A Merry War (1997), Burden of Dreams (1982), And Punching the Clown (2016), Waiting for Guffman (1996), Little Women (1994), Wild Rose (2018), Young Man With a Horn (1950), To Joy (1949) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Artistic Pursuit movies.
Storyline: Former seaman Clinton Jones now works at a lowly job. His daughter Ruth wants to become an actress. Clinton gets fired and Ruth rejects the advances of Fred Whitmarsh. Her father gives her his seaman's spyglass to sell as she heads for New York City.—Ed Stephan <stephan@cc.wwu.edu>
Plot Keywords: drama, biography, historical, female lead, hollywood, acting career, family conflict ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This is a movie based on the life of Gertrude Lawrence (Dame Julie Andrews), on and off-stage. It takes the opportunity to feature extravagant musical production numbers with Andrews acting, singing, and dancing.—Stewart M. Clamen <clamen@cs.cmu.edu>
Plot Keywords: musical, biography, hollywood, period drama, song and dance, theatrical adaptation, lavish costumes ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Cantor Rabinowitz is concerned and upset because his son Jakie shows so little interest in carrying on the family's traditions and heritage. For five generations, men in the family have been cantors in the synagogue, but Jakie is more interested in jazz and ragtime music. One day, they have such a bitter argument that Jakie leaves home for good. After a few years on his own, now calling himself Jack Robin, he gets an important opportunity through the help of well-known stage performer Mary Dale. But Jakie finds that in order to balance his career, his relationship with Mary, and his memories of his family, he will be forced to make some difficult choices.—Snow Leopard
Plot Keywords: musical, drama, black and white, silent film, jewish culture, family conflict, tradition vs modernity ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: While working as a counselor at a summer camp, college-student Marjorie Morgenstern falls for 32-year-old Noel Airman, a would-be dramatist working at a nearby summer theater. Like Marjorie, he is an upper-middle-class New York Jew (born 'Ehrman'), but has fallen away from his roots, and Marjorie's parents object among other things to his lack of a suitable profession, such as medicine or law. Noel himself warns Marjorie repeatedly that she's much too naive and conventional for him, but they nonetheless fall in love. As they pursue an on-again-off-again relationship, Marjorie completes her studies at Hunter College, and works to establish an acting career, while Noel first leaves the theater for a job with an advertising agency, but later completes a musical he'd started writing before he and Marjorie had first met. Meanwhile, their relationship deepens (though, consistent with '50s Hollywood mores, the more full-fledged sexuality in their relationship is never explicitly communicated). They plan to marry, but after the musical's critical failure on Broadway, Noel runs away. Marjorie finally tracks him down at the summer theater where they first met--and, realizing that this is probably where he belongs, finally gives up on the relationship. Helping her to move on with her life is Wally, once Noel's assistant, now a very successful Broadway playwright, and all along, Marjorie's unrequited lover. The movie ends with a clear implication Wally and Marjorie will finally be a couple.—HelenLipson<lipson@mnstate.edu>
Plot Keywords: romance, drama, coming of age, family, youth, dreams, social class ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Spoiled heiress Louise Durant (Dame Elizabeth Taylor) decides to leave the comfort of her father's estate in southern France to study piano at the Music Conservatory in Zurich, despite knowing that she does not have the talent nor desire to be a professional pianist. She is going there to follow her new boyfriend, violinist Paul Bronte (Vittorio Gassman), who is completing his final year of studies there, and who she hopes eventually to marry. Not even knowing Paul, this move does not sit well with Louise's father, Nicholas Durant (Louis Calhern), as he values success over all else, and Paul is not a success. Louise hopes to find her place in Paul's musical life, she does not truly understand the all-consuming passion he and many of the other students have for music. In her view of their world, Louise finds that she cannot be a complementary figure in that musical life as she wants, but is in direct competition with it. As such, some students resent Louise for taking away from Paul's talent, while others resent Paul for believing he can give in to Louise's non-musical whims while believing that he is not sacrificing his music. While Paul may ultimately have to choose between the violin and Louise especially, as he seems to be on the brink of stardom, pianist James Guest (John Ericson), a freshman at the Conservatory who lives in the same building as Louise, seems like he is willing to give up everything for Louise as he is falling in love with her. In Paul and John possessing the true talent to make it big, they may end up resenting Louise if they choose her over their music. Louise has to find a way to foster their music while still being part of their lives in her love.—Huggo
Plot Keywords: musical, romance, classical music, love story, composer, pianist, 19th century ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Prey For Rock & Roll is the story of Jacki and her all-girl rock and roll band, Clam Dandy, who are trying to make it in the LA club scene of the late 1980s. After ten years of being ignored by record producers, Jacki and the band find hope in one producer who promises to see them play and consider them for a contract. Jacki resolves to play this one last gig and then throw in the towel if she does not find success. Personal tragedies, however, threaten to rip the band apart, rocking the foundation of friendship and trust the women have built together. Ultimately, the band must find its strength in the music that is their passion and the thread that holds them together, inspiring them to prevail.—Cheri Lovedog
Plot Keywords: rock music, independent film, female lead, music dreams, los angeles, female director, musical drama ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Salsa singer screws over everybody on his way to the top; when his latest record flops, his career starts doing downhill.
Plot Keywords: musical, new york, dreams, cultural conflict, immigration, fame, identity ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: For the ventriloquist Gabbo his wooden dummy Otto is the only means of expression. When he starts relying more and more on Otto, he starts going mad.—Stephan Eichenberg <eichenbe@fak-cbg.tu-muenchen.de>
Plot Keywords: musical, drama, psychological conflict, 1920s, golden age of hollywood, expressionism, stage performance ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: On a train, Keith and Mick chat about the blues and the Rolling Stones are born. Douglas and Joe chat in front of a New Jersey music store, and a band is born: as Douglas's sister tells us, it's one of many that don't make it. We follow Douglas from high school (1963-64), when he sees himself as a loser, into the band, playing drums and singing backup - then as the front man. There are tensions, a breakup, an audition in front of a major player, and decisions. Douglas pursues Grace, a country-club gal with hip sensibilities who believes in him. There's also his father, working class, wanting Douglas to apply himself as he watches his own life fill with regrets.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords: music, coming of age, 1960s, band, dreams, adolescence, family ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Bob is a struggling artist who paints for his own amusement. Julie is a rich society girl. When they meet, it is cute and they are soon married. Living in a small apartment with the constant company of close friend Oscar, they are poor, but happy. When the papers run the story about his riot in the park, Bob is suddenly news. With his private showing he becomes the society's newest sensation. Bob becomes serious, devoid of fun and adventure. Money becomes his prime concern and all the introductions are handled by Lilly. But this is not the life that either Julie or Oscar want.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Plot Keywords: romance, comedy, drama, marriage, artist, new york, 1930s ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Stage-mother Mama Rose (Bette Midler) sees one daughter quit, while her other one (Cynthia Gibb) becomes stripper Gypsy Rose Lee.
Plot Keywords: drama, musical, biography, female lead, show business, dreams, mother-daughter relationship ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Slice of life look at a young woman trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood. Ellie Parker, from Australia, works hard: she's gifted with accents, hustles to auditions, changes clothes and makeup as she drives across L.A., goes to acting classes and therapy, maintains a friendship with another Aussie searching for the same roles, meets a cinematographer when he bangs into her car at a stop sign, and faces a failing relationship with her slacker thinks-he's-a-musician boyfriend. All this brings on an identity crisis - who am I, and should I keep trying to be an actress? Ellie's balancing act and her inquiry into self carry the story.—<jhailey@hotmail.com>
Plot Keywords: independent film, comedy, drama, female lead, hollywood, actor's life, black comedy ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Tells the story of an African immigrant surviving on the fringes of New York City where music is his passion, life is a hustle and falling in love is his greatest risk.
Plot Keywords: independent film, urban life, immigrant story, musician, dreams, struggle for survival, romance ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Jonathan Street is a struggling composer when he meets and marries Annette. The problem is that Jonathan was drunk and does not want to be married. Annette does go with him to Paris and does the cooking and cleaning. To get his music published, Annette takes it to Paul and he is won over - by her voice and not the music. So he manages her career and she becomes a star as an opera singer everywhere she goes. Since Jonathan cannot sell anything he writes, he leaves Annette and that makes Annette sad as she wants only to be his wife.—Tony Fontana <tony.fontana@spacebbs.com>
Plot Keywords: musical, comedy, romance, 1930s, black and white, classic hollywood, music competition ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Jimmy O'Brien works in the stockroom of a grocery store, where he is reminded of his powerlessness by his boss. Only his love for his wife offers him comfort, but their obligations to his invalid grandmother and a new baby stifle their dreams. It is not until open-mike night at the local comedy club that he allows himself to do what he needs to do: run off at the mouth.—Sujit R. Varma
Plot Keywords: independent film, comedy, drama, american film, low budget, black comedy, underdog ...
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