Image provided by Dogwoof – Credit: Andrew De Groot
With Mystify: Michael Hutchence arriving in cinemas this week, a new documentary based on the life and career of one of the greatest ever rock musician, Michael Hutchence of band INXS, we thought we’d take a look back at six of the very best music documentaries to have ever graced the silver screen.
Amy: Dir. Asif Kapadia (2015)
One of the more recent features on our list is Asif Kapadia’s brilliant 2015 documentary Amy. Kapadia was riding high on the success of his 2011 BAFTA winner Senna and the world waited with huge anticipation to see what subject he tackled next. Amy documents the rise to fame and the remarkable career of one of the greatest young female artists of her generation. Absorbing, impactful and ultimately heart-breaking, Amy is a masterpiece in terms of filmmaking too, and one of the best music documentaries ever seen on the screen.
Dave Chapelle’s Block Party (2006)
One of the lesser known movies on our list is this brilliant feature from French filmmaker Michel Gondry, the director behind the likes of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Be Kind Rewind. Here, he teams with comedian Dave Chappelle to bring one of the biggest and best block parties staged in Brooklyn, New York City. Featured in the movie are the likes of Kanye West, Mos Def, The Fugees and Jill Scott, all of who perform on stage.
Anvil! The Story Of Anvil (2008)
Anvil revolves around the Canadian rock band of the same name, and is, quite frankly brilliant. The film dials it up to eleven as we follow the band as they embark on a European tour and record their thirteenth album. Sacha Gervasi made his directorial debut with the movie and would go on to direct some fantastic dramatic based on a true story, including Hitchcock and the more recent My Dinner with Hervé.
In Bed With Madonna (1991)
On of the most famous, and at the time most controversial music docs of all time was In Bed With Madonna, which was released back in 1991 at the height of her monumental fame. In Bed With Madonna, titled Madonna: Truth Or Dare in some territories, follows the pop icon on her historic 1990 Blond Ambition world tour, her third concert tour which took in 57 shows in America, Europe and Asia. The unflinching look behind the scenes opened the door on one of the greatest talents of the late-twentieth century, a legendary performer and musician still riding high nearly thirty years on. She’s still travelling the globe, in 2019 with her latest show, Madame X.
Twenty Feet From Stardom (2013)
This superb 2013 documentary should be relatively easy to track down. Twenty Feet From Stardom takes a look at the performers away from the main act – the back-up/ backing singers behind some of the biggest names in the business. This slightly lesser known doc features the likes of Merry Clayton, Darlene Love and Sheryl Crowe and is well worth your time.
Bros: After The Screaming Stops (2018)
In the late 1980s there was no bigger band than British band Bros. They were known all over the world and screaming fans followed them everywhere. In this absolutely brilliant 2018 documentary, the filmmakers follow twin brothers Matt and Luke Goss and, as the title suggest, find out what happened after the screaming stopped. The film also documents their road to their huge reunion concert at one of London’s biggest venues, the 02, nearly thirty years on from when they original split.
Mystify: Michael Hutchence is in cinemas from 18th October 2019.
