«Rocketman», a rocket in Elton John's sky

Cinema Wednesdays - Jonas Follonier and Lauriane Pipoz

A dapper man in a skyward-sweeping orange angel outfit strides forward, ready to enter what we imagine will be a grand stage. But the film's first big scene takes us by surprise: the extravagant character played by Taron Egerton arrives at a meeting of Alcoholics Anonymous. «My name is Elton Hercules John and I'm an alcoholic, a cocaine addict, sex addict, bulimic...» The actor's face at the start of the film is deeply moving, his eyelids full of powder and terrifying grief foreshadowing the film's red thread.

Red as the glow of her tinted glasses. Glasses to hide in, in the same way that parties are a refuge for many shy young people who are totally lost in their hectic lives? No doubt. Elton John, as this film sufficiently demonstrates, is an introvert who disguises himself as an extrovert. A bit like Michel Polnareff - yes, him again. When asked by a journalist whether in the seventies he didn't consider himself to be France's Etlon John, Polnareff gave a doll-like «no" answer that left the journalist speechless: "No, no, no. Elton John is the Polnareff of the world.» To persuade you that this comparison between the two kings of pop is not a pipe dream, please refer to one of today's best rock critics and true heir of Lester Bangs, Bester Langs, and his article Michel Polnareff. Behind the glasses.

Rocketman is as much musical comedy as it is drama: if you're going to convey Elton John's emotions to the audience, you might as well do it with music! The story is interspersed with musical moments. But far from showing only the singer and musician's live performances, they are integrated into Elton John's life to describe the feelings he experienced. This use of music as a vehicle for emotions works extremely well. And sometimes allows us to discover the songs from a different angle. Tiny Dancer, à title for example, is a unique moment of cinema! We truly understand this song when we see it sung on screen by the main character, who is himself a spectator in a scene of complicity between his friend and a young woman.

A film that assumes its subjectivity

But beyond the emotional side of the music and the rediscovery of certain tracks, the music also serves to highlight the non-objective side of the story. The subjectivity paradoxically essential to biographies is fully assumed, notably with stereotyped characters - the very nasty producer, the very nice lyricist, the very selfish mother. But that's not a problem at all: choices had to be made to show - and edit - decades in 2 hours. Similarly, Taron Egerton not only plays Elton John to perfection, but this perfection is embodied in a very personal performance. And what a charmer he is.

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It would seem that the main thrust of the film is to describe the effects of Elton John's entourage on his personality and his music. So why complicate the story? This is the singer's biography, not that of his entourage. The moment when they begin to sing accentuates the fact that we are indeed faced with a spectacle, a "show". show American style, where everything is exaggerated and extravagant in the manner of Elton John. The only point on which this work could have been less prudish is our hero's homosexuality. The camera seems so fearful of the only two male sex scenes that we can only guess at the censorship issues at the production level.

In addition to the effects of his entourage on the singer-songwriter, it is also the effects of the drug, Another form of entourage, painted on the screen. A well-known fatality in the rock world. Many scenes in the film are concerned with Elton John's multiple addictions, and one in particular stands out for its artistic genius. We see the British singer swallow a large number of pills, douse all this with alcohol and dive into his swimming pool, in the middle of a party with his friends and family. In the water, we plunge into the rocker's solitude, and see his child avatar, also played by an excellent actor, play his song at the bottom of the water on a small piano. You'll find plenty of images like this when you go and see Rocketman. An important film, both entertaining and moving.

Write to the authors:
jonas.follonier@leregardlibre.com
lauriane.pipoz@leregardlibre.com

Photo credit: © Paramount Pictures