No Direction Home: Bob Dylan (2005), Woodstock (1970), Heartworn Highways (1976), Be Here to Love Me: A Film About Townes Van Zandt (2004), Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006), O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000), The Devil and Daniel Webster (1941), Bound for Glory (1976) ... Let's take a look at the ranked list of the best Folk Music movies.
Storyline: An elderly couple go about their routine of cleaning their gabbeh (a intricately-designed rug), while bickering gently with each other. Magically, a young woman appears, helping the two clean the rug. This young woman belongs to the clan whose history is depicted in the design of the gabbeh, and the rug recounts the story of the courtship of the young woman by a stranger from the clan.—Mike Myers <mmyers@ucsd.edu>
Plot Keywords: magical realism, symbolism, love story, cultural heritage, surreal, visual art, tradition vs modernity ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: An in-depth look at the relationship between the late musician Leonard Cohen and his Norwegian muse Marianne Ihlen.
Plot Keywords: documentary, biography, music, romance, 1960s, love story, artistic ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This Gene Autry entry was sold to the exhibitors as a "Special" (a term used about once a production season when Republic wanted to charge the exhibitors a higher fee than usual for an Autry film) and finds "Rancho Grande foreman Gene Autry more than a little distressed when he learns that the heirs of the ranch, siblings Kay, Patsy and Tom Dodge, are on their way. The young Dodges have a nation-wide reputation as wild irresponsibles, and Gene already has his hands full trying to save the ranch from foreclosure. Before his death, the late John Dodge had mortgaged the ranch in order to secure funds for a vast irrigation system which must be completed by a certain date or face foreclosure from the Citrus Valley Association. Kay and Tom Dodge show up with intentions of turning the property into a pleasure resort for their eastern society friends, and they are encouraged in this by Dodge family attorney Emory Benson, who also happens to be a heavy stockholder in the Citrus Valley Association and will profit greatly if the Dodges are unable to meet their obligations. To ensure this will happen, Benson also hires some henchies to dynamite the irrigation project. But, hey, not to worry, this isn't the first time (nor the last) that Gene has faced the problem of impudent heirs taking bad advice.—Les Adams <longhorn1939@suddenlink.net>
Plot Keywords: western, musical, comedy, romance, rural life, dance, love story ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Six incarnations of Bob Dylan: an actor, a folk singer, an electrified troubadour, Rimbaud, Billy the Kid, and Woody Guthrie. Put Dylan's music behind their adventures, soliloquies, interviews, marriage, and infidelity. Recreate 1960s documentaries in black and white. Put each at a crossroads, the artist becoming someone else. Jack, the son of Ramblin' Jack Elliott, finds Jesus; handsome Robbie falls in love then abandons Claire. Woody, a lad escaped from foster care, hobos the U.S. singing; Billy awakes in a valley threatened by a six-lane highway; Rimbaud talks. Jude, booed at Newport when he goes electric, fences with reporters, pundits, and fans. He won't be classified.
Plot Keywords: biography, music, drama, experimental, nonlinear narrative, artist, american culture ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Three vignettes of old Irish country life, based on a series of short stories. In "The Majesty of the Law," a police officer must arrest a very old-fashioned, traditional fellow for assault. The man's principles have the policeman and the whole village, including the man he slugged, sympathizing with him. "One Minute's Wait" is about an little train station and glimpses into the lives of the passengers, with a series of comic setups. The third piece is called "1921" and is about a condemned Irish nationalist and his daring escape. Tyrone Power introduces each story.—Molly Malloy <mailcall@kiva.net>
Plot Keywords: adventure, drama, historical, independent film, black and white, folklore, rural life ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Traveling through the American South, documentarian Andrew Douglas trains his lens on Jim White, an alternative-country musician, as he performs in venues that range in variety from churches to coal mines. During this journey, White shares his experience of growing up in the Deep South, while Douglas interviews a number of other Southern musicians, artists and writers, attempting to gain a perspective on a unique culture that is often overlooked.
Plot Keywords: american south, documentary, music, religion, road movie, soul, poverty ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A final live variety show broadcast via radio becomes a metaphor for the natural order of life. A concept and script by Garrison Keilor uses every natural and technical element of working with a tight and close ensemble producing a weekly show to sooth us and guide us through the natural but difficult transitions of aging, becoming less relevant and then dying as new, young life develops and strengthens during our final "performances." This is a rare film for it's remarkable cast and crew and one wonders how the great Robert Altman was able to gather them all at the same place and time to shoot this film.
Plot Keywords: musical, comedy, drama, country music, song and dance, nostalgia, ensemble cast ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: Arlo Guthrie's song is converted into a motion picture. Arlo goes to see Alice for Thanksgivng and as a favor takes her trash to the dump. When the dump is closed, he drops it on top of another pile of garbage at the bottom of a ravine. When the local sheriff finds out a major manhunt begins. Arlo manages to survive the courtroom experience but it haunts him when he is to be inducted into the army via the draft. The movie follows the song with Arlo's voice over as both music and narration.—John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>
Plot Keywords: counterculture, road movie, black comedy, social satire, anti-war, musical, based on true events ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A mine owner dies and leaves half to Gene and half to easterner Barbara Erwin. Gene wants to continue operation of the mine as requested in the will but Barbara wants to sell and leave with her half of the money. So she hires two lawyers not knowing they are crooks. They then sent their henchman out and Gene's life is soon in danger.—Maurice VanAuken <mvanauken@a1access.net>
Plot Keywords: drama, romance, music, musical, mexico, tradition, romantic ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: The saga of the Hatfield-and-McCoy feud is romanticized in Samuel Goldwyn's Roseanna McCoy. Newcomer Joan Evans stars as the title character, whose elopement with Johnse Hatfield serves to further fuel the flames of the deadly mountain feud.
Plot Keywords: romance, drama, historical, family, tragedy, american, black and white ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: A traditional music competition rekindles a rivalry between two estranged brothers (Colm Meaney, Bernard Hill) from Ireland.
Plot Keywords: music, ireland, brotherhood, competition, family, rural life, cultural conflict ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In 1997, six African women pledged that in the first year of the new millennium they would tell their stories, stories by African women. They called their series "Mama Africa" and drew their tales from the depths of their hearts. The result is a groundbreaking initiative bringing together the incredibly fresh talents of six female directors from the vast and diverse continent of Africa.
Plot Keywords: african culture, documentary, music legend, south africa, social justice, human rights, music history ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: In June of 1964, two groups of young men travel to Mississippi. Though neither group was aware of the other, each had come on the same errand: to find an old blues singer and coax him out of retirement.
Plot Keywords: documentary, music, history, civil rights, 1960s, musicians, african american ...
Movie Details Click Here !Storyline: This documentary focuses on William Howard Taft Armstrong, (better known as Louie Bluie), a Tennessee blues musician and folk artist known for his ability to play just about every stringed instrument known to man. He recounts the old days of the '30s and '40s, engaging in lively reminiscences with his friends and fellow musicians. When words are not enough, Louie pulls out his sketchpad and illustrates his thoughts with quickly executed drawings.
Plot Keywords: documentary, music, art, musician biography, independent film, american south, cultural heritage ...
Movie Details Click Here !