CS Weekly Archive > The Big Picture > 3/21/08

Dramatic Lives:
Seven Noteworthy Biopics

By jason davis

Even before William Shakespeare forever cast Richard III as a treacherous megalomaniac in his eponymous Elizabethan play, dramatic works were already codifying the future's perception of historical figures—today that privilege is the purview of the biopic, and CS Weekly looks at some of the best.

Today Moses, Marc Antony, and even Michelangelo are as much characters from films as they are realities of bygone eras—and, courtesy of Charlton Heston, they all seem to favor one another in our minds. The biopic brings to life the luminaries of days gone by and imbues them with a human dimension that history books can never hope to equal. As HBO shines the spotlight on the oft-overlooked John Adams, whom the ads suggest "united the states of America," CS Weekly draws your attention to seven noteworthy biopics that cover a broad array of worthy subjects, each chronicled in a unique and satisfying fashion.

Amadeus (1984)
Screenplay and original stage play by Peter Shaffer
Before his untimely death at the age of 35, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (Tom Hulce) committed to musical history over 600 compositions of surpassing quality. Playwright Peter Shaffer did no less in conjuring a drama of the maestro's life. Rather than exploring the composer directly, Shaffer chronicles the young musician's accomplishments from the most telling point of view conceivable—that of a jealous admirer. Enter Antonio Salieri (F. Murray Abraham), court composer to Joseph II of Habsburg-Lorraine, Holy Roman Emperor and patron of the young Mozart. The film's narrative is related in the past tense by Salieri, who loathes Mozart's vulgarity, but is enraptured by his music. Through Salieri's eyes, the audience gains a true appreciation for a musical genius who inspired such dichotomous reaction from so measured and controlled a character. The part of Salieri would earn Abraham an Academy Award (along with the film's awards for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture, among others), and Shaffer's screenplay ably defines the character of Mozart by contrast and reflection.

Walker (1987)
Written by Rudy Wurlitzer
A film that chronicles American adventurer William Walker's (Ed Harris) two-year reign as president of Nicaragua in the mid-19th century might seem an inconsequential entry in the annals of biographic cinema, but screenwriter Rudy Wurlitzer upends the conventions of historical realism to attack the state of affairs plaguing that nation over 100 years later. Rife with intentional anachronisms that draw the viewers attention from Walker's invasion to the Regan administration's backing of the anti-Communist Contras, Walker uses the past to comment on the present. As a strict biographical film, the movie fails entirely, as it instead seeks to paint an impressionistic portrait of its principal character while drawing a line of continuity from 1865 to 1987 and illustrating that the more things change, the more they stay the same. Walker himself narrates the film in the third person and is utterly oblivious to the fact that he's the tool of shipping magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt (Peter Boyle). As Walker sets out to "civilize" the Nicaraguans for their own good, the viewer gets an undeniable insight into the warped mind of a political puppet with messianic aspirations, while also getting a lesson in the history of American imperialism—the Monroe Doctrine on acid, if you will.

The Last Temptation of Christ (1988)
Screenplay by Paul Schrader
Based on the novel by Nikos Kazantzakis
Jesus of Nazareth (Willem Dafoe) is no stranger to the silver screen. From the silent one-reel passion plays of the late 19th century to Mel Gibson's controversial The Passion of the Christ, the founder of Christianity has appeared in over 200 films as either a principal or peripheral character. Despite this breadth of interpretations, most films focus on the divine aspects of the Christ rather than the humanity of Jesus. In adapting Nikos Kazantzakis' 1951 novel, Paul Schrader's script explores that aspect of the rabbi-turned-religious revolutionary. Without shying away from the supernatural elements described in the Gospels, the screenplay presents a Jesus who is as terrified by his calling as his followers are awed by it. The burden of God's will rests heavily on mortal shoulders, and the story's climax finds the Devil offering the martyr an escape from crucifixion and a normal life bereft of a divine destiny. The last third of the film allows Jesus this dream before the savior is drawn back to his inevitable sacrifice and opts to fulfill his place in God's plan. King of Kings may deliver spectacle, but The Last Temptation of Christ offers an intimate portrait of a man grappling with God on a very personal level.

Chaplin (1992)
Screenplay by William Boyd and Bryan Forbes and William Goldman
Story by Diana Hawkins
Based on My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin and Chaplin: His Life and Art by David Robinson
Rather like HBO's Emmy-winning The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Chaplin tells the story of a cinematic icon, but allows the subject to comment on his own biography. While the former has Sellers assuming the roles of the people in his life to whitewash his personal excesses, Chaplin (Robert Downey, Jr.) actually edits his life as he discusses his biography with fictitious collaborator, George Hayden (Anthony Hopkins). Thus, writers Boyd, Forbes, and Goldman allow the subject to reflect upon his experiences and what they mean in the context of his life. As Hayden asks for clarifications on experiences left vague by Chaplin's prose, the audience witnesses the key moments in the actor's life with commentary drawn from the author's actual published memoirs. Flourishes like the casting of Moira Kelly as both Chaplin's first love and his final wife, as well as the use of Chaplin's daughter, Geraldine, to play his mother, Hannah, add a further dimension to the meta-fiction.

Backbeat (1994)
Written by Iain Softley, Michael Thomas, and Stephen Ward (Softley directed)
One would imagine that the story of the Beatles, arguably the greatest rock 'n' roll band in history, would provide plenty of fodder for an extraordinary movie. The complicated relationship between John Lennon (Ian Hart) and Paul McCartney (Gary Bakewell) would easily provide enough drama for a fascinating mini-series, but filmmaker Iain Softley had another strained friendship in mind when he and his collaborators scripted Backbeat. Set before Beatlemania gripped the world, the film finds a young John Lennon convincing his best friend, Stuart Sutcliffe (Stephen Dorff), to join his novice group on the club circuit in Hamburg. Once on the continent, a rift develops between the two men as Sutcliffe falls for German photographer Astrid Kirchhherr (Sheryl Lee). Rather than exploring the group's meteoric rise to international superstardom, the movie follows Sutcliffe through the Hamburg counterculture scene, the rise of the Berlin Wall, and—of course—the success of his former band mates. Stripping away the legends that would arise over the band's near-decade at the top and subsequent disintegration, the movie dwells on the challenges any artist, be it musicians like the Beatles or painters like Sutcliffe, face when trying to get the fruits of their artistry to the world.

Almost Famous (2000)
Written by Cameron Crowe (also directed)
Though more properly labeled a roman à clef than a biopic, Almost Famous lands on this list courtesy of its writer-director's relationship to the source material. At age 16, future filmmaker Cameron Crowe was on the road with the Allman Brothers Band and interviewing the group for Rolling Stone Magazine. Twenty-seven years later, Crowe would mine those experiences, mingled with his encounters with other 1970s rock icons, and weave them into the slightly fictitious Almost Famous. The movie follows aspiring teen journalist William Miller (Patrick Fugit) into the world of rock 'n' roll, egos, and groupies to comprehensively interview the members of the up-and-coming band Stillwater. Miller's odyssey parallels Crowe's in many respects, but the Academy Award-winning screenplay applies its inherent criticism of the rock 'n' roll life to a broad spectrum of the industry rather than singling out real figures. The cost of fame and fortune are examined with a withering view as Stillwater leaves misery in its wake. While the theatrical cut is an excellent film, prospective viewers should seek out the "Untitled Bootleg Cut" for the full experience.

Kinsey (2004)
Written by Bill Condon (also directed)
Like its fellow 2004 biopic De-Lovely (which presented Cole Porter's life as a musical), Kinsey borrows its narrative structure from its subject. The story is designed as an interview through which researcher Alfred Kinsey (Liam Neeson) recounts his life in terms of his own sexual history. With the core concern of the movie imbedded in the script's structure, it only follows that the details of the plot and the subtleties of the character will soak up the emphasis on sexuality that pervades the subject's life and conveys character through their sexual actions. Kinsey and his wife, Clara "Mac" McMillen (Laura Linney), are best illustrated by their interactions as man and wife, and without the insight Mac's introduction to the story brings to her husband, Dr. Kinsey would be an impenetrable enigma. Only through his relations with her does the audience gain an appreciation for his obsessive thirst for knowledge. The film's mimicry of Kinsey's survey as a structural conceit offers a number of benefits to the screenwriter, sidestepping the need for flashbacks while reinforcing the subtextual substance of the story. Kinsey's life is replayed in terms he himself designed, under circumstances he has refined to offer his interviewees a nonjudgmental environment. As he would expect of his subjects, Kinsey offers an unvarnished account of himself, trusting that the audience will appreciate the information's value without making moral judgments. It's this sense of fair play that ingratiates the somewhat brusque scientist to his audience, allowing the submerged emotion of the piece to resonate subtly between the scenes.

Like theater before it, the movies bring the untouchable icons of history to us in a way even the written word can't, allowing us to experience them as living, breathing people not unlike ourselves.

Jason Davis has been the DVD Manager for CS Weekly, a contributing editor for Creative Screenwriting Magazine, and has written for Cinescape.com, MSN.com, and created the TV series Studio 13, which ran on Lorne Michaels' Burly TV network. He lives in the small space left over by his ever-expanding library of books, movies, and music.

Amadeus courtesy Warner Bros. Home Video
Almost Famous courtesy Dreamworks Video
Kinsey courtesy Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment

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