Films dealing with blues history or prominently featuring blues music as a theme include:
- St. Louis Blues (1929): The only short movie with Bessie Smith
- Sounder (1972)
- The Blues Brothers (1980)
- Crossroads (Walter Hill) (1986): A film about a "deal with the devil", with a soundtrack by Ry Cooder and a guitar duel between Ralph Macchio and Steve Vai.
- Blues Brothers 2000 (1998)
- Cowboy Bebop (1999): Many of the episodes are influenced by and feature blues music.
- O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000)
- The Blues, a Musical Journey (2003): Martin Scorsese produced seven documentaries about the blues:
- Feel Like Going Home (Martin Scorsese): about the African origins of the Blues
- The Soul of a Man (Wim Wenders): about Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir
- The Road to Memphis (Richard Pearce) : focuses on B. B. King's contributions
- Warming by the Devil's Fire (Charles Burnett): fiction on a blues-based theme
- Godfathers and Sons (Marc Levin): about Chicago blues and hip-hop
- Red, White & Blues (Mike Figgis): About British blues-influenced music (e.g., Tom Jones, Van Morrison)
- Piano Blues (Clint Eastwood): Focuses on blues pianists such as Ray Charles and Dr. John
- Ray (2004)
- Richard Johnston: Hill Country Troubadour: Max Shores (2005) documentary about R. L. Burnside, Jessie Mae Hemphill, Junior Kimbrough, Richard Johnston and other north Mississippi hill country blues musicians
- You See Me Laughin' (2005; Director Mandy Stein) You See Me Laughin' is a full length documentary that takes a look at the often untamed lifestyles of the last great North Mississippi bluesmen and the Oxford, MS based label- Fat Possum Records- that struggles to record them. The film is an exciting collage of exclusive interviews, live performances and personal anecdotes. It includes rare, black and white footage of RL Burnside from 1974, disturbingly funny stories about touring told first hand by Iggy Pop and John Spencer Blues Explosion as well as an interesting encounter with Junior Kimbrough described by Bono from U2 and much more. This is not for the faint of heart.
- The Search for Robert Johnson (2006): Documentary aiming to discover facts and myths about the infamous blues guitarist.
- Black Snake Moan (2007)
- Honeydripper (2007)
- Cadillac Records (2008)
- This film-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
- This list of songs or music-related items is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Famous quotes containing the words list of, list, films, blues and/or music:
“My list of things I never pictured myself saying when I pictured myself as a parent has grown over the years.”
—Polly Berrien Berends (20th century)
“Do your children view themselves as successes or failures? Are they being encouraged to be inquisitive or passive? Are they afraid to challenge authority and to question assumptions? Do they feel comfortable adapting to change? Are they easily discouraged if they cannot arrive at a solution to a problem? The answers to those questions will give you a better appraisal of their education than any list of courses, grades, or test scores.”
—Lawrence Kutner (20th century)
“Right now I think censorship is necessary; the things they’re doing and saying in films right now just shouldn’t be allowed. There’s no dignity anymore and I think that’s very important.”
—Mae West (1892–1980)
“The blues women had a commanding presence and a refreshing robustness. They were nurturers, taking the yeast of experience, kneading it into dough, molding it and letting it grow in their minds to bring the listener bread for sustenance, shaped by their sensibilities.”
—Rosetta Reitz, U.S. author. As quoted in The Political Palate, ch. 10, by Betsey Beaven et al. (1980)
“A man in all the world’s new fashion planted,
That hath a mint of phrases in his brain.
One who the music of his own vain tongue
Doth ravish like enchanting harmony.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)