Which of these movies, each inspired by one specific musical artist, do you think combined music and film the most successfully?Several films have been created from classic albums, like Pink Floyd’s
The Wall or The Who’s rock-opera
Tommy. There are also albums that are basically musical versions of film scripts, such as Prince’s
Purple Rain or Curtis Mayfield’s
Superfly. Musical artists, however, are rarely commissioned to provide an entire soundtrack’s worth of original material for a movie in which they shared no part in filming or writing — essentially creating a score of new songs that carry their weight independent of the film, as well. A small, elite group of pop artists can claim such a distinction: Simon and Garfunkel composed music for
'The Graduate', Cat Stevens did
'Harold and Maude', and Aimee Mann's music provided the soundtrack, and some of the inspiration, for
'Magnolia'. A few others are out there but these three are widely considered the best in film, music, and the synthesis of the two.
Discuss (and hear sample songs) here. 
