Weekly questions’ comment sections are left open for one week. This thread is now locked.
Earlier this week, I shared a curated collection of screenplays for biopics. I put these together to help emerging and aspiring screenwriters further their educations in the form. But it also got me thinking about biopics in general since my favorite one made the list. In fact, it’s my favorite film of all time. Now, this doesn’t mean the film I’ve seen more than any other or the one that I go out of my way to see every year. But it is the film that I return to whenever I need to remember why I became a filmmaker to begin with. That film?
Lawrence of Arabia (1962).
I find Lawrence to be the perfect synthesis of narrative, images, and score. As for the theme at the center of it — who is T.E. Lawrence really (and what does the answer say about British colonialism)? — director David Lean refused to provide any concrete answers and, thus, created a piece of art so ambiguous that it requires viewers to define what it all means to them. Sure, it looks like a glorious piece of Western imperialist propaganda, but peer through any of the diaphanous flags waving in the film and far more complicated, damning truths about the British Empire and empires in general are revealed…unless, of course, you’re an apologist for colonization, in which case you’ll only see a lot of evidence to justify your position.
Now, it’s your turn: Tell me, what's your favorite biopic (and why the hell isn't it 'Lawrence of Arabia')?
5AM StoryTalk is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, become a free or paid subscriber.
Thanks for reading 5AM StoryTalk! This post is public so feel free to share it.
Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Such a wonderful cast of weirdos all trying to make a movie! My runner up is The Adventures of Baron Munchausen -- the idea that he wasn't real is a fanciful tall tale!
"Let's shoot this fucker." One of my favorite quotes from a film, and perfectly delivered by Martin Landeau. I've been lucky enough to become friends with his daughter, who appears in the film. I've been trying to get its screenwriters involved here at 5AM STORYTALK, too. We'll see. Great pick!
After a few moments, I have to say it's "Frances", with Jessica Lange. I was much younger when I saw it, and it was the clearest explanation I'd seen about how and why women with spirit and intelligence get beaten down by society in the effort to force them to conform.
I love Lawrence of Arabia and have seen it many times on the big screen. Another bio pic I love is In The Name of the Father, a bio of Gerry Conlan, who was falsely imprisoned in the U.K. for committing terrorist acts in the name of the IRA. Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson star — and it's directed by Jim Sheridan. I especially love the opening sequence, where Gerry's stealing scap metal as snipers shoot at him and Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return) plays along. Also, the bit where Thompson reveals the key bit of evidence in the trial is outstanding. I read Conlan's book and the movie deviates quite a bit in details but gets the overall story correct. Great movie.
God, it's been *years* since I've seen this film. I think, maybe it's release? Scurrying off now to add it to my rewatch list. Thanks for sharing, Tom.
I don't think I like a single biopic. I think that movies are too constrained ot do a person's life justice, and so we end up with not the person's life as best we can, but a simplistic interpretation of that life driven by a director's hobby-horses.
Having said that, Ed Wood is great, but I think it's less about Ed Wood and more about the general difficulty of making movies, not having the skills to live up to your dreams, and not knowing how to properly be yourself.
I recently saw Coal Miner's Daughter and was shocked at how good it was compared to so many musical biopics. Sissy Spacek, who did all her own singing, richly deserved her Oscar. The chemistry between her and Tommy Lee Jones was amazing. A delight from start to finish.
As for historical epics, sorry Cole but nothing beats Gandhi! Honorable mention to Oppenheimer, a flawed masterpiece. Lawrence of Arabia is gorgeous to look at but left me rather unmoved. That's why it's not on my list.
Back in 1991, I had heard a few songs by The Doors, but hadn’t yet been exposed fully into what that three man band had created and how much it cost them, one of them his life. At a time when I was struggling to balance my desire to create art with my need to live life, the movie was a warning about falling too deeply into that pit. It turns out that sometimes breaking through to the other side means you can’t come back.
I still can’t fathom how Oliver Stone released J.F.K. & The Doors, two technically perfect films, the same year.
Many have read The Doors book No One Gets Out Alive. Few have read Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugarman. He was a teen roadie for The Doors who eventually became their road manager and then worked with other artists like Iggy Pop. I consider it an epic rock and roll true story that should become a biopic film.
"Ray", about Ray Charles. I'm a big fan of R&B music, and he was one of its masters, so this was something that intrigued me. The film filled me in on his early life and the peak period of his career, as well as his ultimately successful battle to end his drug addiction, without fudging any of the facts. Very impressive and considerably better than most condensed fact music bio, and Jamie Foxx very much deserved the Oscar he got for playing the title role.
Well obviously it has to be LoA. But what do folks think about my left (that’s enough, Ed) field runner up of……Reds. If for the only reason it could never be made today. Can you imagine the right wing media infrastructure reaching for their collective (not collectivist, mind) fainting couches? Whatever company made it would be hauled up in front of some House committee…..
DANG! When a movie is really great, I forget that it's a biopic, because in general, not a fan of biopics. That said... I have a few in no particular order... the aforementioned LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, RAGING BULL, ED WOOD. Also, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, GOODFELLAS, and SEABISCUIT. I presume documentaries don't count, but if they did, the one that takes the prize over all of them is THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN, which I watch every August 21st, on Joe Strummer's birthday.
I’ve never seen Lawrence of Arabia. I’m not sure why. It’s definitely now on my list of films to seek out.
For some reason your questions always make my mind go blank so I have probably forgotten something brilliant but I’m first going to mention Cary Grant in Night and Day. I saw this as a child, almost by accident, one weekend afternoon and I’ve no idea if it was any good or not, but I remember very much enjoying it and it has stuck with me all these years so that must be worth something.
From a more appraising standpoint, I thought The Last Emperor was a beautiful and fascinating film. It’s one I feel I really should watch again.
Good god, I've never seen NIGHT AND DAY. I'd forgotten it existed altogether. Bonus, it's directed by one of my favorite directors of the period. Thanks for the reminder!
Oliver Stone's NIXON. He took a universally loathed historical figure and actually managed to elicit some sympathy for the man. Or, at the very least, dug deep and showed what made the man tick, what motivated him and did it in such a masterful way, moving back and forth in time, using various film stocks, and generally creating an incredible portrait of a deeply flawed figure, attempting to put it in a historical context.
Was recently moved to rewatch Lawrence. What struck me most was 1) it dropped us in media res and did little to provide a backstory and 2) how unhurried it was with lingering long shots like when Omar Shariff comes galloping across the mirage to slay the guide at the well.
Since that’s taken, I’m going to go with a biopic whose subject has no lines. Everyone around him speculates about his motives and potential but as his actions reveal him they are torn between hope and doubt. Good pacing throughout, thoughtful performances by the supporting cast and artful maintenance of suspense even though everyone has heard the story. The main character was played by several capable actors at different stages of his life. Like the character, they retired shortly after and none of them appeared to have had any roles since 2010. The film does cover his many post-retirement liaisons. He had an astonishing 663 offspring, though, so it would have been a difficult story to tack on to the film. His tragic death at age 19 is not hinted either. His athletic feats have never been matched in his sport and he is frequently cited as a standard of excellence in other sports in the same breath as Ali.
John Malkovich in his role as coach is colorful, rather than creepy. Fred Thompson and James Cromwell are in fine form in the sort of minor characters they excel at. Nelson Ellis gave a thoughtful performance as the protagonist’s best friend; the actor’s premature death at 39 denied him the opportunities of leading man he deserved. Diane Lane, as manager, never lets her subplot role as a quiet woman who refuses to be ignored in a male dominated sport detract from the main event. Big Red was already immortal in the eyes of anyone who saw his wins in the 1973 Triple Crown. Secretariat will fix that idea in the minds of movie goers not yet born by then.
Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence was his best work by far, and the film made good use of its running time (which was considered extremely long at the time of release). Omar Sharif’s performance was outstanding too, which helped to balance the powerful white man narrative. It’s a thrilling movie in scope and depth.
Another commenter brought up Daniel Day-Lewis, who’s acted in several biopics (unmentioned was his Christy Brown in My Left Foot and of course his more recent Lincoln). A Day-Lewis performance leaves me with an indelible portrait of the actual person. Which is to say, when I think of Lincoln now I imagine the actor’s interpretation of him, and it seems truer than life. Not fair and undoubtedly inaccurate, but a great performance in a biopic makes the person come to life for you. The eccentric and brilliant Lawrence will always be an eternally youthful O’Toole taking long strides in white robes across the desert sands. At least in my mind.
Raging Bull. While Lawrence of Arabia is also a great piece of filmmaking, its vast landscape and scope draw attention away from the inner landscape of the main character—something Raging Bull captures so well. This is my favorite scene, presenting a theme that reverberates like a bell throughout the entire film. https://youtu.be/MSspmsYAOq0?si=TVxSg4TwkDOhTIuj
My copy of RAGING BULL has been staring at me for about a year, from where I put it on the shelf next to my TV. I keep meaning to rewatch it. It's a brilliant film.
This is a nicely provocative (.... why it is not) question. I need to ponder this a bit, but meanwhile, will go on record to say I CAN'T WAIT for the Lee Miller bio pic to come out. Have not been regular in-theater movie goer (twice) since Winter 2020, but may make an exception here and watch it on a proper screen and the excellent tech. people presenting it at the Art Deco AFI "Silver Theater" here in Silver Spring. Don't EVER want to take that theater for granted... what a great boon for us locals.
Tim Burton's Ed Wood. Such a wonderful cast of weirdos all trying to make a movie! My runner up is The Adventures of Baron Munchausen -- the idea that he wasn't real is a fanciful tall tale!
"Let's shoot this fucker." One of my favorite quotes from a film, and perfectly delivered by Martin Landeau. I've been lucky enough to become friends with his daughter, who appears in the film. I've been trying to get its screenwriters involved here at 5AM STORYTALK, too. We'll see. Great pick!
After a few moments, I have to say it's "Frances", with Jessica Lange. I was much younger when I saw it, and it was the clearest explanation I'd seen about how and why women with spirit and intelligence get beaten down by society in the effort to force them to conform.
I watched this in my late teens and thought it was incredible. Heart-breaking film! Thank you for reminding me of it.
I love Lawrence of Arabia and have seen it many times on the big screen. Another bio pic I love is In The Name of the Father, a bio of Gerry Conlan, who was falsely imprisoned in the U.K. for committing terrorist acts in the name of the IRA. Daniel Day-Lewis, Pete Postlethwaite and Emma Thompson star — and it's directed by Jim Sheridan. I especially love the opening sequence, where Gerry's stealing scap metal as snipers shoot at him and Jimi Hendrix's Voodoo Child (Slight Return) plays along. Also, the bit where Thompson reveals the key bit of evidence in the trial is outstanding. I read Conlan's book and the movie deviates quite a bit in details but gets the overall story correct. Great movie.
God, it's been *years* since I've seen this film. I think, maybe it's release? Scurrying off now to add it to my rewatch list. Thanks for sharing, Tom.
I don't think I like a single biopic. I think that movies are too constrained ot do a person's life justice, and so we end up with not the person's life as best we can, but a simplistic interpretation of that life driven by a director's hobby-horses.
Having said that, Ed Wood is great, but I think it's less about Ed Wood and more about the general difficulty of making movies, not having the skills to live up to your dreams, and not knowing how to properly be yourself.
ED WOOD is such a brilliant film.
October Sky
I recently saw Coal Miner's Daughter and was shocked at how good it was compared to so many musical biopics. Sissy Spacek, who did all her own singing, richly deserved her Oscar. The chemistry between her and Tommy Lee Jones was amazing. A delight from start to finish.
As for historical epics, sorry Cole but nothing beats Gandhi! Honorable mention to Oppenheimer, a flawed masterpiece. Lawrence of Arabia is gorgeous to look at but left me rather unmoved. That's why it's not on my list.
COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER is a wonderful film!
A Bronx Tale flick based on the stage play A Bronx Tale, The Original One Man Show with Chazz Palminteri
I'm going with the band biopic 'The Doors by Oliver Stone. It had a big impact on me.
I...have never seen it. Why was it so important to you, JB?
Back in 1991, I had heard a few songs by The Doors, but hadn’t yet been exposed fully into what that three man band had created and how much it cost them, one of them his life. At a time when I was struggling to balance my desire to create art with my need to live life, the movie was a warning about falling too deeply into that pit. It turns out that sometimes breaking through to the other side means you can’t come back.
I still can’t fathom how Oliver Stone released J.F.K. & The Doors, two technically perfect films, the same year.
Many have read The Doors book No One Gets Out Alive. Few have read Wonderland Avenue by Danny Sugarman. He was a teen roadie for The Doors who eventually became their road manager and then worked with other artists like Iggy Pop. I consider it an epic rock and roll true story that should become a biopic film.
I haven’t read it but I will.
"Ray", about Ray Charles. I'm a big fan of R&B music, and he was one of its masters, so this was something that intrigued me. The film filled me in on his early life and the peak period of his career, as well as his ultimately successful battle to end his drug addiction, without fudging any of the facts. Very impressive and considerably better than most condensed fact music bio, and Jamie Foxx very much deserved the Oscar he got for playing the title role.
Well obviously it has to be LoA. But what do folks think about my left (that’s enough, Ed) field runner up of……Reds. If for the only reason it could never be made today. Can you imagine the right wing media infrastructure reaching for their collective (not collectivist, mind) fainting couches? Whatever company made it would be hauled up in front of some House committee…..
Walk The Line starring Reese Witherspoon and Joaquin Phoenix. They both won Oscar’s for their performances.
DANG! When a movie is really great, I forget that it's a biopic, because in general, not a fan of biopics. That said... I have a few in no particular order... the aforementioned LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, RAGING BULL, ED WOOD. Also, BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID, GOODFELLAS, and SEABISCUIT. I presume documentaries don't count, but if they did, the one that takes the prize over all of them is THE FUTURE IS UNWRITTEN, which I watch every August 21st, on Joe Strummer's birthday.
I’ve never seen Lawrence of Arabia. I’m not sure why. It’s definitely now on my list of films to seek out.
For some reason your questions always make my mind go blank so I have probably forgotten something brilliant but I’m first going to mention Cary Grant in Night and Day. I saw this as a child, almost by accident, one weekend afternoon and I’ve no idea if it was any good or not, but I remember very much enjoying it and it has stuck with me all these years so that must be worth something.
From a more appraising standpoint, I thought The Last Emperor was a beautiful and fascinating film. It’s one I feel I really should watch again.
Good god, I've never seen NIGHT AND DAY. I'd forgotten it existed altogether. Bonus, it's directed by one of my favorite directors of the period. Thanks for the reminder!
Oliver Stone's NIXON. He took a universally loathed historical figure and actually managed to elicit some sympathy for the man. Or, at the very least, dug deep and showed what made the man tick, what motivated him and did it in such a masterful way, moving back and forth in time, using various film stocks, and generally creating an incredible portrait of a deeply flawed figure, attempting to put it in a historical context.
Was recently moved to rewatch Lawrence. What struck me most was 1) it dropped us in media res and did little to provide a backstory and 2) how unhurried it was with lingering long shots like when Omar Shariff comes galloping across the mirage to slay the guide at the well.
Since that’s taken, I’m going to go with a biopic whose subject has no lines. Everyone around him speculates about his motives and potential but as his actions reveal him they are torn between hope and doubt. Good pacing throughout, thoughtful performances by the supporting cast and artful maintenance of suspense even though everyone has heard the story. The main character was played by several capable actors at different stages of his life. Like the character, they retired shortly after and none of them appeared to have had any roles since 2010. The film does cover his many post-retirement liaisons. He had an astonishing 663 offspring, though, so it would have been a difficult story to tack on to the film. His tragic death at age 19 is not hinted either. His athletic feats have never been matched in his sport and he is frequently cited as a standard of excellence in other sports in the same breath as Ali.
John Malkovich in his role as coach is colorful, rather than creepy. Fred Thompson and James Cromwell are in fine form in the sort of minor characters they excel at. Nelson Ellis gave a thoughtful performance as the protagonist’s best friend; the actor’s premature death at 39 denied him the opportunities of leading man he deserved. Diane Lane, as manager, never lets her subplot role as a quiet woman who refuses to be ignored in a male dominated sport detract from the main event. Big Red was already immortal in the eyes of anyone who saw his wins in the 1973 Triple Crown. Secretariat will fix that idea in the minds of movie goers not yet born by then.
This is a nicely laid-out answer, Richard. I caught on at the top of the third paragraph. Well played.
I'm proud to have been able to slip the 663 kids by age 19 past you.
Peter O’Toole’s T.E. Lawrence was his best work by far, and the film made good use of its running time (which was considered extremely long at the time of release). Omar Sharif’s performance was outstanding too, which helped to balance the powerful white man narrative. It’s a thrilling movie in scope and depth.
Another commenter brought up Daniel Day-Lewis, who’s acted in several biopics (unmentioned was his Christy Brown in My Left Foot and of course his more recent Lincoln). A Day-Lewis performance leaves me with an indelible portrait of the actual person. Which is to say, when I think of Lincoln now I imagine the actor’s interpretation of him, and it seems truer than life. Not fair and undoubtedly inaccurate, but a great performance in a biopic makes the person come to life for you. The eccentric and brilliant Lawrence will always be an eternally youthful O’Toole taking long strides in white robes across the desert sands. At least in my mind.
Andrei Rublev or Savage Messiah or Insignificance (does it count?)
Because it’s All That Jazz. I prefer my dramatizations be 100%.
God, I love this film so much.
Raging Bull. While Lawrence of Arabia is also a great piece of filmmaking, its vast landscape and scope draw attention away from the inner landscape of the main character—something Raging Bull captures so well. This is my favorite scene, presenting a theme that reverberates like a bell throughout the entire film. https://youtu.be/MSspmsYAOq0?si=TVxSg4TwkDOhTIuj
My copy of RAGING BULL has been staring at me for about a year, from where I put it on the shelf next to my TV. I keep meaning to rewatch it. It's a brilliant film.
Among my favorites is "Serpico"... mainly because of Pacino's brilliant acting.
Actually, it is. There are shots from that film that still, 40 years later, live rent free in my head.
I really don't know how someone could see LAWRENCE and think, "Yeah, this isn't the greatest film ever made."
Maybe if they had just seen Grand Illusion, or Modern Times, or Rashomon...?
Hi Cole,
This is a nicely provocative (.... why it is not) question. I need to ponder this a bit, but meanwhile, will go on record to say I CAN'T WAIT for the Lee Miller bio pic to come out. Have not been regular in-theater movie goer (twice) since Winter 2020, but may make an exception here and watch it on a proper screen and the excellent tech. people presenting it at the Art Deco AFI "Silver Theater" here in Silver Spring. Don't EVER want to take that theater for granted... what a great boon for us locals.
I am very excited for LEE, too.
This is a lovely film. Thanks for participating, Libby.