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Great films where music is a central theme.

I'm a film lover for as long as I can remember. There's nothing like a film that combines my passion for music and film. I'm going to leave out concert films from this, as there are plenty of threads on that. Lets stick to other films - dramas or documentaries - that use music as a central theme, or have it as a key element in the narrative. Here are a few of my own favorites to get the ball rolling.

As it is in Heaven
The Bands Visit
Schultze Gets the Blues
Troubled Water (the Erik Poppe film)
Sweet and Lowdown
Bird
'Round Midnight
I'm Not Here

Documentaries:

Throw Down Your Heart
The Devil and Daniel Johnston
Lets Get Close (Bruce Weber)
Buena Vista Social Club
Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back
Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man

So it's really could be split into two threads; Narative films and Documentaries. But lets try leaving it open to both, just no concert films. What are some of your favorites?
jax2

Showing 4 responses by tubegroover

tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Jax, I think you may be running out of "great" films, now to the "B" ones as follows.

The Benny Goodman Story
The Gene Krupa Story
The Glenn Miller Story

The only really great one left that I can recall that isn't included in the above "Yankee Doodle Dandy"
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Oh yeah

The Fabulous Baker Boys
"10"

Though neither of the above necessarily place music as the central theme, music IS a major part of the movie theme if not the central plot.
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
Hey Duke

you blew it man and are risking the rath of the OP, read carefully, NOT soundtracks BUT where music is a central theme. In Psycho the music is effect, not the central theme. I hear you concerning Bernard Herrmann though, among a small handful of the greatest composers ever for film. My favorite, "Taxi Driver", now I'm risking the rath for going off on a tangent as well!
tubegroover
2,320 posts
 
August Rush
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