20. “George Harrison: Living in the Material World” (2011)
As befits a titan of cinema, Scorsese has made several music documentaries regarding The Rolling Stones, The Band, Bob Dylan, but perhaps nowhere do his own preoccupations with faith and spirituality mesh so well with his subject’s as with his sprawling documentary on George Harrison. Split into two parts and running at a total of 3 1/2 hours, ‘Material World’ is almost two films, dealing with the pre- and during-Beatles and post-Beatles phases of Harrison’s life. But the second half relies on the context set up in the first, and the manner in which Scorsese creates a fully rounded portrait of Harrison (using clever non-linear storytelling), that somewhat belies the facile “quiet Beatle” tag, and then prises open the role of faith in art, makes this not just a fitting tribute to an overshadowed talent but a surprisingly personal document.
19. “Searching for Sugar Man” (2012)
The aim of bringing attention to neglected artists has birthed several great films, including “The Devil and Daniel Johnston” and “Be Here to Love Me” from this list alone. “Searching for Sugar Man” initially comes across in a similar vein, as a pair of South African fans decide to find out what really happened to ’70s folk/pop singer Rodriguez, who while hugely popular in South Africa had never broken through in his native Detroit and was rumored to have killed himself on stage. But following this quixotic quest, the film takes a surprising turn and becomes much more than just an excuse to discover an overlooked musical legacy. In a desperately sad postscript, the film’s Swedish writer/director, Malik Benjelloul would himself commit suicide in 2014 at just 36, marking the bittersweet uplift of this Oscar-winning film as his swansong.
18. “The Filth & The Fury” (2000)
Having been an acquaintance of many of its figures back in the day, filmmaker Julien Temple (father of Juno) has come to be seen as one of the major chroniclers of punk, via “The Future Is Unwritten” and “Oil City Confidential” which are concerned with Joe Strummer and Dr. Feelgood. But he’s best associated with The Sex Pistols, and with a couple of decades distance and without Malcolm McLaren exerting a perhaps undue influence on his earlier “The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle,” “The Filth & The Fury” became Temple’s defining statement on the scene and band. Pulling from an inspired assembly of archive footage (even keeping present-day interviews with surviving band members in shadow to keep their ’70s-era images first and foremost), this doc contextualises and celebrates the Pistols in a thrilling, funny, immediate and surprising way, finding a new way to tell a now-familiar story. It’s as definitive a film about the band or punk in general as you could ask for.
17. “Scratch” (2001)
Focusing not so much on a particular artists as on newly recognized musical instrument and an aborning artform, “Scratch,” directed by Doug Pray and produced by the Hughes Brothers, is one of the defining hip-hop documentaries, focusing on the humble turntable and which shone the spotlight on DJs. Featuring turntablist luminaries like Afrika Bambaataa, Mix Master Mike, Cut Chemist and DJ Shadow, the film might not be hugely revelatory to those who grew up on hip-hop but it’s essential to newcomers who are skeptical that DJs are doing more than putting on a record (admittedly, there were probably more of those fourteen years ago), and delves with breath and depth into not just DJ subculture but into the origins and impact of hip-hop as a whole. It’s warm, smart, formally inventive, looks gorgeous (it’s shot on film, remarkably) and is full to the brim with great music.
16. “Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten” (2007)
The answer to every “who’s the greatest?” question in music history is quite simple. Who’s better, The Beatles or the Rolling Stones? The Clash. Tupac or Biggie? The Clash. Mozart or Salieri? The Clash. Sadly, the band’s frontman Joe Strummer passed in 2002, but documentarian Julien Temple paid tribute to his old friend with his 2007 film “The Future is Unwritten.” Mixing talking heads like Bono and Johnny Depp with an extraordinary collection of archive footage featuring early performances from the musician at London squat parties, the project was mostly filmed at campfire parties thrown to honor Strummer, made up of friends, bandmates and ex-lovers. You come away with an even greater appreciation of Strummer and his work, but the film is never a hagiography; Temple doesn’t shy away from Strummer’s darker side.
