Forget books, we should make more movies based on songs
In this column, we deliver hot (and cold) takes on pop culture, judging whether a subject is overrated or underrated.
By Garry Maddox
Turning Paul Kelly’s Christmas classic How To Make Gravy into a film was a smart idea.
Not only did writers Meg Washington and Nick Waterman find that streaming services all want new Christmas films – theirs went to Binge – many of the countless fans of the song will want to watch it.
Gotye and Kimbra in the video clip for 2011’s Somebody That I Used to Know. Credit:
It’s a film that’s been a long time coming. Lantana director Ray Lawrence announced he was working with Bruce Pascoe on an adaptation 15 years ago, but it’s been worth the wait.
Beloved songs are an underrated source for Australian films.
Most films over the decades have been based on either real-life events, novels, plays or TV shows, but the odd one has been inspired by a poem (The Man from Snowy River), video game (Mortal Kombat) or overseas film (Rams, The Invisible Man).
It’s hard to think of another one based on a song.
Washington does, however, join Nick Cave (Ghosts of the Civil Dead, The Proposition and Lawless) as musicians who’ve become screenwriters.
American filmmakers, on the other hand, have found plenty of material in songs, often reflecting that country artists like to package a whole story with a moral into a song.
There aren’t too many classics among them, but they include Ode To Billy Joe, Rhinestone, Harper Valley PTA, The Gambler, Convoy, Take This Job And Shove It and Coward Of The County.
Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant, Barry Manilow’s Copacabana, Bruce Springsteen’s Highway Patrolman (Sean Penn’s adaptation was called The Indian Runner) and George Michael’s Last Christmas have all inspired films. So have The Who’s album Tommy and Pink Floyd’s album The Wall.
But then, in Hollywood, pretty much anything can become a film.
Not just a certain famous doll who was the subject of last year’s biggest hit, but board games (Battleship), a book of photography (The Bikeriders), theme park rides (Pirates of the Caribbean, Jungle Cruise), trading cards (Mars Attacks!), a short-lived dance craze (Lambada), a reality TV show (From Justin To Kelly), emojis (The Emoji Movie) and a Twitter thread (Zola).
Anything that counts as “IP” – creations considered intellectual property – stands a chance of becoming a film if a producer thinks it will connect with an audience. A well-known song title is enough when it’s a musical biopic like Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman or I Am Woman.
So what other beloved Australian songs could become films?
Paul Kelly’s To Her Door is a natural follow-up to How To Make Gravy. It’s another authentically Australian story about wanting a second chance – redemption – after a family breakdown caused by drinking.
Kelly and Kev Carmody’s From Little Things Big Things Grow, about Indigenous stockman Vincent Lingiari facing down powerful Lord Vestey to win land rights, surely has to be a film at some stage.
Most beloved songs have been around a while. Don Walker’s songwriting for Cold Chisel has been so evocative that Khe Sanh and Flame Trees have long had the makings of memorable films.
Sometimes all it takes is a relationship or a mood to inspire a screenplay.
While they don’t tell a three-act story, Missy Higgins’ Scar and The Special Two, Crowded House’s Four Seasons In One Day and Don’t Dream It’s Over, Amy Shark’s Adore and half the songs of Perry Keyes could be fuel for the right screenwriter.
A savvy producer would see potential in one of the country’s biggest global hits, Gotye’s Somebody That I Used To Know. It’s a universal story of lovers who become strangers.
There’s a lacerating drama about how gambling destroys lives in The Whitlams’ Blow Up The Pokies. And a romance full of longing in No Aphrodisiac.
Sia’s Chandelier is about a woman battling alcoholism, living for the next party, which could make a powerful contemporary film. And, streaming services take note, her Snowman is a cute Christmas love song.
What songs do you think should be reimagined for the screen? Tell us in the comments below.