The Sound of Cinema (Part II): Sirens of the Silver Screen

In an earlier post I introduced a series based on exposing and exploring the incestuous relationships between movies and music. As noted, musicians have often made cameo appearances in movies, musical or otherwise. One of my personal favorites is (of course) Jack White's rendition of a kung-fu savvy "King of Rock 'n' Roll" in the 2007 comedy, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story. A relentlessly hysterical spoof of pretty much any music bio-pic one could think of.

Watch WALK HARD clip “The King” en Yahoo! Video

But I digress...

The topic at hand speaks to the musician whose presence on the silver screen rivals that of their presence on the concert stage. There are few musicians who have claimed, or at the very least shared the lead role in a film. For this discussion, I am requiring that the acting be on par or better than, said performers musical ability, and that the film be worth the view altogether. Although I would also like to categorize these persons as musicians who later turned to acting, the most obvious and accessible blurs this distinction. Cher is a consummate performer and can't be denied success in either medium. For an homage, here is a montage of her Oscar winning role as Loretta Castorini, in the 1987 film Moonstruck:



The musical beginnings of Cher's career included, providing back-up vocals for The Righteous Brother's "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" and several chart topping hits as one half of the "Sonny and Cher" duo. It was however, the coupling of her distinctive voice, provocative stage presence with a few acting lessons that earned her a Golden Globe for her shenanigans on The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, in 1971. Along with two other Golden Globes later in her career, Cher's list of awards and nominations for her acting is as spectacular as the outfits she wears to receive them. It was no surprise to see Cher presenting at this years Golden Globes "shamelessly promoting" yet another movie role in the upcoming film Burlesque.

Although the acting career of Norah Jones is not quite as epic as the fore mentioned single syllabled diva, she's got time and talent tantamount to other rookies in the film industry. As the daughter of legendary sitar player Ravi Shankar and concert producer Sue Jones, and one who received training as a jazz vocalist and pianist, Jones' musical career was obviously first to take flight. Her first album Come Away With Me, earned her a Grammy for album of the year in 2003. Jones' acting debut in My Blueberry Nights may not have been award worthy, but performing alongside movie mainstays Jude Law, David Strathairn, Rachel Weisz and Natalie Portman, not to mention the savory cinematography, Jones is not entirely overwhelmed. As the movie progresses, so does her comfort level as an actress.



A woman with a radiant presence, Norah Jones leaves me hungry for an acting performance that does more than just wet my appetite. Given time and opportunity, however, her film career may be able to compliment her musical main course.

After exploring how a few female musicians have been able to modify their craft to reveal cinematic charm, it is time to acknowledge the male musicians who have also produced profound performances in film. Stay tuned for, "The Sound of Cinema (Part III): Crooners With More Than Just a Cameo..."




-Emma Jeanmarie

The Sound of Cinema (Part II): Sirens of the Silver Screen

The Sound Of Cinema (Part I): Beyond the Bard

I was recently introduced to an epic film that not only rose to #2 on my list of movies most admired, but gave rise to an idea for a series of posts that will be collectively called "The Sound of Cinema". Music and movies have a grand history together so, because of the scope of the subject each post will have a set of parameters to which it must adhere. Realizing that several artists/films may have overlap in each category, I will try not to make mention of them in more that one post. Nor will I attempt to delve into all of the examples that may fit into the space of the designated parameters, but instead provide a sampling of inspired insight and musical memories from my some of my favorite flicks.

The film that triggered my ambitious musings about music and movies was Andrew Dominik's The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. The film is a gorgeous portrayal of the last few months of the life of Jesse James (played by Brit Pitt in one if the most sublime roles of his career) before he is shot and killed by Robert Ford whose fanatical, yet curiously narcissistic demeanor is defined in an extraordinary performance by Casey Affleck. The beauty of the dialog and character portrayal is rivaled only by the stunning cinematography juxtaposed by a haunting soundtrack complements of Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.



It was however Nick Cave's bit role of saloon singer mocking the follies of Robert Ford,



that gave me the idea to note some of the great cinematic performances
given to us by musicians. A few that come to mind immediately include: Tom Waits in The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Norah Jones in My Blueberry Nights, David Bowie in The Prestige and The Labyrinth, and of course Cher in Mermaids, Moonstruck, The Witches of Eastwick and Mask, just to name a few. In the next post of this series I will lay out the parameters and delve into the details of the where some of our most beloved crooners and sirens make a scene on the silver screen, with more than just a cameo.

-Emma Jeanmarie

The Sound Of Cinema (Part I): Beyond the Bard