Film & Media: Shooting Stars 5 Great Artist Biopics

Just as expectation for the big screen re-telling of a well known artist or star’s life is often high, so are the stakes, with expectant audiences ready to fill seats, but this can often go wrong with negative reviews and disappointment at the box office. We examine a selection of cinematic biographical dramas considering running themes and approaches which may or may not lead to success. Whilst lead performers often receive praise when a film is successful, just how much like the artist or performer do they need to be? When a biopic goes wrong the writer and director often receive the blame – just how much artistic licence is too much? From lesser seen yet highly commendable examples such a Charles Laughton’s performance in Alexander Korda’s Rembrandt to more recent examples such as Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, which divided audiences and critics whilst also upsetting those depicted within the film. Do we regard 2017 animation Loving Vincent as ‘a cheat’ in being more a mystery than a biopic? Mr Turner divided audiences yet does it genuinely use the screen to examine and aid understanding of the artist themselves – should good a biopic be equally informative and entertaining? Rembrandt (1936), Loving Vincent (2017), Mr Turner (2014), Bohemian Rhapsody (2018), Judy (2021).