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Option 2: Movie Review
View one of the movies listed below, or any other fictionalized film about the life of a popular music musician or band (not a live concert, documentary, or 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 any personal opinions that you assert. Please address the following points:
• Give a brief (1 paragraph) biographical sketch of the principal character/musician.
• Socially and musically, how is the principal character portrayed?
• What historical phase of the development of popular music does the principal character belong to?
• How does the life and music of the principal character reflect the issues we’ve examined in relation to that historical phase?
• Describe the narrative of the film. How does the story unfold? – This is the core of you movie review.
Possible movies:
• Young Man with a Horn (about Bix Beiderbeck) 1949
• The Glen Miller Story (1953)
• The Benny Goodman Story (1955)
• St. Louis Blues (about WC Handy) 1958
• The Five Pennies (about Red Nichols) 1959
• Lady Sings the Blues (about Billie Holliday) 1972
• Bound for Glory (about Woodie Guthrie) 1976
• The Buddy Holly Story (1978)
• Coal Miner’s Daughter (about Loretta Lynn) 1980
• Round Midnight (about Dexter Gordon) 1986
• Sid & Nancy (about Sid Vicious) 1986
• La Bamba (about Ritchie Valens) 1987
• Bird (about Charlie Parker) 1988
• The Doors (about the California group) 1991
• The Mambo Kings (about the Castillo brothers) 1992
• What’s Love Got To Do With It (about Tina Turner) 1993
• Selena (about Selena Quintanilla-Perez) 1997
• The Temptations (4-hour TV miniseries) 1998
• Sweet and Lowdown (about Emmet Ray) 1999
• For Love or Country (about Arturo Sandoval) 2001
• Standing in the Shadows of Motown (the Funk Brothers) 2002
• Ray (about Ray Charles) 2004
• De-lovely (about Cole Porter) 2004
• Beyond the Sea (about Bobby Darrin) 2004
• Walk the Line (about Johnny Cash) 2005
• El Cantate (about Hector Lavoe) 2007
• I’m Not There (about Bob Dylan) 2007
• Cadillac Records (about Chess Records) 2008
• Nowhere Boy (about John Lennon’s youth) 2009
• Get On Up (about James Brown) 2014
• Bolden! (about Buddy Bolden) 2015
• Miles Ahead (about Miles Davis) 2015
• Straight Outta Compton (about NWA) 2015
• Born to be Blue (about Chet Baker) 2016
• Bohemian Rhapsody (about Queen) 2018