1 The Beatles Anthology
Although The Beatles Anthology is technically speaking an eight-part series made for television, it still deserves to take the number one spot on this list because it is nevertheless the definition of a great rockumentary. Not that many rock bands could merit, let alone fill, some ten hours of viewing time with interviews, archive material and audio excerpts like The Beatles and have every minute of it be so thoroughly entertaining.
2 The Filth and the Fury
The story of The Sex Pistols, directed by Julien Temple, who had previously worked with the band on the 1980 mockumentary art film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, this rockumentary was a real game-changer when it came in 2000. It set the tone for the genre and influenced many films to come, in the way its interview subjects' faces are not shown on camera, the way it utilizes contemporary music and footage to flesh out the subject matter, the editing style and pace. It is of course also a great story about the chaotic rise and fall of a rock band. No matter how many times I see it, it's still as hilarious and moving as the first time.
3 THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEn
An excellent companion piece to the previous entry on this list, director Julien Temple pieces together the life and career of the "punk rock warlord" Joe Strummer with unique archive material, footage and interviews around the campfire, thus creating the most comprehensive documentation of the late 1970's punk era. But The Future Is Unwritten is much more than that, it is also the bittersweet story of an eclectic and freewheeling rock star who may have had a middle class background and gone to boarding school but was still a pure punk rock hero in his vagabond soul.
4 Crossfire Hurricane
There have been many Rolling Stones movies over the years, from the weird Sympathy for the Devil, to the legendary concert film Gimme Shelter, to the abysmally boring Shine a Light. The best is Brett Morgan's Crossfire Hurricane from 2012, a rich rockumentary that chronicles the best part of the band's long career, the first twenty years, told by the band themselves and full of excellent archive material.
5 No Direction Home
This is an intimate portrayal of a very private rock star, conducted by Martin Scorsese, who perfectly balances interview and archive material with concert footage, and also infusing the rockumentary with his narrative skill, making No Direction Home both extremely informative and infinitely entertaining. And it's not just a revealing look at the life and career of Bob Dylan, but also the definite film on the New York folk rock scene of the early 1960's.
6 ANVIL! The Story of Anvil
Anvil is a great Canadian heavy metal band that has cult status but never really experienced any mainstream success, until the release of this rockumentary in 2008. After brief success in the early 1980's, Anvil faded into obscurity. Here, their old roadie Sacha Gervasi documents their situation today, consisting of a disastrous European tour and their attempt to record a new album. Anvil! is probably the humblest rockumentary ever made, and it's the charm of the two band members Lips and Robb Reiner that makes the film so engaging.
7 WHEN YOU'RE STRANGE
Tom DiCillo's rockumentary from 2009 chronicles the Doors' rise and fall, a phenomenon that in many ways perfectly mirrors the rise and fall of the hippie movement in the late 1960's. Its focus is of course the enigmatic leading member Jim Morrison, the rock 'n' roll shaman who died at the age of 27 in Paris, where he lived in voluntary exile after being arrested on charges of obscenity. Uniquely, When You're Strange doesn't feature a single interview, just Johnny Depp's laconic voice narrating the band's story.
8 Living in the Material World
Legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese brings his experience with music-oriented films to this intimate portrayal of another legend, George Harrison, one of rock history's darkest horses. This beautiful rockumentary surprisingly manages to be revealing and informative despite the fact that its subject and all of the Beatles have been so intensely scrutinized over the years.
9 Lambert & Stamp
Directed by James D. Cooper and released in 2015, Lambert & Stamp is an incredibly interesting look at, not The Who, but rather the men behind the band, Kit Lambert and Chris Stamp. The eccentric duo, one a closet homosexual aristocrat, the other a working class rebel, were aspiring filmmakers that stumbled upon one of the most legendary rock bands ever by accident and ended up managing them for most of their existence. Lambert & Stamp is not just a great portrayal of rock stars and music management but of rock history as well, particularly the mods generation.
10 The Decline of Western Civilization
Part II : The Metal Years
This, the second part in Penelope Spheeris' amazing trilogy The Decline of Western Civilization, is my favorite. Here, she takes a look at the decadent L.A. sleaze metal scene of the 1980's. The music may be considered one of the low points in rock history, and though hair metal is vain and a bit dumb, this rockumentary is hands down a masterpiece, not only because of the filmmaker's visual style but because it features interviews with people other than rock stars, namely the fans.
