list http://www.spout.com/ Recent community activity around Coal Miner's Daughter on Spout Copyright 2005-9 Spout, LLC Spout RSS http://www.spout.com/images/SpoutLogoRSS.jpg http://www.spout.com/ 136 30 http://www.spout.com/films/Coal_Miner_s_Daughter/6507/default.aspx Title: Coal Miner's Daughter
Year: 1980
Director: Michael Apted
Plot: Loretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed around, Lynn introduced a feminist mindset to Nashville years before the phrase "women's liberation" became common currency. Coal Miner's Daughter is a screen adaptation of Lynn's autobiography, starring Sissy Spacek as Loretta Lynn. One of eight children born to Ted Webb (Levon Helm), a coal miner raising a family despite grinding poverty in Butcher's Holler, KY, Loretta married Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones) when she was only 13 years old. A mother of four by the time she was 20, Lynn began singing the occasional song at local honky-tonks on weekends, and at 25, she cut (at Mooney's suggestion) a demo tape that earned her a deal with an independent record label. Loretta and Mooney's tireless promotion of the record (including a long road trip through the south in which they stopped at every country radio station they could find) paid off -- Loretta's first single, "Honky Tonk Girl," hit the charts and earned her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Stardom called and Loretta never looked back, but success brought with it both joy (a long string of hit records and sold-out concerts and a close friendship with Patsy Cline) and sorrow (a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork and a great deal of stress to a marriage that endured -- but just barely). Sissy Spacek won an Academy award for her vivid, thoroughly natural performance as Loretta (she also did her own singing), and Levon Helm (drummer for the legendary rock group the Band) made an impressive screen debut as her father. Ernest Tubb makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
Times Tagged: 2
Number of Lists: 10
Number of blog posts: 1
SpoutRating: 3
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:01:09 GMTCoal Miner's Daughter1980Michael AptedLoretta Lynn was one of the first female superstars in country music and remains a defining presence within the genre; with her strong, clear, hard-country voice and tough, no-nonsense songs about husbands who cheat and wives who weren't about to be pushed around, Lynn introduced a feminist mindset to Nashville years before the phrase "women's liberation" became common currency. Coal Miner's Daughter is a screen adaptation of Lynn's autobiography, starring <a href="/players/P____67043/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sissy Spacek</a> as Loretta Lynn. One of eight children born to Ted Webb (<a href="/players/P____31631/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Levon Helm</a>), a coal miner raising a family despite grinding poverty in Butcher's Holler, KY, Loretta married Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (<a href="/players/P____36238/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Tommy Lee Jones</a>) when she was only 13 years old. A mother of four by the time she was 20, Lynn began singing the occasional song at local honky-tonks on weekends, and at 25, she cut (at Mooney's suggestion) a demo tape that earned her a deal with an independent record label. Loretta and Mooney's tireless promotion of the record (including a long road trip through the south in which they stopped at every country radio station they could find) paid off -- Loretta's first single, "Honky Tonk Girl," hit the charts and earned her a spot on the Grand Ole Opry. Stardom called and Loretta never looked back, but success brought with it both joy (a long string of hit records and sold-out concerts and a close friendship with Patsy Cline) and sorrow (a nervous breakdown brought on by overwork and a great deal of stress to a marriage that endured -- but just barely). <a href="/players/P____67043/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Sissy Spacek</a> won an Academy award for her vivid, thoroughly natural performance as Loretta (she also did her own singing), and <a href="/players/P____31631/default.aspx" style='text-decoration:underline'>Levon Helm</a> (drummer for the legendary rock group the Band) made an impressive screen debut as her father. Ernest Tubb makes a cameo appearance as himself. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide2Slightly Tagged (1-5)1013http://www.spout.com/ProductImages/t64161wzpid.jpghttp://www.spout.com/films/Coal_Miner_s_Daughter/6507/default.aspxFilm http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2009/11/24/44424.aspx Post By: pippin06
Post To: Reel Thoughts
Post Date: 11/24/2009 9:27:42 PM
Body: What's the AFI project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here:http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx Coal Miner's Daughter is on the following AFI list: 100 Most Inspiring Movies (#70) This film also represents the sixth of nine Oscar-nominated dramas topping my Netflix queue, just in case you were keeping track. I don't remember why I particularly wanted to see Coal Miner's Daughter, at least aside from its Oscar connections. I am not a huge fan of country music in general, Loretta Lynn in particular, or any actor in this cast. Perhaps, I was fascinated by the notion that someone thought to make a biopic of a living legend, a woman literally still alive and kicking with her country charms, even if the movie was adapted from her autobiography. How strange it must have been for Loretta to watch her life unfold before her, even as she was the one to choose Sissy Spacek to play her (and how many people get the opportunity to choose the actor/actress that will play them in the movie of their life story?). For that reason, I felt compelled to see how close Ms. Spacek came to capturing the essence of her real-life inspiration as well as whether or not she deserved the Academy Award she earned for her performance. Coal Miner's Daughter literally traces Loretta Lynn's (Spacek) life from age 13, when she met her soon-to-be husband, Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones), to the height of her resurgence, prompted by the release of the autobiographical song that also happens to be the movie's title. She begins life as the eldest of eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ted Webb (Levon Helm, who was apparently in The Band), a poor coal miner in Butcher's Hollow, Kentucky, who reluctantly allows young "Loretty" to marry "Doo." Loretta is almost too young to have big dreams and is swept away by the grown-up passions of her paramour turned husband. Times are rocky at first, though, as Doo is several years older than Loretta, but they find their way out of Kentucky, make a home for themselves and their family, and have four children by the time Loretta turns 20. One day, Doo is inspired to give Loretta a guitar for an anniversary gift, which prompts her to learn the instrument as well as to write her own songs, which she sings with her trademark hard and natural country voice. Impressed by that voice, Doo convinces her to sing in a few local honky-tonks and eventually to cut a demo tape, which the pair proceed to schlepp to country radio stations across the South in the hopes of earning Loretta actual fame. This strategy works, as her song soon becomes a hit and earns her a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry show in Nashville. As her fame rises, she meets and strikes up a friendship with her idol, Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo), and tours with her until Cline's tragic death. Loretta's fame continues to rise, as her marriage barely hangs on through the stress of touring, declining privacy, and Doo's cheating until she has a nervous breakdown on stage, and Doo comes to her rescue. Still, Loretta remains true to her roots and loyal to her husband, eventually reinventing herself as all lasting legends do. Coal Miner's Daughter showcased quite a lot of heart and soul and all basically because Spacek is so winning and convincing as Loretta Lynn. I think if her performance fell flat, the entire film would have crumbled right along with it, but Ms. Lynn's instincts were on the money when she chose Spacek to portray her on-screen persona. First, and impressively, Spacek plays a woman who ages from 13 to her 40s in the space of two hours. Second, she is actually doing the singing, and her voice is, needless to say, a dead ringer for Lynn's. Third, the essence of the country singer was captured so much, suspension of disbelief was complete, but for the fact that the two women do not look that much alike (at least until Spacek is wigged for Lynn's later years). Sissy Spacek is the focal point around which the success of this film revolves, and since the film is not only sustained but buoyed by her thorough and amazing portrayal, I would say that Spacek probably deserved her Oscar and then some. Everything else was pretty standard fare for a biopic of this type, which is also the type of film that Oscar adores. Director Michael Apted tended to emphasize some of the social themes, such as the abject poverty into which Loretta Lynn was born, but otherwise, the film depicted a life story for a living woman in the most complete way possible. Jones did a fine job, though I haven't seen any archive footage of Loretta's husband to make an accurate comparison. I was less impressed with D'Angelo, but, to be fair, as Sissy/Loretta exclaimed ever-so-succinctly in the film, "Nobody can sing like Patsy!" Still, she was far less of a dead-ringer than her co-star, both in singing and in spoken inflection, and it was difficult to suspend disbelief for D'Angelo's performance. The film earned six other Oscar nominations in categories such as art direction, cinematography, and sound. While they weren't obviously exceptional to me, the film as a whole was well put-together, and Loretta Lynn's life story was as engrossingly rendered as if she'd read her own book aloud with that same down-to-earth and folksy charm that her fans have come to adore her for in addition to her music, which traditionally depicted strong women of conviction. For that reason, I would be remiss in rating this film anything less than an 8 for minor flaws/very good (largely for the distracting portrayal of Patsy Cline, who does happen to be a personal favorite of mine), though I don't think it passes the test. It was a good movie but not one I'd likely want to watch more than once. Also, it's a definite must-see for all Loretta Lynn fans, and if you watch the collectors' edition DVD, take a few minutes to check out the interview between director Apted and Lynn as they reflect on the making of this film. It's interesting to hear how Loretta received it and found it strange and difficult to watch because it was so piercingly accurate in its portrayal of her life.
]]>Wed, 25 Nov 2009 02:27:42 GMTpippin06Reel Thoughts11/24/2009 9:27:42 PM What's the AFI project, you ask? For more information, or if you just enjoy my bemused ramblings, read here:http://www.spout.com/blogs/pippin06/archive/2008/3/1/25756.aspx Coal Miner's Daughter is on the following AFI list: 100 Most Inspiring Movies (#70) This film also represents the sixth of nine Oscar-nominated dramas topping my Netflix queue, just in case you were keeping track. I don't remember why I particularly wanted to see Coal Miner's Daughter, at least aside from its Oscar connections. I am not a huge fan of country music in general, Loretta Lynn in particular, or any actor in this cast. Perhaps, I was fascinated by the notion that someone thought to make a biopic of a living legend, a woman literally still alive and kicking with her country charms, even if the movie was adapted from her autobiography. How strange it must have been for Loretta to watch her life unfold before her, even as she was the one to choose Sissy Spacek to play her (and how many people get the opportunity to choose the actor/actress that will play them in the movie of their life story?). For that reason, I felt compelled to see how close Ms. Spacek came to capturing the essence of her real-life inspiration as well as whether or not she deserved the Academy Award she earned for her performance. Coal Miner's Daughter literally traces Loretta Lynn's (Spacek) life from age 13, when she met her soon-to-be husband, Dolittle "Mooney" Lynn (Tommy Lee Jones), to the height of her resurgence, prompted by the release of the autobiographical song that also happens to be the movie's title. She begins life as the eldest of eight children born to Mr. and Mrs. Ted Webb (Levon Helm, who was apparently in The Band), a poor coal miner in Butcher's Hollow, Kentucky, who reluctantly allows young "Loretty" to marry "Doo." Loretta is almost too young to have big dreams and is swept away by the grown-up passions of her paramour turned husband. Times are rocky at first, though, as Doo is several years older than Loretta, but they find their way out of Kentucky, make a home for themselves and their family, and have four children by the time Loretta turns 20. One day, Doo is inspired to give Loretta a guitar for an anniversary gift, which prompts her to learn the instrument as well as to write her own songs, which she sings with her trademark hard and natural country voice. Impressed by that voice, Doo convinces her to sing in a few local honky-tonks and eventually to cut a demo tape, which the pair proceed to schlepp to country radio stations across the South in the hopes of earning Loretta actual fame. This strategy works, as her song soon becomes a hit and earns her a regular spot on the Grand Ole Opry show in Nashville. As her fame rises, she meets and strikes up a friendship with her idol, Patsy Cline (Beverly D'Angelo), and tours with her until Cline's tragic death. Loretta's fame continues to rise, as her marriage barely hangs on through the stress of touring, declining privacy, and Doo's cheating until she has a nervous breakdown on stage, and Doo comes to her rescue. Still, Loretta remains true to her roots and loyal to her husband, eventually reinventing herself as all lasting legends do. Coal Miner's Daughter showcased quite a lot of heart and soul and all basically because Spacek is so winning and convincing as Loretta Lynn. I think if her performance fell flat, the entire film would have crumbled right along with it, but Ms. Lynn's instincts were on the money when she chose Spacek to portray her on-screen persona. First, and impressively, Spacek plays a woman who ages from 13 to her 40s in the space of two hours. Second, she is actually doing the singing, and her voice is, needless to say, a dead ringer for Lynn's. Third, the essence of the country singer was captured so much, suspension of disbelief was complete, but for the fact that the two women do not look that much alike (at least until Spacek is wigged for Lynn's later years). Sissy Spacek is the focal point around which the success of this film revolves, and since the film is not only sustained but buoyed by her thorough and amazing portrayal, I would say that Spacek probably deserved her Oscar and then some. Everything else was pretty standard fare for a biopic of this type, which is also the type of film that Oscar adores. Director Michael Apted tended to emphasize some of the social themes, such as the abject poverty into which Loretta Lynn was born, but otherwise, the film depicted a life story for a living woman in the most complete way possible. Jones did a fine job, though I haven't seen any archive footage of Loretta's husband to make an accurate comparison. I was less impressed with D'Angelo, but, to be fair, as Sissy/Loretta exclaimed ever-so-succinctly in the film, "Nobody can sing like Patsy!" Still, she was far less of a dead-ringer than her co-star, both in singing and in spoken inflection, and it was difficult to suspend disbelief for D'Angelo's performance. The film earned six other Oscar nominations in categories such as art direction, cinematography, and sound. While they weren't obviously exceptional to me, the film as a whole was well put-together, and Loretta Lynn's life story was as engrossingly rendered as if she'd read her own book aloud with that same down-to-earth and folksy charm that her fans have come to adore her for in addition to her music, which traditionally depicted strong women of conviction. For that reason, I would be remiss in rating this film anything less than an 8 for minor flaws/very good (largely for the distracting portrayal of Patsy Cline, who does happen to be a personal favorite of mine), though I don't think it passes the test. It was a good movie but not one I'd likely want to watch more than once. Also, it's a definite must-see for all Loretta Lynn fans, and if you watch the collectors' edition DVD, take a few minutes to check out the interview between director Apted and Lynn as they reflect on the making of this film. It's interesting to hear how Loretta received it and found it strange and difficult to watch because it was so piercingly accurate in its portrayal of her life. http://www.spout.com/blogs/spoutblog/archive/2008/12/4/37942.aspx Post By: SpoutBlog
Post To: SpoutBlog on spout.com
Post Date: 12/4/2008 2:01:09 PM
Body: Who would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog
]]>Thu, 04 Dec 2008 19:01:09 GMTSpoutBlogSpoutBlog on spout.com12/4/2008 2:01:09 PMWho would you rather hear sing Etta James’ signature tunes, the real deal or Beyonce Knowles? If you prefer the latter, then you’ll want to see Cadillac Records and even buy the film’s soundtrack, both of which feature Beyonce performing a few of James’ songs, including a nearly spot-on copy of “At Last” (listen to it here). Other actors in the film (and on the soundtrack) who do their own singing while portraying legendary music artists include Jeffrey Wright (as Muddy Waters), Mos Def (Chuck Berry) and Columbus Short (Little Walter). It’s a strange idea to pay tribute to a singer with a biopic or ensemble music historical and then replace that singer’s voice with another, more amateur vocalist. Yet Hollywood does it all the time and, surprisingly, the new performances usually turn out pretty good. Just listen to the following nine actors and actresses who managed to do justice to the artist they were portraying. Gary Busey as Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story (1978) Busey earned an Oscar nomination for this film, and part of the honor was likely meant for his uncanny ability to ape Holly’s singing style precisely for live sequences like the one above. The real Buddy can be heard all over the soundtrack where appropriate, but it makes sense to have raw, live-sounding numbers in actual live performance scenes, so that’s really Busey, Charles Martin Smith and Don Stroud singing and playing the music on set. It’s unfortunate that in the subsequent thirty years there have been only a few films to follow this one’s lead, but it just proves how amazing Busey’s performance truly is. Beverly D’Angelo as Patsy Cline in Coal Miner’s Daughter (1980) The real star, in terms of both acting and singing, was Sissy Spacek, but D’Angelo does an amazing job, too, as Loretta Lynn’s mentor, Patsy Cline. Compared to Spacek’s nine tracks on the film’s soundtrack, D’Angelo has four, including an excellent duet with Spacek on “Back in Baby’s Arms.” Some of them only appear in the film as playing on the radio and so didn’t even need to be performed by the actress. But they’re so perfect, it’s almost like Michael Apted put them in there just to see if anyone noticed a difference. No wonder that when Jessica Lange starred as Cline in the 1985 bio Sweet Dreams she simply lip-synched to the original tunes. How could she have done any better than this? Laurence Fishburne as Ike Turner in What’s Love Got to Do With It (1993) While Angela Bassett lip-synched to the real Tina Turner’s voice, Fishburne made for an inconsistent soundtrack by supplying his own vocals in the part of Ike. Actually, it was necessary, because nearly all the songs in the film are new recordings, and there’s no way anyone was going to even think of bringing the real Ike in for that. Besides, some might see it as justice that his voice was almost entirely left out of the film. Fishburne received an Oscar nomination for the performance. Val Kilmer as Jim Morrison in The Doors (1991) If John Travolta had gotten his way, he’d have starred as Morrison in the film and even toured with The Doors in a series of promotional concerts. If Oliver Stone had gotten his first choice, the part would be played by The Cult’s Ian Astbury, who actually did end up singing for The Doors (well, really, the “The Doors of the 21st Century”) a decade later. And if Kyle MacLachlan had gotten his way, he’d have played Morrison instead of portraying Ray Manzarek in the film. But none of these people could possibly have done better than Val Kilmer, who completely owned the character (if not the true Jim, as Stone’s critics argue). In addition to bearing a slight resemblance to Morrison, the actor also sang enough like the real deal to have allegedly confused Stone and the surviving members of The Doors. So, the songs in the film are the band’s original recordings with Kilmer’s vocals substituted for Morrison’s, a process that allowed for a more accurate representation of the rock legend’s talky and unpredictable stage act. The soundtrack album claims to feature Morrison’s own voice on the songs, but Kilmer’s performance is so good that the credits could be false and we’d never know. Kevin Kline as Cole Porter in De-Lovely (2004) This is an especially exceptional performance because Kline limits his true singing ability to sound more like Porter, whose voice wasn’t too remarkable (the man was a composer, not a performer). The idea may not have made for Kline’s greatest recordings — though the soundtrack sold relatively well thanks to other talents like Elvis Costello and Sheryl Crow — but the portrayal would not have been true enough had Kline belted out his best. In addition to doing his own handicapped singing, in character and on set, the actor also played the piano live during filming. Ewan McGregor as Curt Wild (aka Iggy Pop) in Velvet Goldmine (1998) Ten years before casting six separate actors as Bob Dylan for I’m Not There, Todd Haynes had a single actor portray an amalgam of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson and Alice Cooper (with a little Kurt Cobain thrown in for name and appearance?). But Curt Wild is primarily Iggy, and his band, The Wylde Ratttz, are obviously modeled mostly on The Stooges, so McGregor’s crude performance counts for this list. After all, it’s basically only Stooges tunes he sings in the film (with a new tune written by ex-Stooge Ron Asheton and Mudhoney’s Mark Arm), whereas Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, who sings only some of his own songs (Radiohead’s Thom Yorke sings some others) in an obvious portrayal of David Bowie, renamed Brian Slade, performs a mix of Roxy Music and other artists’ tunes (though no Bowie, who wouldn’t allow his songs to be licensed for the film). Joaquin Phoenix as Johnny Cash in Walk the Line (2005) Roger Ebert claimed to have closed his eyes during the film and sincerely believed it to be Cash’s own vocals being lip-synched by Phoenix. While the actor does a great job, though, it’s hard to think he’d allow the same kind of confusion Kilmer’s Morrison brought about. Amazing similarity, sure, but listen to Phoenix and Cash side by side and there’s definitely no mistaking them for the same. However, Phoenix does do a grand job of convincing us that he’s completely Cash, in appearance and voice, while the movie is playing. His costar, Reese Witherspoon, may have won the Oscar, but Phoenix definitely gave the better, more accurate singing performance. Sam Riley as Ian Curtis in Control (2007) Like the live performances in The Buddy Holly Story, those in Control were filmed live on set with the actors all playing their own instruments and Sam Riley doing his own singing. And like the earlier film, it was totally appropriate to capture such a raw-sounding band and vocalist. There were original Joy Division tunes used for non-live scenes and most of the soundtrack album features original recordings, with only one track credited to the cast, who were credited as “Joy Moviesion.” Diana Ross as Billie Holiday in Lady Sings the Blues (1972) If you’re a big fan of Holiday’s voice, there’s really no accepting this substitution. Unlike some of the other artists’ voices recreated for the big screen, Holiday’s isn’t backed up by a lot of music. So, hers and Ross’ voices are barer. Yet Ross nevertheless does a worthy effort in the role and her performances of Holiday’s tunes were popular enough to make the film’s soundtrack reach #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Ross was also nominated for an Oscar. Originally posted on:SpoutBlog http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/friendship/MemberTagFilms.aspxfriendship
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]]>Mon, 23 Nov 2009 22:23:31 GMT271741Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/marriageproblems/MemberTagFilms.aspxmarriageproblems
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]]>Mon, 18 May 2009 13:02:09 GMT2501318Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/Best-Actress/MemberTagFilms.aspxBest-Actress
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]]>Fri, 19 Jun 2009 05:09:54 GMT821199Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/countrymusic/MemberTagFilms.aspxcountrymusic
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]]>Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:05:14 GMT7681010Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/songwriter/MemberTagFilms.aspxsongwriter
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]]>Tue, 05 May 2009 13:12:46 GMT1690915Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/engaging/MemberTagFilms.aspxengaging
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]]>Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:10:05 GMT19820Tag http://www.spout.com/members/0/tags/mentalbreakdown/MemberTagFilms.aspxmentalbreakdown
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]]>Thu, 16 Jul 2009 13:02:27 GMT153812Tag