Tiny Dancer has always been in my all time top ten, along with Dylan’s Mr Tambourine Man .. and I hesitate because this isn’t about me but a certain Elton and his pen friend Bernie.
The song’s free wheeling imagery – the type that only poetry conveys – seems to capture what is quintessentially ’70s. The bus singalong sequence in the film Almost Famous (2000) recreates something of the magic. But how could you achieve this in a biopic?Rocketman succeeds because it manages to bring the artist to life albeit in an unconventional way. Rather than a formulaic approach, director Dexter Fletcher and screenwriter Lee Hall construct a stream of consciousness portrayal that is, in effect closer to the songs and personality of Elton John (AKA Reginald Dwight) and the word imagery of Bernie Taupin. I had reservations so soon after the Oscar nominated Bohemian Rhapsody but was pleasantly rewarded. Rocketman depicts a young, brilliant musician’s meteoric rise to fame with his unique blend of glamour and originality. You get to see the flawed persona, the outlandish costumes and the showman. I would have loved to have seen Whatever Gets You Through the Night with Lennon but nearly everything else is here. Fletcher has taken a risk in this kaleidoscopic, non-literal approach and in doing so, manages to focus on the music. Taron Egerton’s performance is powerful and he can really sing. A must see.
Director Dextor Fletcher
Screenwriter Lee Hall
Elton John Taron Egerton
Bernie Taupin Jamie Bell
Sheila Farebrother Bryce Dallas Howard
John Reid Jamie Bell
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