Rock and Roll Film Genre

This paper examines the Rock and Roll film genre and the correlation between movie outlaws and Rock and Roll music by looking at films: “The Wild One,” “Rock around the Clock,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll” and “Hot Rod Gang.”

The rock and roll film came into being at the same time as the music began to make itself known. The use of Rock Around the Clock in The Blackboard Jungle was one of the first instances of this type of music serving as background to a film, though it was only used in the titles and was not embedded into the film itself in any significant degree. The music was popular, though, and within a short time films specifically about the music were being produced. The early films were primarily intended to assuage parental concerns, though they usually had an attitude of defiance as well. Over time, though, rock became more and more associated with the idea of the outlaw. Performers in the early films were clean-cut types trying to make a success with something new and innovative, but over time this image shifted to the musician as …