The Magic of Music in The Ballad of Wallis Island—Plus Five Other Song-Filled Movies
Movies whose music hits a high and sustaining note
In The Ballad of Wallis Island—directed by James Griffiths and co-written by Tom Basden and Tim Key—an eccentric lottery winner, Charles (Key), invites his musical idol, Herb McGwyer (Basden), to the remote island on which he lives to perform for a hefty sum of money. Unfortunately, McGwyer knows neither that he’ll be performing the concert for an audience of one, nor that he’ll be reuniting with his old musical partner and ex-flame, Nell Mortimer (Carey Mulligan). As the awkward scenario works itself out, Herb discovers how this strange situation has allowed him to accept the past and look toward the future in equal measure. It’s also allowed him to reconnect with the beauty of making music. The songs, all written by Basden, become more than just a score. “Much of the story rests on the framework that the music builds—the songs float in and out of the film,” Key explains in the production notes. Indeed, Slant writes, the movie provides “a moving tale about the power of music to heal.”
To celebrate the magic of music, we’re highlighting five other films whose musical content provides both their soundtrack and storyline.
The Ballad of Wallis Island is in theaters on March 28 — so get your tickets now!
The official trailer for The Ballad of Wallis Island
Cate Blanchett in TÁR
TÁR
Nominated for seven Academy Awards®—including Best Picture and Best Actress—Todd Field’s TÁR is a riveting look at the life of a top-notch musical artist. A luminary in classical music, Lydia Tár (Cate Blanchett) is at the top of her game—conducting a Berlin orchestra, lecturing at Julliard, and making a definitive recording of Mahler’s Fifth Symphony. But when rumors of improper behavior start to bubble up, Tár’s perfectly orchestrated world, including her marriage to the symphony concertmaster (Nina Hoss), begins to unravel. “The movie is breathtaking—in its drama, its high-crafted innovation, its vision,” Variety writes.
The official trailer for TÁR
Tracee Ellis Ross in The High Note
The High Note
Two women find a connection through their love of music in Nisha Ganatra’s The High Note. Tracee Ellis Ross plays Grace Davis, a musical superstar who feels she’s lost touch with her original passion. Maggie (Dakota Johnson) is her personal assistant who dreams of creating her own legacy as a music producer. As their lives connect, the two discover just how much they need each other to realize their dreams. With original compositions written by Sarah Aarons and Grammy-winner Corinne Bailey Rae, The Washington Post writes, “Ross takes center stage…and deserves every moment in the spotlight.”
The official trailer for The High Note
Marisa Abela in Back to Black
Back to Black
Sam Taylor-Johnson's Back to Black goes behind the headlines to find the woman who was Amy Winehouse. From her early days singing to her family to her later sold-out concert appearances, Winehouse (Marisa Abela) made every song personal. Using music from the Winehouse’s iconic Back to Black album, as well as from artists who influenced the singer-songwriter—like The Shangri-Las, Billie Holiday, Minnie Riperton, Dinah Washington, and Sarah Vaughan—the film chronicles the making of the titular album. Variety writes, “Abela nails Amy Winehouse in every look, mood and note in a biopic at once forthright and forbidding.”
The official trailer for Back to Black
Demetri Martin in Taking Woodstock
Taking Woodstock
Ang Lee’s Taking Woodstock remembers the generation-defining concert in a totally unexpected way. Based on the memoir of the same name, the film recounts the quirky story of Elliot (Demetri Martin), a closeted NYC designer whose wacky parents (Imelda Staunton and Henry Goodman) owned a broken-down motel that would prove indispensable to launching the famous rock festival. Costarring Jonathan Groff, Eugene Levy, and Liev Schreiber, the film reflects the spirit and significance of the event happening just over the hill through the madcap experiences of the characters at the motel. Trusting the audience’s memory of the music, the film becomes, writes Newsweek, “A sweet, anecdotal, comic embrace, a gentle reminder that it was once possible to overcome the cynicism of the times.”
The official trailer for Taking Woodstock
Bill Nighy and others in Pirate Radio
Pirate Radio
Set in 1966, Richard Curtis' comedy Pirate Radio remembers a period when maverick DJs got around the UK’s strict broadcasting rules for rock music by running pirate stations on boats anchored in the international waters of the North Sea. With an all-star of Philip Seymour Hoffman, Bill Nighy, Rhys Ifans, Nick Frost, and Kenneth Branagh, the film focuses on the experience of a young recruit (Tom Sturridge) who is quickly swept up in the rock-and-roll lunacy on the boat. The New York Times writes, “Stuffed with playful character actors and carpeted with wall-to-wall tunes, the film makes for easy viewing and easier listening.”
The official trailer for Pirate Radio