Cloclo

Biopics are all somewhat un-spoilerable: you know from the first frames, where usually the character is shown as an adorable baby, that such character will do stuff, be famous and/or infamous and then die. That's why, in Cloclo, it's easy to fear the obvious outcome when, in the later part, the characters start to say "see you tomorrow" in an involuntarily ominous way.

I am a fan of French music but not of Claude François. The little I've seen and heard of him, seemed wooden, insincere and dated. All I knew before the film is that he dated France Gall and died young. I didn't know how he died and so to me the end came as a surprise twist, a stunning display of the pointless randomness of life, an almost unsubtle payback fit for a control freak. The surprise made come alive a film that, although hugely enjoyable because of the amazing acting, had to that point submissively followed the blueprint of Every Biopic Ever.

This is not a deep movie but then probably the life of its subject was a bit shallow itself. I wish it had had more historical / contextual references than those it has (Zero? Does a passing mention of Johnny Hallyday count?). Still, director and actors more than save the day: it's a period piece that it's terrific fun.

The untimely death of Claude François at the age 39 was a real earthquake in the world of entertainment, but it was also welcomed with a satirical tone.

Indeed, a renowned French newspaper exploited the context of legislative elections and titled (literally) that the teen idol had just "volted", you get the pun... and the good taste. For a whole generation, Claude François aka Cloclo was a legend, for the media, he was a cultural phenomenon, but he never got the respect of the 'intelligentsia', reducing him to a poor man's Elvis with sappy, syrupy songs and kitschy costumes and choreographic numbers.

But time did justice to his legacy and three decades after his death, like a good wine, his songs have aged well and hit a sensitive nostalgic chord, showing that Cloclo was more than what his 'image' implied. He was a complex 'character' whose ambition and passion hid some deep insecurity, and these are the aspects unveiled by Florent Emilio-Siri's biography film. It is not a groundbreaking movie, it features the usual montages, musical interludes and obligatory mental breakdowns, but it works because the film has a great character.

It was Gabin who said "when you've got a great role, talent just comes naturally". And how! While not as controversial as Serge Gainsbourg, handsome as Johnny Halliday or international as Charles Aznavour, Claude François aka Cloclo was a game-changer, the living incarnation of popular music, pop highlighted. He was a man of extreme versatility with an instinct for lyrics and acute business flair, so you can never really tell if his 'electrifying trances' during concerts were genuine or parts of an act. A little bit of both, the talent of Cloclo was to exploit art for his image and vice versa. On that level, he was the most complete French artist of his time, "great" regardless of any personal bias toward his songs. He always did things "his way".

And the film follows this very way from his childhood in Egypt to his first steps as a drummer, from the first hit "Belle, Belle, Belle" to his pivotal encounter with manager Paul Lederman then his lightning ascension over the French billboards, culminating with "As Usual" (better known as "My Way" across the Atlantic), finally his successful but brief surfing over the 'Disco' wave cut abruptly by his death in 1978 from a freak accident. Cloclo known for his obsessive-compulsion disorders wanted to fix a light bulb while standing on his bathtub... only to join the sordid gallery of celebrities dead in their bathroom. The film doesn't overplay the tragedy, all you see is a man on the top, smiling, he didn't see his death coming, but maybe death was part of a divine scheme.

That's the magic behind "My Way"'s straightforward approach, it shows and we can tell. Speaking for myself, his decade-and-half career didn't have many secrets to me, but I enjoyed the film and the actors because Claude François was a larger-than-life figure, a complete singer and dancer, a showman, an entertainer, an editor, a businessman and while his initial successes were mostly relying on remake to American songs, he came up with one of the most reprized songs of all time. And yet no one would make the connection between Frank Sinatra and Claude François. Even Claude wouldn't dare to approach Ol' Blue Eyes in a hotel corridor. That scene was very poignant and revealing about the vulnerable nature of the singer: he was jealous, he didn't like his ducky voice, his height, his rivalry with Johnny Halliday and always tried to prove something.

A very powerful moment shows a devastated Claude drumming after the passing of his father just when he got his first big break, his father disapproved the career path of his son and Claude didn't have time to earn his pride. I don't know how much of this scene is true but it works on the emotional prism of the film. Claude was known for his glittery extravagant suit, but 'likability' wasn't his strongest one, his career often shown at the expenses of his family ties and romantic relationships. His mother was a gambling-addicted Italian and Claude was a man of many women, sometimes intoxicated by his own power with the younger ones.

The one relationship that worked was his friendship with Paul Lederman, played by a scene-stealing Benoit Magimel. Together, they'll always speak a clear language and identify the moments where they're going too soft and it is time for a little push, that's how he came up with his famous dancers known as the "Claudettes", he edited his magazine and became a phenomenon on the same (national) level as the Beatles. That was Cloclo, an eternal quest for perfection, leading to countless rumors about hidden accounts, hidden children… hidden homosexuality, but he's got always a trick under his sleeve. One of his greatest hits was the well-titled : the "ill-loved".

And that kind of sums up the angle taken by the film, it doesn't over-glorify him, he's not the perfect husband, lover and businessman, in his yacht when asked about the necessity to abandon his model agency, he literally says "I can't get rid of my girls' trap" so Claude did enjoy his success without moderation. And it's for this quest for constant perfection that lead to his untimely death, one that shocked millions of fans and inspired a satirical reaction.

But if he was ill-loved, he was loved nonetheless and his death was the ultimate intervention of fate to make him reach that iconic status, had he been alive, there wouldn't have been a legend Claude François and maybe not a biopic. He wanted to become a legend "his way" but sometime you got to follow the way of higher instances. It was tragic that "Cloclo" died but tragedy is sometimes the stuff legends are made on.

There are two films in CloClo; the first is a very disappointing biopic, flat and monotonous tale about a music freak, which never hesitates to state the obvious, and follows without an hint of originality the pattern of CloClo's life. Its scenario lacks of imagination and pictures a tyrannic Claude François, so full of himself, so ready to do anything to be famous , and killing metaphorically anyone who's got more success than him: such a detestable character.

The second film takes place very gradually in your mind while you're still angry at what you're watching; but, as you feel deep inside that this biopic is nothing but a major failure, you cannot avoid admiring Jérémie Rénier's flawless acting and impersonation , and later you get enthused by Siri's own virtuosity with the camera (the party in the Moulin), and gradually you begin to understand that you enjoy yourself, that you don't want it to stop, never, and that you're anticipating with growing horror the approaching and unavoidable scene of the fatal shower, which leaves you, the audience, and dozens of groupies (some sleeping in his hallway) in tears... And you remember now why you always liked CloClo, why his death in the late seventies represented the end of your own childhood; such an exceptional person...

Jeremie Rénier's performance is a true tour De force ;his portrayal of the late singer is nothing short of exceptional and compares favorably with that of Marion Cotillard as Edith Piaf.

The problem is that,unlike Piaf ,François can't be seriously considered an artist with a genuine creativity to offer:80% of his songbook are covers :the Everly Bros,the early Beatles,the Angels,John Hartford,Barry McGuire (and Ryan) ,Jackie De Shannon,Tom Paxton,Pete Seger,the four Tops,the Temptations,the Bee Gees ,the Hollies,the Four Seasons ,Georgie Fame,Sonny Curtis and even English traditional ballads such as "Geordie",the list is endless :that's why the movie insists on "Comme D'Habitude" ,the singer's only international claim to fame :translated into English by Paul Anka as "my way",it was covered by Sinatra,Elvis and countless others ;to be honest,one should add that another Clo-Clo song "Parce Que Je T'Aime Mon Infant"was also covered by Elvis.There were more originals in the seventies ,although" Dix-Sept Ans" ,which is heard at the beginning ,is Janis Ian's 1975 smash hit "at seventeen" which remained unknown over here .

In the movie ,the singer appears as a selfish ,moody ,unsympathetic,jealous (don't they give the best American songs to Johnny?) character;his relationship with the other singers of the era is passed over in silence (just one hint at Hallyday and "Salut Les Copains " the magazine which was the ye-ye boys and girls bible ;only France GAll appears ,and only because she had a love affair with him circa 1965:the Eurovision Contest phone call is reportedly accurate ,but Gall said that she could not see any likeness between her and the "shrew " of the "Comme D'Habitude" song ,supposedly depicting their breakup .

If you were a boy in a sixties ,Clo-Clo is certainly a nice memory (the original American and English songs were mostly unknown here and in his way , Clo-Clo introduced us to them and I was a fan then );but as a adult,you might find this MOR music futile and forgettable .

But,I say it again:"hats off to Mr Rénier"

I saw My Way yesterday, and I really enjoyed this movie. I'm familiar with the music and the life story of Claude Francois, and I think this helps to appreciate the movie more.

I believe the movie really captivates the spirit of the time, with lots of details, and the right filters. Sometimes original clips are mixed with new scenes, it's hard to tell the difference at times. What a vibrant place must have been France in the 60s and the 70s.

Jeremy Renier as lead actor is a great choice. He acts and sings spot-on, with all the mannerisms that Claude had. His mother also is beautifully portrayed.

The music is an essential part of the film, obviously. These songs are classics in Belgium. Always great to hear them again.

The movie tells his full life story, and it is not a classic 'rise to fame and fall' biopic. Because Claude was still extremely popular when he died. What I learned in the movie that I didn't know is that Claude Francois was quite obsessive, about basically everything. I knew he had a difficult relationship with his dad but I didn't know it was that bad. I do think he needed the applause and the attention of the public, more than anything else. Maybe to fill a void which was always there?

Great movie, definitely worth the watch.