DISCLAIMER: This article contains spoilers for the Rocketman movie. It also contains direct and indirect references to substance abuse, addiction, drugs, mental health issues, and suicide.
“It’s time to do something bold, Elton. Granted, America’s a bit of a gamble. And you f*** it up and I’ll kill you. And Ray will go too. He’ll keep an eye on you. Buy yourself some new clothes. Something flashy. Let them know who you are. Put on a great f***ing show, and just don’t kill yourself with drugs. Yeah?”
Hi, my name is Rosalie, and if you know me, there’s gonna come a time where you’ll be confronted with my love for Rocketman. In the first year after I saw the movie in theatres, I watched it 12 times. 11 of those times in half a year. 3 of those times in less than 48 hours. The first time was in May 2019, as a Mother’s Day present to my mom, and I barely knew Elton John. But what I remember most, was sitting in my chair as the after credits rolled over the screen and being overwhelmed by more emotions than I could keep track of. This was it, I knew. This is what I wanted to do. Tell stories that had such an impact on people as this movie had on me. I have since changed my mind about my future occupations, but one thing that hasn’t changed is my immense love for the movie.
The only way to tell his story… is to live his fantasy.
And what a fantasy. Rocketman has it all: the glitter and the glamour, the banter and the love, the trauma, the downfall, the support, and the rise back up. It’s a story that my literature classes could barely begin to analyse.
It tells the story of Elton John – or how Reggie Dwight became him. Elton John is a singer, pianist, and composer, who grew up in a small British suburb and was launched into a career as musician after he started working with songwriter Bernie Taupin. As he became one of the top-selling solo artists of all time, he faced childhood trauma, abusive relationships, and began to depend on alcohol and drugs to sustain his daily activities. Quite a story to cover in 121 minutes.
Technically, the story is narrated by Elton himself, during several of his group therapy sessions. Because of this, the story itself is interrupted by flashbacks, adding a more personal layer to an already emotionally-charged story. There’s self-reflection (“It shows progress to take accountability for your actions.” “Yeah, but I started acting like a c*nt in 1975. I just forgot to stop.”), there’s a casual confrontation with what’s at the core of his mental issues (“You’re not scared you’re not good without [the drinks and the drugs]. You’re scared to feel again.”), there’s closure (“Mum, I know it was never easy. And I hope you can forgive me. Because I’ve realised that’s what we need to do now. Forgive each other.”). There’s multiple scenes of Elton (and occasionally Bernie) literally looking into mirrors (which genuinely say more than a thousand words ever could), and when, at the end of the movie, Elton John gives his younger self the hug he never got from his father … tissues, anyone?
Of course, there’s some debate regarding the reliability of the story that this biopic tells. Elton’s stepbrothers claim he never gifted their father a watch and there’s some debate towards the true abusiveness of John Reid. And sure, at least half of the songs in the movie were not written at the time that the movie takes place. But that’s one of the best things about this movie: it plays with fact and fiction, never claiming to tell a true story, but instead, telling the fantasy of the person who lived it.
Cinematography
Rocketman owes its name to one of Elton’s hits, Rocketman. And for all the right reasons, because the Rocketman song scene in the movie still has me in awe. After having OD’ed, Elton falls into the pool. As he slowly sinks, his younger self sings to him, wearing a helmet that obviously helps him breathe underwater, but also seems to resemble an astronaut’s helmet … The tunes fade out, Elton is pulled out of the water and driven to the hospital. There, nurses undress him, then dress him up in his show clothes. All the while, Rocketman is playing and there’re once again silhouettes playing against blue skies, dancing a choreography of push and pull, saving Elton from near-drowning and yet fastening symbolic rocks to him that will pull him down to the bottom of the ocean, supported by blue light all over.
The cinematography is just as breath-taking during a scene more towards the end. Elton walks away from his mother in a restaurant, into the bathroom (camera follows), then comes out of the bathroom (camera still follows), and suddenly he’s wearing a different outfit and walking towards his friend, still in the same restaurant. Within seconds, the mood dramatically changes, everything changes, except for Elton, who is in the middle of the frame at all times. Viewers can barely register the change (and it took me several watching sessions before I noticed these details) – it’s subtle and elusive, yet as clear as it could be.
And then lastly, there is, ironically, the opening scene. Imagine a dark hallway, its doors slam open, revealing – against a background of blinding flashlights – a person dressed in a bright orange, with wings and horns and rhinestones all over. Within less than seconds, viewers are thrown into the movie, and into the drama that Elton brings with him. I have only one word: incredible. (I had five words, when my dad put on this movie last weekend and this was the first scene: “I missed watching this movie.”)
The b**** is back
And then there’s the delightfully economic side to it all. Surely I can’t be the only one who bought a ticket to Elton John’s Farewell tour because I had the movie songs still on repeat. From releasing the biopic right before the farewell tour to hiring the kid from Kingsman (Taron Egerton) as the lead with Richard Madden as his love interest — yeah, this movie was bound to be a hit.
So next time you’re in Nijmegen, hit me up, and I’ll show you a movie you will love.
-Rosalie
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Image : Wikipedia
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