Jazz Movies
by superchoque | created - 11 May 2014 | updated - 10 months ago | PublicJazz films
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1. All Night Long (1962)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Music
This movie, based on William Shakespeare's Othello, is neatly positioned as a vehicle to showcase some of the best jazz musicians of the period, including Dave Brubeck and Charles Mingus.
Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Patrick McGoohan, Keith Michell, Betsy Blair, Paul Harris
Votes: 1,523
2. American Blue Note (1989)
PG-13 | 97 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
Jack, Nat, Jerry, Lee and Tommy play jazz in small clubs, but only one of them will reach success.
Director: Ralph Toporoff | Stars: Peter MacNicol, Carl Capotorto, Tim Guinee, Bill Christopher-Myers
Votes: 97
3. Begone Dull Care (1950)
Not Rated | 8 min | Animation, Short, Music
Abstract images drawn directly onto the film are accompanied by three pieces of jazz performed by the Oscar Peterson trio.
Directors: Evelyn Lambart, Norman McLaren
Votes: 1,732
4. The Benny Goodman Story (1956)
Approved | 116 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The young Benny Goodman is taught clarinet by a Chicago music professor. He is advised by bandleader Kid Ory to play whichever kind of music he likes best, but to make a living, Benny begins by joining the Ben Pollack traveling band.
Director: Valentine Davies | Stars: Steve Allen, Donna Reed, Berta Gersten, Barry Truex
Votes: 1,296
5. Bird (1988)
R | 161 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The troubled life and career of jazz musician Charlie "Bird" Parker.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Forest Whitaker, Diane Venora, Michael Zelniker, Samuel E. Wright
Votes: 13,475 | Gross: $2.18M
6. Black and Tan (1929)
Not Rated | 19 min | Short, Drama, Music
Duke Ellington in a jazz musical short with a tragic plotline.
Director: Dudley Murphy | Stars: Duke Ellington, Duke Ellington Orchestra, Fredi Washington, Hall Johnson Choir
Votes: 594
7. Blinkity Blank (1955)
5 min | Animation, Short
The surreal story of a bird and its cage with both their conflict and union.
Director: Norman McLaren
Votes: 1,103
8. Blue Rhythm (1931)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Mickey plays a bluesy tune on a piano on a stage. Minnie sings. Then an unseen band plays while both sing and dance. Mickey then leads the 9-piece band in an uptempo number, with Pluto on ... See full summary »
Director: Burt Gillett | Stars: Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner
Votes: 421
9. Boogie-Doodle (1941)
4 min | Animation, Short
From the opening credits: "An experimental film (...) made without camera, by drawing directly upon 35 mm film with an ordinary pen and ink." Various abstract shapes interact and transform into one another.
Director: Norman McLaren
Votes: 612
10. Chico & Rita (2010)
Not Rated | 94 min | Animation, Crime, Drama
Chico is a young piano player with big dreams. Rita is a beautiful singer with an extraordinary voice. Music and romantic desire unites them, but their journey - in the tradition of the Latin ballad, the bolero - brings heartache and torment.
Directors: Tono Errando, Javier Mariscal, Fernando Trueba | Stars: Eman Xor Oña, Limara Meneses, Mario Guerra, Jon Adams
Votes: 9,686 | Gross: $0.35M
11. Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs (1943)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Adventure
So White flees from the wicked Queenie, wins over the thugs from Murder Inc. and meets her overrated Prince Chawmin'.
Director: Robert Clampett | Stars: Ivie Anderson, Mel Blanc, Ruby Dandridge, Vivian Dandridge
Votes: 1,562
12. The Connection (1961)
Not Rated | 110 min | Drama
A director tries to film a group of junkies in Leach's room while they are waiting for Cowboy to bring their heroin connection.
Director: Shirley Clarke | Stars: William Redfield, Warren Finnerty, Garry Goodrow, Jerome Raphael
Votes: 1,007
13. The Gene Krupa Story (1959)
101 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biopic of famous jazz drummer, Gene Krupa, who becomes a sensation but cannot handle success and life in the fast lane and ends-up broke, struggling with drugs and alcohol.
Director: Don Weis | Stars: Sal Mineo, Susan Kohner, James Darren, Susan Oliver
Votes: 779
14. The Glenn Miller Story (1954)
Approved | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Music
Biography of bandleader Glenn Miller from his beginnings to his death over the English Channel in December 1944.
Director: Anthony Mann | Stars: James Stewart, June Allyson, Harry Morgan, Charles Drake
Votes: 9,699
15. Jam Session (1942)
3 min | Short, Music
Duke Ellington and Orchestra perform 'C Jam Blues'.
Director: Josef Berne | Stars: Duke Ellington, Ray Nance, Rex Stewart, Ben Webster
Votes: 358
16. Jammin' the Blues (1944)
Approved | 10 min | Documentary, Short, Music
Created under the guidance of jazz impresario and Verve Records founder Norman Granz, this short captures the spontaneity of a jam session and is one of few film records of black jazzers of the day including tenor sax legend Lester Young.
Director: Gjon Mili | Stars: Lester Young, George 'Red' Callender, Harry Edison, Marlowe Morris
Votes: 1,000
17. Jazz (2001)
1,075 min | Documentary, History, Music
A survey of the musical form's history and major talents.
Stars: Keith David, Wynton Marsalis, Gary Giddins, Delroy Lindo
Votes: 2,497
18. Jazz on a Summer's Day (1959)
Not Rated | 88 min | Documentary, Music
The highlights of the 1958 Newport Jazz Festival.
Directors: Bert Stern, Aram Avakian | Stars: Louis Armstrong, Mahalia Jackson, Chuck Berry, Chico Hamilton
Votes: 1,942
19. Jivin' in Be-Bop (1946)
Not Rated | 59 min | Documentary, Music
A musical film in the style of a documentary, featuring 19 musical and dance numbers, by many notable musicians.
Directors: Leonard Anderson, Spencer Williams | Stars: Dizzy Gillespie, Freddie Carter, Sahji, Helen Humes
Votes: 61
20. Just Friends (1993)
95 min | Drama, Music
Jack has a tenor saxophone and he plays jazz. In the 1950s, in the Belgian harbor town Antwerp, there is not a lot off future for a jazz musician. Jack and his band try to earn a living by ... See full summary »
Director: Marc-Henri Wajnberg | Stars: Josse De Pauw, Ann-Gisel Glass, Sylvie Milhaud, Charles Berling
Votes: 78
21. Kansas City (1996)
R | 116 min | Crime, Drama, Music
A pair of kidnappings expose the complex power dynamics within the corrupt and unpredictable workings of 1930s Kansas City.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Jennifer Jason Leigh, Miranda Richardson, Harry Belafonte, Michael Murphy
Votes: 5,414 | Gross: $1.35M
22. A Man Called Adam (1966)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Music
A famous jazz trumpeter finds himself unable to cope with the problems of everyday life.
Director: Leo Penn | Stars: Sammy Davis Jr., Louis Armstrong, Ossie Davis, Cicely Tyson
Votes: 685
23. Mo' Better Blues (1990)
R | 130 min | Drama, Music, Romance
Jazz trumpeter Bleek Gilliam makes questionable decisions in his professional and romantic lives.
Director: Spike Lee | Stars: Denzel Washington, Spike Lee, Wesley Snipes, Giancarlo Esposito
Votes: 13,653 | Gross: $16.15M
24. One Night with Blue Note (1985 Video)
120 min | Music
Considered one of the greatest nights in Jazz history, this film documents the reunion of 30 jazz greats from the Blue Note label filmed at Town Hall in New York City on February 22nd, 1985.
Director: John Jopson | Stars: Art Blakey, Ron Carter, Walter Davis Jr., Jack DeJohnette
Votes: 69
25. Paris Blues (1961)
Approved | 98 min | Drama, Music, Romance
During the 1960s, two American expatriate jazz musicians living in Paris meet and fall in love with two American tourist girls.
Director: Martin Ritt | Stars: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Sidney Poitier, Louis Armstrong
Votes: 3,958 | Gross: $1.30M
26. Pete Kelly's Blues (1955)
Not Rated | 95 min | Crime, Drama, Music
In 1927, a Kansas City, Missouri cornet player and his band perform nightly at a seedy speakeasy until a racketeer tries to extort them in exchange for protection.
Director: Jack Webb | Stars: Jack Webb, Janet Leigh, Edmond O'Brien, Peggy Lee
Votes: 1,502
27. Play Misty for Me (1971)
R | 102 min | Drama, Thriller
The life of a disc jockey is turned upside down after a romantic encounter with an obsessed fan.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Clint Eastwood, Jessica Walter, Donna Mills, John Larch
Votes: 31,872 | Gross: $11.80M
28. Rhythmatics (2010)
16 min | Short, Drama
An extremely particular teacher finds her patience especially tested when she is unable to discipline a difficult young child with a love for rhythm. Will she also finally hear his beat?
Director: Hitesh Kewalya
29. Space Is the Place (1974)
R | 82 min | Sci-Fi, Music
In an effort to bring unity and equality to African-Americans, an interstellar traveler and musician lands on earth and duels with an evil overlord for the souls of people.
Director: John Coney | Stars: Sun Ra, Raymond Johnson, Christopher Brooks, Barbara Deloney
Votes: 1,460
30. The Spirit Moves Part 1: A History of Black Social Dance on Film, 1900 - 1986 (2008 Video)
45 min | History
Contains demonstrations of ragtime and jazz dances by artists at the Savoy.
Stars: Pepsi Bethel, Teddy Brown, Leon James, Frankie Manning
31. 'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie and His Sextet (1951)
15 min | Short, Music
Director: Will Cowan | Stars: Frank 'Sugar Chile' Robinson, Billie Holiday, Count Basie
Votes: 28
32. Sweet and Lowdown (1999)
PG-13 | 95 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
In the 1930s, jazz guitarist Emmet Ray idolizes Django Reinhardt, faces gangsters and falls in love with a mute woman.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Sean Penn, Samantha Morton, Woody Allen, Ben Duncan
Votes: 36,660 | Gross: $4.20M
33. Swing Kids (1993)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Music
A group of teens adores forbidden music in Nazi Germany just before the outbreak of World War II.
Director: Thomas Carter | Stars: Robert Sean Leonard, Christian Bale, Frank Whaley, Barbara Hershey
Votes: 17,347 | Gross: $5.63M
34. Three Little Bops (1957)
Approved | 7 min | Animation, Short, Comedy
Three pigs' career as a jazz band is complicated by a wolf they rejected for membership who keeps blowing down their gigs.
Director: Friz Freleng | Star: Stan Freberg
Votes: 1,394
35. The Tic Code (1998)
R | 91 min | Drama
A 12-year-old gifted boy wants to be a jazz pianist much to the chagrin of his more classical oriented piano instructor. With his mother's help, he is an underage regular at a local ... See full summary »
Director: Gary Winick | Stars: Christopher Rodriguez Marquette, Polly Draper, Carol Kane, Desmond Robertson
Votes: 486 | Gross: $0.20M
36. Young Man with a Horn (1950)
Passed | 112 min | Biography, Drama, Music
A young trumpet player is torn between an honest singer and a manipulative heiress.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Kirk Douglas, Lauren Bacall, Doris Day, Hoagy Carmichael
Votes: 3,884
37. Lady Sings the Blues (1972)
R | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Music
The story of the troubled life and career of the legendary Jazz singer, Billie Holiday.
Director: Sidney J. Furie | Stars: Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams, Richard Pryor, James T. Callahan
Votes: 4,842 | Gross: $6.03M
38. The Terminal (2004)
PG-13 | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
An Eastern European tourist unexpectedly finds himself stranded in JFK airport, and must take up temporary residence there.
Director: Steven Spielberg | Stars: Tom Hanks, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Chi McBride, Stanley Tucci
Votes: 494,972 | Gross: $77.87M
39. Cabin in the Sky (1943)
Passed | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Fantasy
A compulsive gambler dies during a shooting, but he'll receive a second chance to reform himself and to make up with his worried wife.
Directors: Vincente Minnelli, Busby Berkeley | Stars: Ethel Waters, Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, Lena Horne, Louis Armstrong
Votes: 3,411
40. 'Round Midnight (1986)
R | 133 min | Drama, Music
A troubled, but talented musician flees the US to escape his problems, finding refuge and support in Paris.
Director: Bertrand Tavernier | Stars: Dexter Gordon, François Cluzet, Gabrielle Haker, Sandra Reaves-Phillips
Votes: 5,856 | Gross: $3.27M
41. The Man with the Golden Arm (1955)
Passed | 119 min | Crime, Drama, Romance
A junkie must face his true self to kick his drug addiction.
Director: Otto Preminger | Stars: Frank Sinatra, Kim Novak, Eleanor Parker, Arnold Stang
Votes: 12,203
42. The Cotton Club (1984)
R | 129 min | Crime, Drama, Music
Meet the jazz musicians, dancers, owner, and guests (like gangster Dutch Schultz) of The Cotton Club in 1928-1930s Harlem.
Director: Francis Ford Coppola | Stars: Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Lonette McKee
Votes: 19,529 | Gross: $25.93M
43. Listen Up: The Lives of Quincy Jones (1990)
PG-13 | 115 min | Documentary, Music
A unique look at the legendary musician, arranger, composer and producer offers a collage of memories, sounds and intimate interviews with musical greats in a rousing showcase.
Director: Ellen Weissbrod | Stars: Clarence Avant, George Benson, Big Daddy Kane, Richard Brooks
Votes: 222 | Gross: $0.78M
44. Midnight in Paris (2011)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Fantasy, Romance
While on a trip to Paris with his fiancée's family, a nostalgic screenwriter finds himself mysteriously going back to the 1920s every day at midnight.
Director: Woody Allen | Stars: Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates, Kurt Fuller
Votes: 449,713 | Gross: $56.82M
45. Thelonious Monk: Straight, No Chaser (1988)
PG-13 | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, Music
A documentary film about the life of pianist and jazz great Thelonious Sphere Monk. Features live performances by Monk and his band, and interviews with friends and family about the offbeat genius.
Director: Charlotte Zwerin | Stars: Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, Jimmy Cleveland, Harry Colomby
Votes: 1,312 | Gross: $0.52M
46. The Spirit Moves: A History of Black Social Dance on Film (1982)
119 min | Documentary
Director: Mura Dehn | Stars: Frankie Manning, Willa Mae Ricker
47. Stormy Weather (1943)
Passed | 78 min | Comedy, Drama, Music
The relationship between an aspiring dancer and a popular songstress provides a retrospective of the great African-American entertainers of the early 1900s.
Director: Andrew L. Stone | Stars: Lena Horne, Bill Robinson, Cab Calloway and His Cotton Club Orchestra, Katherine Dunham and Her Troupe
Votes: 2,888
48. Blues in the Night (1941)
Passed | 88 min | Crime, Drama, Music
"Jigger' Pine forms a band that includes singer Ginger 'Character' Powell, wife of the trumpeter Leo Powell, and Nickie Haroyen and Peppi. All of them dedicate themselves to work as a unit ... See full summary »
Director: Anatole Litvak | Stars: Priscilla Lane, Betty Field, Richard Whorf, Lloyd Nolan
Votes: 1,305
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