BBC4’s Sound of Cinema: The Music That Made The Movies is proving to be a fascinating and hugely enjoyable series, reminding us of a wealth of musical moments that have defined the films they’ve featured in and thereby the history of film itself. It is a series that is focussed on soundtracks and musical cues, rather than musical films themselves, but it has gotten me thinking about musicals and their seemingly unparalleled ability to move and enthrall.
The history of musicals is so rich and varied that any list shy of 100 is going to miss something important and so this very brief top ten is bound to be reductive, but hopefully everyone can find something resonant here.
10. 8 Mile – The Finale
Rap music is not to everyone’s taste, but having navigated my teens to the assorted sounds of Ice T, Public Enemy, Naughty By Nature et al, the energy and eloquence of the rap battles in 8 Mile carried me on a wave of nostalgia.
Despite Eminem being a huge figure in the world of hip hop, 8 Mile dials things back, giving us a really low-key but still charismatic and engaging performance from Marshall Mathers, as a guy from the wrong side of the tracks trying to get a break-through. As impressive as his skills are and as invigorating as it is to see him triumph in the finale against Clarence (whose parents have, oh the shame! a real good marriage), in the end he knows he must go back to work to earn the money to pay for the studio time that will give him a chance to break out. The kudos from winning the rap battle gives him currency on the streets, but not where it really counts.
At first, the stripped-back approach to the rap battles (a simply break beat is provided by a DJ while the contestants rap over the top) feels alien compared to the now-commonplace through the roof production values of modern hip hop, but it is an approach that grows on us and wholly suits the overall aesthetic of the film. As Eminem’s Jimmy finally sticks it to the Free World crew in the progressing rounds of the final bout, it’s hard not to want to punch the air, Rocky-style. Exhilarating stuff.
