Bad 25
Film and music and two mediums that have always gone had in hand: music topics have made great movies and music helps being a film to life.
Over the years we have seen film and music come together to form incredibly successful collaborations and Made In America is the latest.
Made In America is a brand new documentary that sees director Ron Howard team up with Jay-Z.
To celebrate the release of the DVD on 19th May, we take a look at some of the best film & music collaborations.
- Bad 25 (2012)
Michael Jackson's Bad is one of the greatest pop records of all time, and in 2012, the record celebrated its 25th anniversary.
A 25th anniversary edition of the album was released along with a terrific documentary: which was directed by Spike Lee.
Lee had worked with Jackson in the past, having directed the video for They Don't Care About Us.
The movie took fans behind the scenes of the recording of the album Bad as well as the tour that went with the release of the record.
Bad 25 was premiered at the Venice International Film Festival in 2012, and really is a must see documentary for all Michael Jackson fans.
- Pearl Jam Twenty (2011)
Cameron Crowe has directed films such as Jerry Maguire, Vanilla Sky, and We Bought a Zoo, but he moved into the documentary genre in 2011 with Pearl Jam Twenty.
Pearl Jam Twenty was a film that marked the 20th anniversary of the iconic rock band
Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder, and Matt Cameron were all involved, as the documentary told of the history of the band.
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2011, and would be release alongside a book and soundtrack.
- Shine A Light (2008)
We have seen a whole host of concert films hit the big screen over the years, but Shine A Light remains one of the very best.
The film saw The Rolling Stone team up with Oscar winning filmmaker Martin Scorsese, to turn their show at the Beacon Theatre in 2006, in to an enthralling film.
The show was part of the A Bigger Bang Tour, and Scorsese filmed both shows that the band played at the Beacon theatre: the film footage is taken from the second night.
Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Charlie Watts, and Ronnie Wood are on stage doing what they do best, and are joined by guest performers Buddy Guy, Jack White, and Christina Aguilera.
This really is a must see movie for Rolling Stones fans and Jagger's performance is just captivating.
- Control (2007)
In 2007, Anton Corbijn made his feature film directorial debut with Control: a film that brought the story of Ian Curtis and Joy Division to the big screen.
Corbijn was no stranger to music, having been a music photographer and behind a series of shorts and documentaries... he really was the right person to direct this movie.
Control was based on the book by Deborah Curtis and followed the rise of Ian Curtis and his band, as well as his struggles with epilepsy.
This is a movie that elves into the character of Ian Curtis, highlighting his fears of his condition and his difficulty dealing with the spotlight he found himself under. Control also brought the Manchester music scene of 1970s to life.
Shot in black and white, Control was one of the most beautiful films to be released in 2007: not to mention one of the best.
- Buena Vista Social (1999)
Wim Wenders returned to the director's chair in 1999, with documentary Buena Vista Social: a movie that explored the music of Cuba.
Aging Cuban musicians, whose talents had been virtually forgotten following Castro's takeover of Cuba, are brought out of retirement by Ry Cooder, who travelled to Havana in order to bring the musicians together, resulting in triumphant performances of extraordinary music, and resurrecting the musicians' careers.
The movie was met with critical acclaim when it was released, and went on to be nominated for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar.
However, the movie would miss out on the gong, as One Day in September went on to win.
- 20 Feet From Stardom (2014)
We have already been treated to a terrific music themed film this year, as 20 Feet From Stardom hit the big screen.
Directed by Morgan Neville, the movie puts background singers in the spotlight, as the likes of Darlene Love, Merry Clayton, Lisa Fischer talk about their careers.
For the first time, we are taken into the lives of these singers, the great times and difficulties that they faced: as well as the dreams that they would also have success in their own right on day.
20 Feet From Stardom really is a trip back in history, and really highlights how essential the backing singers have been over the years. The soundtrack to this film is also wonderful.
20 Feet From Stardom won the Best Documentary Feature Oscar earlier this year, and is one of the best films of 2014 so far.
Made In America is available on VoD and DVD 19 May.