How The Rocketman Corrects the Errors of Bohemian Rhapsody

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

The stunningly beautiful and sincere musical about the legendary singer was not spoiled even by censorship.

A biographical film about one of the most famous musicians of our time, Elton John, is being released. The main role in the film was played by Taron Edgerton, who perfectly got used to the image of the prototype.

Even before Rocketman appeared at the box office, people began to compare it with Bohemian Rhapsody, a recent biopic about the formation of Freddie Mercury and Queen. And the analogies are quite justified. Director Dexter Fletcher was finishing Bohemian Rhapsody after Brian Singer was fired, and he also made a film about Elton John.

And now we can say with confidence that it was Fletcher who was responsible for the success and, most importantly, the “soul” of Mercury's history. "Rocketman" looks even livelier and more interesting, there are no "Rhapsody" errors in it. This is a truly life-affirming extravaganza filled with music and vivid scenes.

Non-standard biography

There is an opinion that too many biopics are built on the same schemes and that is why films are difficult to take seriously. Part of the reason is that many musicians and just successful people went through the same stages of life and work. Partly - in the desire of the writers to take the simplest plot moves.

One way or another, we are all accustomed to the fact that in the first shots the famous musician will prepare to go on stage, and then plunge into the memories of the beginning of his creative career.

This is how the Bohemian Rhapsody was built. But "Rocketman" from the very beginning parodies this cliché: a hint that the action will continue to be built not according to the standards of the genre, but in spite of them.

Formation is shown faster and easier, trying to tell not so much about the first performances, but about the writing of songs. Close friend and co-writer Bernie Taupin (Jamie Bell) becomes the film's second protagonist.

The gloomy moment of life does not turn into preparation for a second takeoff, but the whole picture is the background. After all, the creators of "Rocketman" are trying to convey to the viewer a very important truth:

This is not a story of becoming a popular musician, but a story of accepting oneself with all the oddities and flaws.

That is why the authors are not inclined to a banal retelling of the hero's life with musical accompaniment, and the performer of the main role is given more freedom. When filming Bohemian Rhapsody, Rami Malek only needed to portray Freddie Mercury as believably as possible (which he did well, and the Oscar is proof of this). Taron Edgerton plays more daringly and not only copies the movements of his prototype, but also adds his talent to them. Here, acting skills and the ability to convey emotions are much more important.

Music at the center of all history

Of course, the biography of a famous musician should be filled with his songs. But there are problems here too. For example, too standard moves: playing the first melodies, recording a couple of songs, and then cutting from concerts.

All in the same "Bohemian Rhapsody" the work on the title track and, of course, the final concert, re-filmed with great love, looked the brightest of all. But still, the creative process itself and the writing of songs seemed to remain somewhere in the background. And what is most important, their significance in the life of Mercury is not clear.

And so Dexter Fletcher takes a witty and bright step: a film about a musician is turned into a musical. This allows viewers to hear much more of Elton John's songs, not only during the scenes with his performances, but also in the stories about his life. Here everything is accompanied by music: communication with parents, friendship, love and tragedies.

In addition, this approach shows how much personal songs John and Taupin wrote: the tracks perfectly illustrate certain stages in the life of a poet and musician. And when their compositions begin to be performed by other heroes, it remains only to wonder how differently the same text can sound in the mouth of a little boy, his mother or grandmother.

In "Rocketman" songs receive no less semantic load than plot twists.

That is why in the Russian box office all important texts are translated with subtitles. And this allows us to make another discovery: Taron Edgerton sings great. Of course, it is impossible to blame Rami Malek for not singing instead of Mercury, because Elton John's vocal abilities are much more modest. And yet, when the artist himself performs the songs in the film, it's a nice addition.

Fantastic shooting

In the description of the film, it is no coincidence that you can see the note "fantasy musical". The picture looks exactly like this. Departing from the traditions of building biographies, "Rocketman" relies on brightness and beauty. Therefore, Elton John can be transported into his own childhood, and then literally soar above the stage.

Musical numbers are more reminiscent of "Moulin Rouge" than "Bohemian Rhapsody": the characters communicate through songs. This removes the unnecessary realism that turns the plot into a cliché. After all, even the scene with a drug overdose and attempted suicide is presented through music. And it looks much more emotional than if everything was like in life.

The image of Elton John itself gives the authors space: his bright and sometimes crazy costumes, glasses, eccentric behavior on stage and in life. The costumes and the director had only to repeat it on the screen, and the extravaganza is ready.

But they went even further, creating a stunning visuals. At the last Oscar ceremony, the Bohemian Rhapsody award for the best editing caused a lot of controversy, since the film was torn and small cuts of frames. "Rocketman" again seems to disown its predecessor. Some scenes were shot in very long frames, and some musical numbers even create the effect of no editing at all, sweeping through the years of Elton John's life or turning his romantic meeting into an almost cartoon clip.

Therefore, "Rocketman" really looks like a fabulous musical fantasy, which does not negate its sincerity and emotionality.

The problem with censorship

Unfortunately, the release of the film in Russian distribution was not without a scandal. Elton John himself has repeatedly stated that he would like to see a real story in the picture without embellishment. And these are problems with personal life, and drug addiction.

In Russia, the film was labeled "18+", but distributors still cut out several scenes from it: Elton John's kiss with a black musician, kissing and sex with manager John Reed (Richard Madden), as well as one of the drug use scenes and the final title. where it is reported that the singer still found his love.

The distributor Central Partnership refers to Russian legislation, although in reality it only restricts the promotion of homosexuality among children, and drug use is shown here exclusively in a negative way. And it is all the more strange that at some sessions in the advertising block they show a trailer for the film "Vita and Virginia", in which two girls are kissing.

The scenes of homosexual sex and drug addiction in "Rocketman" are not an end in themselves, but an important part of the story and plot. In the original, the script of the film is built according to the clear laws of drama: phrases from the beginning of the plot develop in the second part and end in the finale. By cutting out these scenes, the distributors violated the integrity and meaning of some of the lines.

It becomes incomprehensible how Elton John realized his homosexuality and how it changed his life. The feeling of his sincere and warm relationship with Reed is lost, which then develops into a toxic affection. And the absence of the final title does not end the words of the hero's mother, who asserted that he was doomed to loneliness.

Therefore, in this case, censorship does not save one from some shocking scenes (in the original they are quite chaste), but only prevents the viewer from fully understanding the artist's life story.

But even the docked "Rocketman" remains a great and striking film. It has a lot of songs that you want to listen to after the session, great acting and amazing filming. And most importantly - a touching and sincere thought that Elton John has been trying to convey to the public for many years: you need to accept yourself as you are.