What do you think?
Rate this book
Rock on Film: The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen
For rock music and film buffs alike, this is the ultimate guide exploring the electrifying, entertaining, and often daring marriage of rock & roll and cinema .
When the use of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” turned 1955’s Blackboard Jungle into a teen sensation and a box-office smash, it proved the opening shot in a cinematic and cultural revolution. Starting with Elvis Presley and the teensploitation films of the ’50s and ’60s, in Rock on Film award-winning author and former Rolling Stone editor Fred Goodman takes readers on a wide-ranging journey through film and pop history. Along the way, he measures the transformative impact of the mid-’60s landmarks A Hard Day’s Night and Dont Look Back and how they seeded an almost unbelievably broad genre of films made by increasingly ambitious musicians and filmmakers across the past seven decades.
From the carefree to the complex, the mindless to the mind-bending, rock films have staked out their own turf by simultaneously celebrating innocence and challenging artistic and social conventions. With an insightful round-up of fifty must-see rock films spanning crowd-pleasers, art-house favorites, underground gems, and undisputed classics, Rock on Film surveys the nearly seventy-year canon of a genre like no other.
A series of original interviews with Cameron Crowe, Jim Jarmusch, Penelope Spheeris, Taylor Hackford, and John Waters illuminates how rock has influenced the work of some of the most divergent and thoughtful directors in movie history. Illustrated throughout by more than 150 full-color and black-and-white images, Rock on Film brings the history of music in the movies to vivid life.
When the use of Bill Haley’s “Rock Around the Clock” turned 1955’s Blackboard Jungle into a teen sensation and a box-office smash, it proved the opening shot in a cinematic and cultural revolution. Starting with Elvis Presley and the teensploitation films of the ’50s and ’60s, in Rock on Film award-winning author and former Rolling Stone editor Fred Goodman takes readers on a wide-ranging journey through film and pop history. Along the way, he measures the transformative impact of the mid-’60s landmarks A Hard Day’s Night and Dont Look Back and how they seeded an almost unbelievably broad genre of films made by increasingly ambitious musicians and filmmakers across the past seven decades.
From the carefree to the complex, the mindless to the mind-bending, rock films have staked out their own turf by simultaneously celebrating innocence and challenging artistic and social conventions. With an insightful round-up of fifty must-see rock films spanning crowd-pleasers, art-house favorites, underground gems, and undisputed classics, Rock on Film surveys the nearly seventy-year canon of a genre like no other.
A series of original interviews with Cameron Crowe, Jim Jarmusch, Penelope Spheeris, Taylor Hackford, and John Waters illuminates how rock has influenced the work of some of the most divergent and thoughtful directors in movie history. Illustrated throughout by more than 150 full-color and black-and-white images, Rock on Film brings the history of music in the movies to vivid life.
- GenresMusicNonfictionFilm
288 pages, Hardcover
Published July 26, 2022
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
September 14, 2022
If your love for music runs as deep as your love for film, this book deserves a spot in your book collection. Written by former Rolling Stones editor Fred Goodman, Rock on Film features 50 must see movies that captured the heart of rock and roll. Each film is also paired with a viewing, making each recommendation a double bill and adding many more rock movies to the mix. The book also covers movies that feature hip hop, R&B, punk and other genres but primarily focuses on how rock and roll transformed popular culture as we know it.
Full review: https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2022...
Full review: https://www.outofthepastblog.com/2022...
July 24, 2022
ROCK ON FILM--Fred Goodman's breezy, opinionated and affectionate salute to the ever-expanding sensibilities, attitudes, ethos and excitement of rock music in motion pictures--is a lavishly illustrated coffee-table book, showcasing both crowd-pleasers and buried treasures. Although he profiles 50 films, twice as many are introduced, given that each entry is paired with a brief write-up of another film in a "Make it a double feature" sidebar. Elvis Presley's JAILHOUSE ROCK is paired with HUSTLE & FLOW; AMERICAN GRAFFITI with THAT THING YOU DO!; and the James Brown biopic GET ON UP with Tina Turner's WHAT'S LOVE GOT TO DO WITH IT.
Goodman ("Why Lhasa de Sela Matters") expertly blends backstage tales of how the films were made with commentary on how they resonate with him. Jam-packed with beautiful, full-color photos, this guide also includes Goodman's excellent interviews with five film directors. Taylor Hackford recalls firing Phil Spector from THE IDOLMAKER; Jim Jarmusch explains why he casts so many rockers in acting roles; Cameron Crowe discusses directing ALMOST FANOUS and SINGLES; Penelope Spheeris talks about her punk documentary trilogy, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION; and John Waters chats about the music of his films.
Profiled films include tongue-in-cheek treasures (THIS IOS SPINAL TAP, RROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, HAIRPRAY, THE BLUES BROTHERS, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW); outstanding documentaries (THE BLACK GODFATHER, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM); concert films (STOP MAKING SENSE, WOODSTOCK, THE LAST WALTZ); and films that are merely set in the music world. ROCK ON FILM is a delightful and illuminating photography book.
Goodman ("Why Lhasa de Sela Matters") expertly blends backstage tales of how the films were made with commentary on how they resonate with him. Jam-packed with beautiful, full-color photos, this guide also includes Goodman's excellent interviews with five film directors. Taylor Hackford recalls firing Phil Spector from THE IDOLMAKER; Jim Jarmusch explains why he casts so many rockers in acting roles; Cameron Crowe discusses directing ALMOST FANOUS and SINGLES; Penelope Spheeris talks about her punk documentary trilogy, THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION; and John Waters chats about the music of his films.
Profiled films include tongue-in-cheek treasures (THIS IOS SPINAL TAP, RROCK 'N' ROLL HIGH SCHOOL, HAIRPRAY, THE BLUES BROTHERS, THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW); outstanding documentaries (THE BLACK GODFATHER, STANDING IN THE SHADOWS OF MOTOWN, 20 FEET FROM STARDOM); concert films (STOP MAKING SENSE, WOODSTOCK, THE LAST WALTZ); and films that are merely set in the music world. ROCK ON FILM is a delightful and illuminating photography book.
August 18, 2026
Rock On Film: The Movies That rocked the Big Screen by Fred Goodman is a wonderful collection of 50 movies/documentaries. Th title of the book is slightly misleading. The movies he analyzes (coupled with a minor synopsis of another movie as if it were a double feature) go through all the genres: rock, country, reggae, psychedelic, jazz, R & B, Rap and folk. The author mentions some interesting facts along the way with every movie. The classics are mentioned: Blackboard Jungle, A Hard Day's Night, Jail House Rock, Viva Las Vegas, Woodstock, Almost Famous, The Harder They Come (a fiction drama with Jimmy Cliff), Straight Outta Compton, Tommy among many others. This book is part coffee table book with some interesting photos from the movies and reference guide with some breezy writing by Mr. Goodman, a rock journalist. It's an entertaining and informative read. No doubt, most readers will jot down the names of some of the movies/documentaries mentioned to watch when looking for a good movie to enjoy. Recommended. Rock on Film: The Movies That Rocked the Big Screen (Turner Classic Movies) by Fred Goodman is also available to blind and partially-sighted readers in accessible formats from the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA) in Canada and Bookshare in the United States.
January 1, 2023
This collection is frustrating at times, due to some typos (referring to the fictional band in Almost Famous as Sweetwater before correcting it to Stillwater later in the same entry), the odd placement of interviews with the directors of movies several pages AFTER the films in question, and the occasional "this movie is so great, but it's unavailable in any format everywhere so you'll have to take my word on it." Overall, a fun read about the classics as well as some recent entries. Almost every entry has a fun "Make It a Double Feature" pairing with another movie that has similarities.
May 17, 2023
Every reader would likely add or take away titles from the list included in Goodman's book--no Eddie and the Cruisers? no Genghis Blues? Still is a an good list and covers spends a handful of pages of well-known and lesser-known movies. Easy to browse and full of trivia and tidbits you may not have known.
December 20, 2022
Nice reference. I've watched some of these, but there is still enough here to help me find new films on rock--and a few I've never even heard of, like Privilege. I also enjoyed the interviews, especially the ones with Taylor Hackford and Penelope Spheeris.
September 25, 2022
A great primer on rock in film. Plus I think he worked at my camp.
October 28, 2022
Amazing reference if you care about music movies. I filled up my watchlist after reading this.
November 3, 2022
Lots of great viewing ideas, informative and enlightening commentary. Now if only I had the time to watch more movies!
July 10, 2022
wonderfully written, lots of great behind the scenes insights and a fine selection of films.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews