Baz Luhrmann's Elvis, which premiered last week at the Cannes Film Festival, adds a new musician to the long list of musical biopics that have garnered awards buzz. Starring Austin Butler as Presley and two-time Oscar winner Tom Hanks as his morally questionable manager Col. Tom Parker, Elvis marks Baz Luhrmann's first major motion picture since 2013's The Great Gatsby.
As with all of the Australian filmmaker's projects, audiences can expect Elvis to be an epic spectacle with lavish production design and Luhrmann's signature bizarre contemporary touch. Although it may not be the traditional biopic, Elvis has a shot at joining the following list of films about real-life musicians to have achieved recognition from the Academy Awards.
Bird (1988)
Clint Eastwood's biographical account of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker, starring Forest Whitaker as the title character, uses a non-chronological structure to recount Parker's musical influences, his relationships, and his drug addiction. The film was a departure for Clint Eastwood, who had become known for his more commercial films in the western and action genres.
Forest Whitaker's portrayal of Parker became a breakthrough performance, earning him the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival, along with a Golden Globe nomination. Although the film was ultimately snubbed by the Academy in the major categories, Bird did achieve a surprise win for Best Sound, beating out more commercial films like Die Hard and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Amy (2015)
Asif Kapadia's documentary film Amy reframed the tumultuous rise and downfall of Jazz singer/songwriter, Amy Winehouse. Musical documentaries have since become far more common, but this film was a surprisingly unflinching look at the deceased singer's drug and alcohol addiction as well as her relationships with her family and with fame.
Amy was first screened at Cannes and won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature the following year. The empathetic portrait of Winehouse was widely acclaimed and provided a corrective look at society's depiction of the singer. Although Amy is a documentary, it achieves what a strong biopic should, pulling back the curtain on the central figure and giving more insight into her psychology.
Rocketman (2019)
Dexter Fletcher's Rocketman chronicled Elton John's journey to sobriety along with his longtime collaboration with songwriter Bernie Taupin. Rocketman was released not long after the wildly popular Bohemian Rhapsody and although the two films are similar in structure and storyline, Rocketman is very much its own achievement, with its musical numbers performed by its actors without the use of Elton John's singing voice.
Rocketman won Taron Egerton his first Golden Globe Award for his portrayal, and he also received a SAG nomination for his performance. Although he was snubbed at the Academy Awards, the film won Best Original Song for Elton John and Bernie Taupin's "I'm Gonna Love Me Again," which marked John's second Academy Award win following "Can You Feel The Love Tonight" from Disney's The Lion King.
Judy (2019)
Theatre director Rupert Goold's second major motion picture was an adaptation of the play End of the Rainbow, which followed singer Judy Garland's last string of concerts in London before her death. Judy starred Oscar winner Renée Zellweger in one of her first major roles after a nearly 10-year career hiatus.
Judy was nominated for its makeup and hairstyling, while Zellweger picked up her second Academy Award win. She swept the entire awards season, with a strong comeback narrative and widespread critical acclaim that included intriguing parallels between the actress and Garland's relationships with fame. Although Judy Garland herself never won a competitive Oscar, the film's win serves as an acknowledgment of her legacy.
La Vie En Rose (2007)
French actress Marion Cotillard achieved international recognition for her transformative performance as singer Édith Piaf in Oliver Dahan's La Vie En Rose. In the film, Cotillard portrays Piaf from her teenage years up until her death. During that time, Piaf endured poverty, addiction, and tragedy. Cotillard's performance speaks powerfully to Piaf's resilience.
With La Vie En Rose, Marion Cotillard became the first actress to win an Academy Award for a role in the French language. The film also won the Oscar for Best Makeup and received a nomination for its costume design. La Vie En Rose launched Cotillard's subsequent career in English-language films as well, as she would soon follow up this performance with roles in Rob Marshall's Nine and Christopher Nolan's critically acclaimed Inception.
Shine (1996)
Australian pianist David Helfgott received the biopic treatment in Scott Hicks's 1996 film, which garnered international acclaim, particularly for Geoffrey Rush's leading performance. The film focuses on how Helfgott's early years as a child prodigy and the tense relationship with his father (played by Armin Mueller-Stahl) led to a mental breakdown and, ultimately, a career revival.
For his performance, Rush won the Academy Award for Best Actor, beating out Tom Cruise in Jerry Maguire and Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient. Shine received a total of seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director (Hicks), and Best Supporting Actor (Mueller-Stahl). The intimate and psychological approach to the storytelling resonated with critics, audiences, and awards bodies.
Coal Miner's Daughter (1980)
Michael Apted's 1980 biopic of Loretta Lynn, based on her own memoir, chronicles the early years of the famed country music singer, who was born into poverty and was married as a teenager. The film starred Sissy Spacek, who contributed her own vocals to the movie's soundtrack, along with supporting performances from Tommy Lee Jones as Doolittle Lynn and Beverly D'Angelo as Patsy Cline.
Coal Miner's Daughter was one of the highest-grossing films of 1980, according to Box Office Mojo. The film's critical acclaim ultimately resulted in seven Oscar nominations including Best Picture. Spacek herself won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe Award among other prizes. The film serves as one of the early examples of the musical biopic's recurring theme of exposing the adversity behind a singer's success.
Walk The Line (2005)
Walk the Line follows the true romance between Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash, featuring surprising turns from its leading actors Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. The story about the touring country music legends details the intersections of difficult family upbringings, drug and alcohol addiction, and the effects of those experiences on romantic relationships.
Although the film was left out of the Best Picture list at the Academy Awards, Walk the Line still managed to earn five Oscar nominations, including nods for its lead actors. Phoenix faced stiff competition and would ultimately lose to Phillip Seymour Hoffman in Capote, but Witherspoon won her award for a career-defining performance. The film's popularity even sparked the commercially successful parody, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Ray (2004)
Taylor Hackford's biographical film about Ray Charles created a resurgence in the musical biopic and, like many of these films, it highlighted another star-making performance. This time, it was Jamie Foxx's turn as the rhythm and blues pianist/singer. Along with co-stars Kerry Washington and future Oscar winner Regina King, Foxx created an engaging and comprehensive portrait of thirty years in the life of the renowned musician.
Ray won two Academy Awards: Best Actor for Foxx and Best Sound, which incorporated real recordings of Ray Charles's vocals into the film. Ray also received nominations for Best Picture and Best Director for Hackford. The film remains to be one of Jamie Foxx's best movies and would inform the actor's ability to move from comedy to action to drama throughout his career. The real Ray Charles died only months prior to the film's release.
Bohemian Rhapsody (2018)
One of the most surprising hits of 2018 in cinema was the long-awaited film version of Freddie Mercury and Queen's story. Bohemian Rhapsody starred Rami Malek in his first major lead film role following the success of his Emmy-award-winning television performance in Sam Esmail's Mr. Robot. According to Box Office Mojo, Bohemian Rhapsody was the sixth highest-grossing film worldwide in 2018.
Although the film had a divisive critical response and a tumultuous filmmaking process following the firing of director Bryan Singer, Bohemian Rhapsody had a massive audience response, which translated to several wins at the Academy Awards. In addition to Malek's Best Actor win, Bohemian Rhapsody won prizes for its editing, sound mixing, and sound editing. The film is the most successful recent example of what Elvis could achieve at next year's Academy Awards, though awards season is almost a whole year away.