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Music Films
Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music
Music Films
Documentaries, Concert Films and Other Cinematic Representations of Popular Music
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Description
In Music Films, Neil Fox considers a broad range of music documentaries, delving into their cinematic style, political undertones, racial dynamics, and gender representations, in order to assess their role in the cultivation of myth.
Combining historical and critical analyses, and drawing on film and music criticism, Fox examines renowned music films such as A Hard Day's Night (1964), Dig! (2004), and Amazing Grace (2006), critically lauded works like Milford Graves Full Mantis (2018) and Mistaken for Strangers (2013), and lesser-studied films including Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959) and Ornette: Made in America (1985). In doing so, he offers a comprehensive overview of the genre, situating these films within their wider cultural contexts and highlighting their formal and thematic innovations.
Discussions in the book span topics from concert filmmaking to music production, the music industry, touring, and filmic representations of authenticity and truth. Overall, Music Films traces the evolution of the genre, highlighting its cultural significance and connection to broader societal phenomena.
Table of Contents
Introduction
I Form and Feel
1. 'What Should I Say?' – Milestones and Innovations
2. 'We'll try for a groove' – Music Making and the Careers of Musicians
II Politics and Place
3. 'Secret Black Technologies' – Black Music
4. 'Wherever we are, we are' – Place
5. 'I just have to deal with it' – Women
III Performativity and Performance
6. 'Fuck continuity' – Truth and Myth
7. 'Walk on stage and fucking 'ave it' – Concert and Tour Films
Endnotes – Omissions, Alternative Histories and Further Watching
References
Filmography
Index
Product details
Published | 16 May 2024 |
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Format | Ebook (Epub & Mobi) |
Edition | 1st |
Extent | 280 |
ISBN | 9781839023453 |
Imprint | British Film Institute |
Illustrations | 15 bw illus |
Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing |
Reviews
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An impassioned and eclectic survey, Fox's book on what he calls 'music films' not only introduces the canon, but explores its outer limits and limitations.
Mark Duffett, University of Chester, UK
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This comprehensive analysis of music documentaries, tour films and other cinematic representations of popular music is an invaluable contribution to the field of film studies, music studies, media studies and to anyone interested in music on screen.
Robert Edgar, York St John University, UK
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A good deal of Music Films is as much celebration as survey. Fox presents a thorough overview of key texts like Don't Look Back (1967), The Decline of Western Civilization (1981) and Stop Making Sense (1984), before building an argument that the years since the millennium have truly been the music film's golden age.
Sight and Sound

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