directors must make tough decisions, for example, who will be in the picture, will he be presented as an eye witness confirming or objecting to certain myths, facts or legends. Again, authenticity is the crucial topic of almost all of those films.
With Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music we have a stunning, but not exhaustive study of the many aspects of the musical film, music film, or music documentary. As there are so many productions, all informed by their times, musical style, director and budget, it is hard to keep track. Neil Fox’s title makes categorization, manner, and intention of the many gems awaiting discovery and criticism much easier.
It comes with an eight-page filmography and an index.
Review by Dr. A. Ebert © 2024
Neil Fox. Music Films: Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music. The British Film Institute, 2024, 280 p.