The Encyclopedia of Musicians and Bands on Film

This work by musicologist Goldsmith, costume designer Wilson, and librarian Fonseca is the first to focus on bands and musicians in more than 100 international feature films; it is not a guide to film musicals per se, and that distinction must be underscored. Readers discover films based on performers' lives (Shine, 1966) or backstage dealings (Roadie, 1980)…. The authors select full-length feature films that make bands or musicians the primary focus and are available to English-speaking audiences. Entries discuss at plots at length; list casts, crews, and performers; and detail the works performed, soundtracks, and albums…. [T]he work's ten appendixes list many additional films that fit the criteria or offer other access points to the entries. Although useful for its inclusion of lesser-known or forgotten films and thus recommended for comprehensive film and music collections, other resources must supplement this compilation to complete the picture. Summing Up: Recommended. Undergraduates through professionals; general readers. * CHOICE *
Compiled by authors specializing in musicology, film studies, literature, and dance, this impressive volume explores full-length films (not videos or documentaries) that have musicians and bands as narrative subjects. The richly detailed entries seamlessly merge scholarly insight and cultural perceptiveness, honoring both the academic and pop appeal of the films highlighted. . . .What makes this resource so strikingly useful and unique is the interweaving of music and the cinematic narrative arc for each entry. Not a simple listing of songs or artists, this is a comprehensive look at films whose storytelling is of and through music. . . .The appendixes, making up one-fifth of the book, are extensive and invaluable. Films by country, director’s who’s-who, genre, and made-for-television films are just a few. Essential for both specialized and general library reference collections. * American Reference Books Annual *
Interest in film music, and music in films (autodiegetic and otherwise), has greatly increased in recent years with advances in film and cultural studies in the academy. Cross-disciplinary works such as this encyclopedia are particularly useful bridging points for students, scholars and professionals who want and need a quick and easy way to bring together several associated artistic elements of a work or in a genre. Googling is all very well but is very hit-and-miss, often with commercial gain taking over from critical objectivity. This is available in spades in this reference tool for those researchers and research/academic libraries able and willing to afford the price. Rowman & Littlefield have a well-established pedigree for reference materials, and their ‘cultural studies’ catalogue merits further examination, above all for readers and buyers in the USA. Of interest, too, is the way in which individual tracks – from and/or used in films like The Five Pennies with Danny Kaye or The Rose with Bette Midler – were famous beforehand or had an independent life of their own in the charts. For any general reader really keen on popular musicology and its historiography, this reference work is of particular interest. * s *
Cinephiles, filmmakers, film curators, scholars, and students, musicologists, music lovers, historians, and history enthusiasts will all benefit from this thorough examination and analysis of films featuring musicians and bands. From Mozart to Pink Floyd and all points in-between with details about story lines, casts, and creative teams, the authors have provided a resource that will be invaluable as a reference guide as well as an enjoyable read. -- Trish Rigdon, The Arts Institute for Houston, Austin, and San Antonio