Movies Which Feature Martin Guitars
Published on 24 July 2024
People love movies. People love Martin guitars. So how about those times when Martin guitars show up in movies? Pretty special, right?
From rock ‘n’ roll movies to documentaries, to dramas that involve music-playing characters, there are lots of fun occasions when music and movies intersect. Today, I’ll look at some of those times where Martin guitars have been involved. I'm sad to say that the ‘Duelling Banjos’ scene in Deliverance does not in fact include a Martin guitar, so I have no legitimate reason to include it today. Gutted!
Don’t worry though, from sifting through Hollywood’s archives, I’ve uncovered a veritable treasure trove of Martin moments on the silver screen. Have a seat, and mentally skip with me through this collection of golden movie scenes…
Contents
Hateful Eight
The first one for today’s list is also perhaps the most dramatic. Not because of the events of the movie (though given that it’s a Tarantino flick, there’s no shortage of drama), but due to some grievous, heinously unfixable damage done to a priceless Martin guitar.
He may be Snake Plisken and also the best guy in The Thing, but movie megastar Kurt Russell will be getting daggers from outraged guitarists forever. Why? Because in the Hateful Eight, he absolutely trashed a priceless antique Martin 1-26 from 1860.
To be fair, he thought it was a prop piece and due a smashing, when in fact it was a truly antique museum piece that was on loan from Martin. “Music time is over!”, yelled the iconic acting veteran as he pulled the parlour guitar out of costar Jennifer Jason Leigh’s claws and rattled the poor instrument off a wooden post, reducing it to smithereens. Oops! I hope it came out of his wages.
Crossroads
Back before Cobra Kai, Karate Kid kid Ralph Macchio starred alongside Steve Vai in bonkers Blues legend Crossroads. In its own way, it’s kind of an awesome film in its own way, with Macchio’s Eugene searching for (guess who?) Robert Johnson at the proverbial crossroads. Whilst Eugene tends to play a Telecaster, he does also rock a mean Martin ‘depression era’ acoustic.
Inside Llewyn Davis
The Coen brothers’ movies are often quite music-related (as we’ll see later in this blog) and this one is no exception. Based on the late 60s Greenwich Village folk scene, the film is chock-a-block with junky knitted sweaters and dreadnoughts.
Though main character Llewyn Davis (Oscar Isaac) plays a Gibson acoustic throughout, you’ll catch a good look at a Martin in the arms of Justin TImberlake during a rather bizarre recording session with Adam Driver. Watch this once and you’ll be singing ‘Outer…Space!’ all day long.
Walk the Line
This Joaquin Phoenix-starring Johnny Cash biopic hit the mark for many music fans. Following his life story up until his iconic Folsom Prison performance, Walk the Line paints a relatively sanitised picture of the Man in Black’s life story, but at least it gets the guitars right: there are tons of Martins in this.
Walk Hard
After you finish watching Walk the Line, try this for a real biopic. Telling the full and true story of iconic singer Dewey Cox, Walk Hard features authentic appearances from the actual real-life Beatles, Buddy Holly and Elvis. There are plenty of Martin acoustics in here, and the soundtrack is outstanding. This is as authentic as it gets.
A Mighty Wind
From the team that brought you that classic Spinal Tap comes another well-judged comedy about music. This time, instead of hard rock, it’s the folk scene being taken to task by Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, Michael McKean and the rest of the team. As always, there’s a lot of affection for the genre on display, along with the well-aimed barbs at the oddness of the culture. Martin guitars feature prominently, as any self-respecting folkie would expect!
Yesterday
Imagine you woke up one day and nobody but you had ever heard of The Beatles? All of their classic songs, just waiting for you to claim them as your own…
That’s the premise of Danny ‘Trainspotting’ Boyle’s movie, where a struggling songwriter awakens from an injury to find the world has no knowledge of the Fab Four. It’s a cool idea, and whilst no Beatles appear in the movie, they all gave their blessing for their music to be used. Lead character Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) strums aplenty on a variety of classic Martin acoustics.
The Last Waltz
Scorcese’s gig movie about the star-studded final bow of The Band is technically a documentary, but since it was released in cinemas, I figure it counts as a movie!
This live performance video features an astounding list of 1970s rock talent, with performances from Muddy Waters, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Eric Clapton, Dr John, Neil Diamond, Stephen Stills, Emylou Harris, Ronnie Wood, Van Morrison, Ronnie Hawks, Bobby Charles and Paul Buttefield. Phew! Did I forget anyone?
Anyway, Joni Mitchell plays her Martin D-45, whilst Neil Young strums his D-45.
Almost Famous
Cameron Crowe’s love letter to his own past as a youthful rock journalist scores highly for its wistful nostalgia for the glory days of 70s rock. As a snapshot of life on the road for a rock band and their attendant groupies and hangers on, it’s heady if heartbreaking stuff, but by the end of the movie, you’ll be shouting ‘I’m a golden god’ too!
Lead guitarist of Stillwater, Russell Hammond (played by Billy Crudup), can be seen playing a Martin dreadnought throughout.
The Oklahoma Kid
Here’s a blast from the past! Classic Westerns regularly had guitar playing scenes, and 1939’s The Oklahoma Kid was no exception. Featuring marquee stars James Cagney and Humphrey Bogart, this evocative near-antique is a classic tale of revenge based in the Wild West, with James Cagney’s rebellious Oklahoma Kid character strumming away on a Martin OM model.
Martin Guitars in the Movies
So there you have ten pretty different examples of Martin guitars showing up in Hollywood pictures. Some were played with love, whilst others received more brutal treatment. All of them are now part of film history, further instilling the legend of Martin guitars within our culture. Have any of these movies convinced you to check out a Martin guitar? Did I miss any obvious classics? One thing’s for sure, they don’t get more classic than Martin!
Browse our Selection of Martin Guitars
