Unless you're a staunch fan of the jazz genre, when you're asked to think of a film centering around the 20th century music, your mind may go blank. Despite this, there are a whole host of movies out there celebrating the brilliance of the music, which originated in black America, and what better day to take a look at seven of the best, than International Jazz Day (April 30)?
Cabin in the Sky (1943)
We kick off our list with this brilliant musical, based on the Broadway show of the same name. Vincente Minnelli serves as director on Cabin in the Sky, working with actors such as Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson and Lena Horne.
Anderson takes on the role of Little Joe Jackson, a no good man who has a shot at redemption, but whose journey is cut short by big shot Domino Johnson (John William Sublett). Despite this, angelic powers mean Little Joe is brought back to the land of the living, and is given just six months to prove he's worth entering the gates of Heaven.
It sounds a little kooky, and it certainly is, but it's got one of the most pleasing soundtracks of its time.
High Society (1956)
This romantic musical comes from director Charles Walters, and features an all-star cast, including Bing Crosby, Grace Kelly, and Frank Sinatra.
As a remake of the 1940 film The Philadelphia Story, High Society follows a successful jazz musician (Crosby) who does his all to win back the affections of his ex-wife (Kelly), despite her being on the road to marrying another man.
This was Kelly's final film appearance before she became Princess consort of Monaco, and whilst it's your typical story of a man trying to win back an old flame, it's stood the test of time.
The Connection (1961)
Experimental filmmaker Shirley Clarke is the mastermind behind The Connection, her first feature film following a string of short movies over the previous decade. Despite being the subject of court cases regarding censorship, the movie's cemented its place in history, and will be enjoyed for decades to come.
Based on the play of the same name by Jack Gelber, The Connection follows a young filmmaker who attempts to gain footage of drug addicts, who are waiting for their heroin dealers to arrive.
Warren Finnerty, Carl Lee, Garry Goodrow, Jerome Raphel, Barbara Winchester, and Henry Proach are amongst the cast, with a talented succession of musicians also on board, including Freddie Redd, Jackie McLean, Micheal Mattos, and Larry Ritchie.
All That Jazz (1979)
Directed by Bob Fosse, who co-wrote the screenplay alongside Robert Alan Arthur, All That Jazz is a semi-autobiographical fantasy musical based on aspects of Fosse's real-life career as a dancer, choreographer and director.
Roy Scheider takes on the leading role of Joseph Gideon; a man who's trying to balance his life staging his latest Broadway musical, with editing a Hollywood film that he sat in the director's chair for. Putting work before anything else, he turns to medical substances to keep up with what's required of him day-to-day, despite the pleas of his wife and daughter to go back to a relatively normal existence.
Having won the Palme d'Or at the 1980 Cannes Film Festival, the movie has since been deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and was even selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. If that doesn't make you want to check it out, nothing will!
The Cotton Club (1984)
Centered on the titular Harlem jazz club of the 1930s, The Cotton Club is a crime-drama film directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and starring the likes of Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, and Lonette McKee. Nicolas Cage and Laurence Fishburne are also amongst the supporting cast.
When musician Dixie Dwyer begins working with mobsters in a bid to advance his career, he quickly gets tangled in a dangerous web, falling in love with the girlfriend of a gangland kingpin. What follows is a battle of wits and of course, sheer violence, against the backdrop of some of the most addictive music on the planet.
Round Midnight (1986)
This American-French musical is directed by Bertrand Tavernier, who co-wrote the script with David Rayfiel. With a huge cameo from Martin Scorsese, and leading roles taken up by Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet and Herbie Hancock, those looking for a masterclass in acting should look no further than this brilliant flick.
The film follows the story of Dale Turner (inspired real-life jazz legends Lester Young and Bud Powell); a jazzman who's incredibly talented, but is struggling to live day-to-day because of substance abuse and alcoholism. In the hopes of turning his life around, however, he decides to travel to Paris and make a living playing at the Blue Note jazz club.
Inspiring at times, and utterly tragic at others, this is one of the most compelling jazz movies you can see.
Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
Written and directed by Woody Allen, and serving as his love letter to the genre, Sweet and Lowdown is loosely based on Feredrico Fellini's movie La Strada, and tells the story of jazz guitarist Emmet Ray (Sean Penn), who falls in love with a mute woman (Samantha Morton).
Penn and Morton both received Oscar nominations for their work on the film, which also stars Uma Thurman and Anthony LaPaglia. It's one of Allen's better-received works, and, like some of his other material, features a number of interviews scattered throughout with critics and biographers, who comment on the actions of the characters as if they had been real people.
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