10 Comments

This is interesting as a follow up: "While men-centered biopics privilege beginnings, women-centered biopics tend to narrate the tragic end of their subjects."

https://www.publicbooks.org/perfect-recordings-of-lost-voices/

Expand full comment

Interesting

Expand full comment

No matter the subject matter, always follow the $$. I worked on one of the biggest money makers. It was pure fiction sold as reality. People never question this possibility.

Expand full comment

Hey Chris, longtime reader, first time commenter, you should check out what share of the box office these biopics represent. Would be interesting to learn that as well

Expand full comment

Good point. They did have box office receipts

Expand full comment

The finest music biopic I’ve seen is Walk Hard: the Dewey Cox Story.

Expand full comment

There should have never been one made after that. It perfected the genre

Expand full comment

For me this is also a sign that nothing new with the same impact of past artist's exists. The future is cancelled, like Mark Fischer said .... all that's left is to celebrate the past. Missing the past because the future can only be imagined as a re-reading, never as new. This is everywhere: music, movies, fashion ...

Expand full comment

The Harder They Fall was worthwhile.

I nominate Ed Norton's rendition of Wimoweh in the Dylan movie as possibly the worst musical performance in recent times. It makes the Tokens version seem like a master piece of African music! As for the performances of Dylan's songs, it reminds me of the telegram from Cole Porter to Frank Sinatra, "since you don't seem to like the original melodies I don't know why you persist in singing my songs."

Expand full comment

Absolutely it's ROI-driven. They can say it's to create new Dylan/Beatles/Whitney fans all they like, but why risk angering fans who supported these artists in their primes?

Expand full comment