Doc and Roll: Rockstars of the Silver Screen

Programmed by: Stone Garcia

Obsessively, film and media have long followed the public and private lives — the more salacious, the better — of popular music artists. From countless sensationalized biographical accounts to highly stylized or observational concert films, the camera and audiences alike continue to be fascinated by star power.

But throw away your clichéd biopics! This series focuses exclusively on the fictional rock stars — or, playing with the boundaries between documentary and subjectivity, real-life musicians tossed into fictionalized storylines — who treat cinema as their main stage. Geared towards the aesthetic of performance, this series aims to exhibit the media’s captivation with celebrity and to demonstrate cinema’s exemplary ability in captivating an audience through music and image. Whether a film hinges entirely on the inner workings of a band or merely features a music group within an ensemble cast, you’ll be sure to rock out inside of the Max Palevsky Cinema.

Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001)

John Cameron Mitchell · 90m · DCP

Hedwig and the Angry Inch’s eponymous band is led by Hedwig Robinson, a glamorous, genderqueer musician from East Berlin who, after undergoing a botched sex-change operation, immigrated to the United States. Switching between Hedwig’s past and present — tracking the tour of rockstar Tommy Gnosis, who found success by stealing Hedwig’s songs — this film is a brilliant, heartfelt adaptation of John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask’s acclaimed Broadway musical.

Thursday, March 27 9:30pm

Purple Rain (1984)

Albert Magnoli · 111m · DCP

Let’s go crazy! Toeing the line between reality and fiction, Purple Rain stars Prince –– in his acting debut –– as The Kid, the talented frontman of Minneapolis band the Revolution. Sound familiar? A vehicle for presenting both Prince and his eponymous album, this glitzy rock musical tracks The Kid’s romance with aspiring performer Apollonia, his turbulent relationship with his father, and his rivalry with Morris Day and the Time.

Thursday, April 3 9:30pm

Eddie and the Cruisers (1983)

Martin Davidson · 95m · Digital

Eighteen years after frontman Eddie Wilson went missing, the Cruisers achieve unexpected success through a re-release of their debut album. Attempting to capitalize on their popularity, reporter Maggie Foley interviews the band’s still-living members, investigating Eddie and the never-released A Season in Hell, whose tapes vanished alongside Eddie. Soundtracked by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band, this film is one intriguing, catchy ride.

Thursday, April 10 9:30pm

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

Todd Haynes · 118m · 35mm

Inspired by the ‘70s glam-scene and, in particular, David Bowie, Velvet Goldmine follows the disappearance of artist Brian Slade and his relationship with Curt Wild. Additionally, the fictional backing band Venus in Furs contributes to the soundtrack. A proper supergroup, its members include Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood, Roxy Music’s Andy Mackay, and Suede’s original guitarist, Bernard Butler.

Thursday, April 17 9:30pm · Saturday, April 19 9:30pm

Tokyo Pop (1988)

Fran Rubel Kuzui · 99m · 35mm

After receiving a postcard from Japan reading, “Wish you were here,” disillusioned singer Wendy Reed quickly leaves for Tokyo. There, she meets the charming Hiro, played by rockstar Diamond Yukai, and is convinced to join his band. Vibrant and earnest –– with a soundtrack that includes a touching cover of “(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman” –– Fran Rubel Kuzui’s musical comedy Tokyo Pop is criminally underseen and underrated.

35mm print from the Chicago Film Society collection at the University of Chicago Film Studies Center.

Thursday, April 24 9:30pm

Burst City (1982)

Gakuryū Ishii · 115m · DCP

A chaotic, beautifully incomprehensible punk rock musical, Burst City throws real-life Japanese punk bands –– including The Roosters and The Stalins –– into a fast-paced, (somewhat) narrativized take on dystopian Japan. Featuring literal battle of the bands, aggressive pacing, nuclear power plant protests, righteous political anger and mayhem, Burst City is all but guaranteed to be the most explosive screening of the quarter.

Thursday, May 1 9:30pm

Nashville (1975)

Robert Altman · 159m · DCP

Satirical, sweeping, and full of heart, Nashville follows its 24-person ensemble cast up to a presidential candidate’s musical gala. Included in the film’s intersecting storylines is folk-rock trio Bill, Mary, and Tom, whose recent success may prove to be short-lived. While Altman’s work contains forty glorious minutes of cast-written music, the standout is the philandering Tom’s “I’m Easy,” which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Thursday, May 8 9pm

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010)

Edgar Wright · 112m · 35mm

Based on Bryan Lee O’Malley’s graphic novel series, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World is infectiously quirky and visually appealing with bright video game aesthetics. For the purposes of this series, its most important quality is centering a bunch of zany, surprisingly talented bands like Sex Bob-omb, Crash and the Boys, and The Clash at Demonhead. Oh, and it also features Scott Pilgrim fighting against Ramona Flowers’s seven evil exes.