Greil Marcus

Acting
1945-06-19
San Francisco, California, USA

Biography

Greil Marcus (né Gerstley; born June 19, 1945) is an American author, music journalist and cultural critic. He is notable for producing scholarly and literary essays that place rock music in a broader framework of culture and politics.

Known For & Full Filmography8 Titles

#1Classic Albums

Drama Series - 1997, 16 episodes as Self

7.7 / 10
Documentary

A documentary series about pop and rock albums that are considered the best or most distinctive of a well-known band or musician or that exemplify a stage in the history of music.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#2The Last Critic

Movie - 2026, 2h 15m Main Cast Role

8.8 / 10

Sixty years & a million records ago, Robert Christgau invented Rock music criticism. Anyone who has ever read or written a Pop music review has been influenced by Christgau, who canonized legends from The Ramones to Public Enemy & infuriated icons from Lou Reed to Billy Joel. Now in his eighties, Bob is still at it—amazingly with the same vigor, wit, concision and craft that has defined his expansive career. But in a world where albums are irrelevant, where print is dead & where algorithms have eclipsed critics we are forced to ask: What happens next—for Bob, but also for all music criticism? Is this the end of something? Is Robert Christgau the last critic?

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#3What She Said: The Art of Pauline Kael

Movie - 2019, 2h 15m as Self

6.7 / 10
Documentary

Pauline Kael (1919–2001) was undoubtedly one of the greatest names in film criticism. A Californian native, she wrote her first review in 1953 and joined ‘The New Yorker’ in 1968. Praised for her highly opinionated and feisty writing style and criticised for her subjective and sometimes ruthless reviews, Kael’s writing was refreshingly and intensely rooted in her experience of watching a film as a member of the audience. Loved and hated in equal measure – loved by other critics for whom she was immensely influential, and hated by filmmakers whose films she trashed - Kael destroyed films that have since become classics such as The Sound of Music and raved about others such as Bonnie and Clyde. She was also aware of the perennial difficulties for women working in the movies and in film criticism, and fiercely fought sexism, both in her reviews and in her media appearances.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#4The King

Movie - 2018, 2h 15m as Self

6.3 / 10
Documentary

A cultural portrait of the American dream at a critical time in the nation’s history. Set against the 2016 American election, The King takes a musical road trip across the country in Elvis Presley's 1963 Rolls Royce.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#5Bob Dylan: Odds and Ends

Movie - 2021, 2h 15m as Self

6.6 / 10
DocumentaryMusic

Bob Dylan "Odds and Ends" is composed of archival interviews, promotional videos and documentary shorts. It tells the story of some of the most important moments in the legendary artist's career.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#6Hustlers Convention

Movie - 2015, 2h 15m as Self

5.7 / 10
MusicDocumentary

The story of Sport and Spoon - two young hustlers who attend the eponymous convention, only to get tangled up in a financial disagreement that leads to a shootout, police chase and finishes with Sport on death row, weighing up what it all means. Taking its title from the album, the film blends archive photos with interviews and uses unique animated sequences set to the album. It portrays Hustlers Convention in its wider social context and Jalal's personal story as one of rap's undisputed pioneers.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#7Revenge of the Mekons

Movie - 2013, 2h 15m as Self

6.6 / 10
MusicDocumentary

Documentary about the Mekons.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
#8The Old, Weird America: Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music

Movie - 2007, 2h 15m as Self

8.8 / 10
DocumentaryMusic

The Old, Weird America tracks the history of the Anthology of American Folk Music from its initial compilation of 78 records from rural Americana to its 1952 release on Folkways Records, the urban folk revival of the 1960s, and its continuing influence on contemporary music.

Loading cast carousel...
View Reviews & Details
Greil Marcus - Movies & TV Shows | XFlix | XFlix