The Grammy Awards have a rare winning streak in the Best Music Film category, which has been quietly getting it right for over two decades. This year’s nominees include films by major directors like Martin Scorsese and Ron Howard, but what do they have to teach us about music documentaries?
One Thing The Grammys Get Right: Music Docs
The Grammy Awards are infamous for getting it wrong a whole lot of the time. However, one longstanding category has quietly but frequently gotten it right – Best Music Film.
A Rare Grammy Winning Streak
This year’s nominees in the Best Music Film category look to continue this rare winning streak. The category was introduced in 1984 as Best Longform Video and was renamed Best Music Film in 2014. Over the past twenty years, this Grammy has gone to films by major directors like Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, and Ron Howard.
The Upcoming Nominees
But what do these Best Music Film contenders have to teach us? Do they really work as filmmaking, or simply as promotion? Or as both, since every single one features a production credit for its artist(s) and/or their families?
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American Symphony: This documentary follows jazz keyboardist Jon Batiste as he assembles a symphony while also helping his longtime partner through intense chemotherapy sessions. The film is photographed up close with a seemingly floating camera, but some scenes feel indulgent.
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The Greatest Night in Pop: This documentary chronicles the making of USA for Africa‘s “We Are the World,” which won Record of the Year in 1986. The film features stories from Lionel Richie and presiding eminence Michael Jackson.
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June: The June Carter Cash Story: This loving history follows June Carter Cash, a child star who put her solo career on hold to marry Johnny Cash. The film has plenty of eye candy but may not convince newcomers that she belongs in the pantheon on her own terms.
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Kings from Queens: The RUN DMC Story: This documentary tells the story of hip-hop’s first superstars, following their rise to fame and notoriety. The film features personal camcorder footage and fills in their context within the big dogs of a scene that coalesced around Def Jam Records.
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Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple: This documentary follows the life of Steven Van Zandt, man of many nicknames. The film is a straightforward retelling of his rich, well-lived life and features testimonials from Keith Richards, Paul McCartney, Bono, and Eddie Vedder.
The 67th Annual Grammy Awards will air on CBS this Sunday, February 2. A complete list of nominations is available here.
- observer.com | One Thing The Grammys Get Right: Music Docs
