Top Rated Music Movies on Kanopy - Page 20

That's the Way of the World

1975

That's the Way of the World

1975
6.2
Record executives want a highly-regarded record producer to focus on a white pop act whom they feel has the sound America wants. To keep his creative integrity, Buckmaster carefully begins to fight the system that has made him the respected producer he has become.
Song of Freedom

1936

Song of Freedom

1936
5.6
John Zinga, a descendent of slaves, has an ancient medallion around his neck and a fragment of song passed down generations. He is an English dockworker with a magnificent voice and a yearning to learn his roots.
Palmy Days

1931

Palmy Days

1931
7
Musical comedy antics in an art deco bakery (motto: "Glorifying the American Doughnut") where Eddie Cantor, the overworked assistant to a phony psychic, is mistaken for an efficiency expert and placed in charge. Complications ensue when the psychic and his gang attempt to rob the payroll.
Wagner & Me

2012

Wagner & Me

2012
6.7
Actor and writer Stephen Fry explores his passion for the world's most controversial composer, Richard Wagner. As a life-long fan can Stephen, who is Jewish and lost family in the Holocaust, salvage Wagner's music from its dark associations with anti-Semitism and Hitler?
Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet

2001

Etoiles: Dancers of the Paris Opera Ballet

2001
6.9
ETOILES: DANCERS OF THE PARIS OPERA BALLET celebrates the legacy one of the best ballet companies in the world by weaving together rehearsals, tour snapshots and performances of classical ballets such as Swan Lake and La Sylphide, as well as contemporary works such as Maurice Bejart's Ninth Symphony, Jiri Kylian's Doux Mensonge (Sweet Lies) and Pierre Darde's Orison. Celebrated filmmaker Nils Tavernier endeavors to understand the psychology of dance by talking candidly with some of the biggest stars in dance today. The film also features interviews with the dancers who explain how and why they endure the emotional and physical hardships of their profession in their intense drive to be on stage.
The Night Before Christmas

1994

The Night Before Christmas

1994
6
A kind hearted, young orphan boy and his loyal cat discover the true spirit of Christmas in this delightfully animated Yuletide tale of musical, magical holiday cheer!
Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2011

Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune

2011
6.6
From civil rights to the anti-war movement to the struggles of workers, folksinger Phil Ochs wrote topical songs that engaged his audiences in the issues of the 1960s and 70s. In this biographical documentary, veteran director Kenneth Bowser shows how Phil's music and his fascinating life story and eventual decline into depression and suicide were intertwined with the history-making events that defined a generation. Even as his contemporaries moved into folk-rock and pop music, Phil followed his own vision, challenging himself and his listeners. Not one to pull punches, Ochs never achieved the commercial success he desperately desired. But his music remains relevant, reaching new audiences in a generation that finds his themes all too familiar.
Blank Generation

1980

Blank Generation

1980
5.4
Nada, a beautiful French journalist on assignment in New York, records the life and work of an up and coming punk rock star, Billy. Soon she enters into a volatile relationship with him and must decide whether to continue with it, or return to her lover, a fellow journalist trying to track down the elusive Andy Warhol.
Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All

2024

Indigo Girls: It's Only Life After All

2024
8.5
An intimate look into the lives of one of the most iconic folk-rock bands in America - the Indigo Girls. With never-before-seen archival and intimate vérité the film dives into the songwriting and storytelling of the music that transformed a generation.
F^¢K '€M R!GHT B@¢K

2022

F^¢K '€M R!GHT B@¢K

2022
8.8
A queer, Black, aspiring Baltimore rapper must outwit his vengeful day-job boss in order to avoid getting fired after accidentally eating an edible.
Karen Dalton: In My Own Time

2021

Karen Dalton: In My Own Time

2021
5.8
Blues and folk singer Karen Dalton was a prominent figure in 1960s New York. Idolized by Bob Dylan and Nick Cave, Karen discarded the traditional trappings of success and led an unconventional life until her early death. Since most images of Karen have been lost or destroyed, the film uses Karen's dulcet melodies and interviews with loved ones to build a rich portrait of this singular woman and her hauntingly beautiful voice.
Herb Alpert Is...

2020

Herb Alpert Is...

2020
7.2
From the success of Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass, through the founding of A&M Records, to giving away more than $150 million to arts and education programs across the country, we’ll witness the humanity and the humility inherent in everything he does, as well as come to understand the power of creativity to entertain, inspire, heal and transform.
We Are The Thousand

2020

We Are The Thousand

2020
8.4
Together impossible goals can be reached. Like playing a song as a tribute to your favorite rock band, putting together 1000 musicians playing perfectly in synch. It’s what Rockin’1000 achieved, a group of Italian friends who became a global community bringing musicians from all around the world. We Are The Thousand is the story of how the largest band on the planet came to be: over nineteen thousand musicians, amateurs and pros from every age group and social background, united by one passion: rock’n’roll. This is the story of how the idea of virtuous community can positively influence every single member, encouraging them to pursue their dreams while giving the best they have to offer.
Once Aurora

2018

Once Aurora

2018
8.5
This is the third documentary of Norwegian singer AURORA. It will follow the production of her second album. Filmed in La Fabrique, France.
Lady, You Shot Me: The Life and Death of Sam Cooke

2014

Lady, You Shot Me: The Life and Death of Sam Cooke

2014
5.5
Sam Cooke died at the age of 33 on December 11, 1964, at the Hacienda Motel, at 9137 South Figueroa Street, in Los Angeles, California. Answering separate reports of a shooting and of a kidnapping at the motel, police found Cooke's body, clad only in a sports jacket and shoes but no shirt, pants or underwear. He had sustained a gunshot wound to the chest, which was later determined to have pierced his heart. The motel's manager, Bertha Franklin, said she had shot Cooke in self-defense after he broke into her office residence and attacked her. Her account was immediately questioned and disputed by acquaintances.
Memphis

2011

Memphis

2011
8.3
Memphis is set in the places where rock and roll was born in the 1950s: the seedy nightclubs, radio stations and recording studios of the musically-rich Tennessee city. With an original score, it tells the fictional story of DJ Huey Calhoun, a good ole' local boy with a passion for R&B music and Felicia Farrell, an up-and-coming black singer that he meets one fateful night on Beale Street. Despite the objections of their loved ones (Huey's close-minded mama and Felicia's cautious brother, a club owner), they embark on a dangerous affair. As their careers rise, the relationship is challenged by personal ambition and the pressures of an outside world unable to accept their love. Originally shown in select theatres, then broadcast as an episode of the PBS series "Great Performances" (season 39, episode 11).
Rocking Poponguine

1994

Rocking Poponguine

1994
6
A tale of growing up in 1960s Senegal. Bacc narrates his early years of living in Popenguine, a town divided by culture and musical tastes.
Sons of Steel

1989

Sons of Steel

1989
5.2
The film is set in Australia, where an accidental future time traveler finds himself going back in time to change events to prevent a calamity.
whisper & SHOUT

1988

whisper & SHOUT

1988
7
Documents important parts of the East German rock music scene of the late 1980s, from well-established bands like Silly, to underground rock bands like Feeling B. This road movie features young people using music to express their take on life, opposition to their parents' generation and opinions on the social and political climate in East Germany. It includes clips from concerts and interviews with fans and members of various bands, such as Feeling B's Christian Lorenz and Paul Landers, now members of Rammstein.
Say Amen, Somebody

1983

Say Amen, Somebody

1983
6.8
Documentary on modern black gospel music, focusing on the pioneering Rev. Thomas Dorsey and Mother Willie Mae Ford Smith