From “Bohemian Rhapsody” to “Rocketman” to cinema’s most recent “A Complete Unknown,” musician biopics have been on the rise in the film world. Yet, this genre of films goes back further than our recent portrayals by Timothée Chalamet or Austin Butler, including “Selena” from 1997 and “Amadeus” from 1984.
Biopics centered around musicians are no stranger to the screen, but seem to be making a more steady appearance each year. In 2024 alone, “Back to Black,” “One Love” and “A Complete Unknown” screened the modernly-told stories of Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley and Bob Dylan.
Junior Lucy Schene said she saw Bohemian Rhapsody, which dives into the story of British rock band Queen’s lead singer, Freddie Mercury. Schene described the film as a perfect balance.
“I thought that it was the perfect amount of emotional, yet funny, yet informative, and definitely walked that line between the Freddie Mercury we know and love and also understanding a deeper side to him that wasn’t just performative,” Schene said.
Echoing Schene’s sentiments, junior Isabelle Titzer said “Bohemian Rhapsody” is one of her favorite movies centered around music. Titzer said she thought Rami Malek‘s portrayal of Freddie Mercury perfectly captured the essence of the music sensation.
As for the artists themselves at the center of these films, Titzer said films allow audiences to look into the story behind the glitz and glamour that is being a music star, while still keeping audiences engaged.
“These types of films offer a great way to give insight to a lot of the hard work that goes into creating music,” Titzer said. “It also gives insight to some of the most influential figures in music and parts of the industry that I think are really intriguing to peer into.”
As a student studying both screen arts and theater, Titzer said she has a special place in her heart for both movies and music. With films that focus on influential artists and bands, she can find her two passions combined into one.
“I think it’s just a powerful combination of two art forms that tell stories that should be told and people are really interested in them,” Titzer said. “I am happy that their presence is becoming stronger.”
Senior Lorenzo Mars is a Screen Arts major and the director of events for KWVS — two of his biggest passions are film and music.
Yet, despite this deep love for film and music, Mars said he doesn’t usually watch music biopics.
“I think that music is one of the most important parts of a film, just because of how much it will influence the emotion of your audience — it really sticks with people,” Mars said. “The thing with music biopics is that I think it changes some of that feeling, just because you’re only getting like the greatest hits from one artist.”
Mars said he would love to see a biopic made about Prince or David Bowie, as he believes the films could be done in a dynamic and unique manner.
“I think the music of David Bowie or Prince would lend itself well to something more experimental,” Mars said. “But it has to be interesting, because I don’t think that David Bowie or Prince would want their music to be anything like any of the others.”
Despite his unfavorable attitude toward music biopics, Mars recognizes them as a growing genre. He said that if directors approach with a more creative take on the films, there is still the possibility for unique qualities within the genre.
Based on the continued emergence of more musician biopics, Schene said she expects to see more in the future. She hopes to see ones made for Radiohead, Pink Floyd, Joni Mitchell and Billy Joel.
Though Mars hopes to see the stories of stars like Bowie and Prince hit the screens, he said he believes pop queens Taylor Swift and Beyoncé will inevitably someday have films centered around them.
“I think those are just kind of inevitable from the level of stardom that those people are at,” Mars said. “I think movie studios would sign off on those because they know that they’re going to have a huge guaranteed audience.”
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Contact Amanda Monahan via email: amanda.monahan@pepperdine.edu
