Cherchez l'idole

....some people (used to) say they envied 'em...

That was the era of the French yeah yeah boys and girls .Forget the poor plot of a diamond heart (star Mylene Demongeot's most precious jewel)stolen then searched by Franck Fernandel (yes it's Fernandel's son ,he speaks a bit like his father but never managed to make a career as brilliant as his.)So the invaluable gem (50 million Francs at the time) was hidden in a guitar in a music store.And FIVE yeah yeah stars (or four yeah yeah stars and a crooner more like)have bought a guitar in THAT store.Which one has got the jewel in his/her instrument? "Cherchez l'idole" is ,so to speak,a musical ,for every star who could have.... and even others who are not even concerned pull a little tune in the film ;It's a film for those who feel nostalgic for the FRench sixties.

In the record store ,Eddy Mitchell and his "Chaussettes Noires" ("Black Socks") perform "Crois MOI Mon Coeur" .Since ,Mitchell has gone to movies ,while continuing his singer career to the present.He is a true cine buff.Also in the same place ,Sophie sings "Je n'y peux rien" (= I can't do anything about it): her song was prophetic cause she was virtually forgotten the following year.

In the famous Olympia ,managed by Bruno Coquatrix ,Sylvie Vartan performs Aznavour's lovely ballad "La PLus Belle Pour Aller Danser" some kind of French equivalent of "Will you love me tomorrow?"As it is 1964,I 'm wondering whether the Beatles -not appearing of course- were also on the bill.It was during these concerts at the OLympia (with also Trini Lopez) that they learned that "I wanna Hold your hand" had reached number one in America.For the record,other artists appear on stage : Hector, some kind of weirdo ,and the girls/boys group called "Les Surfs" singing "Ca n'a pas d'importance (It does not matter)These six boys and girls from Madagascar were popular before splitting circa 1967 Then it's an interview with Jean-Jacques Debout on Europe #1 radio.Debout was a poor singer but a good songwriter (notably for Johnny Hallyday)He does not perform live but one of his records is played ("Si tu Voulais M'aimer").

Frank Alamo,another shooting star of the sixties ,is starring in a western(?) filmed in the FRench country.More than his undistinguished song ("L'Ange que J'Attendais") ,we notice Claude Piéplu (credited only "Piéplu" in the cast) playing his own part with a Mexican hat.

Nancy Holloway ,a black (I think she is American but I'm not sure)singer hosts the Police ball.Unlike Vartan,Holloway had rhythm ,feeling and a good voice going for her ,but she fell into oblivion after 1965.She performs a rather mediocre song "Prends Garde à Toi" .She deserved better.She did a good French version of Dionne Warwick's "don't make me over" which sadly is not included in the film.

The moment of truth has come:Johnny Hallyday,whose career is still buoyant today ,performs " Bonne Chance" , a good ballad ,complete with strings ...on a bus! The last artist is not a yeah yeah one.He ,too,is still very popular and not only in France.Charles Aznavour performs "Et Pourtant" .Objectively ,he is the best artist of the whole movie.

I have completely forgotten the plot.It does not matter anyway,it's just an excuse for showing the teenage idols to the fans.

I chose 'Cherchez l'idole' as my Christmas day movie. No, this is not a contest for discovering new talents but a French musical film made 55 years ago that transported me in time to the period when I was subscribed to French magazines for children and youth and I was watching from distance the evolution of the musical idols of the French youth grouped into what they called the 'ye-ye generation' - Johnny Hallyday, Sylvie Vartan, Eddy Mitchell. All these and a few others appear and sing in this film together with Charles Aznavour, who was an already established singer at that time. The group of music stars receives as reinforcement a number of other celebrities of the time in cameo appearances, some more consistent (such as that of actress Mylène Demongeot or of Bruno Coquatrix , the director of the famous Parisian Olympia concert hall), some less important. A delicious nostalgic journey for those who are familiar with the music and entertainment world of France in 1964.

Musical films have their rules and non-rules. A realistic or believable story is by no means a mandatory requirement, and 'Cherchez l'idole' does not depart from this non-rule, proposing as a pretext a slightly detective, slightly romantic story whose sole purpose is to put the heroes in search of the stars of the French song that all would have bought the same type of guitar (the model used by Elvis, of course) with delivery in the same morning. On the other hand, the rule of giving each of the musical stars the opportunity to present her or his talent is respected. 1964 was not only the year of the world-wide consecration of the Beatles, but also the year of a generation change in French music that brought to the centers of the stages the singers beloved by teenagers and young people at that time, without neglecting the ones already fampus. The merit of the film lies in the taste and inspiration of the directors in choosing some of the best young singers of the moment, who all made fabulous careers in the half century after that.

About the director Michel Boisrond I confess that I haven't heard much. It seems that he has enjoyed success especially with action films, and he has the merit that here he does not try to experiment too much, thus serving well the purpose and genre of the film. Franck Fernandel, the son of the popular French comedian (with whom he bears a formidable resemblence) is fine in the lead role and its thin pretext story. 'Cherchez l'idole' is first and foremost a documentary snapshot of the year 1964 in French music and, thanks to the music and singers appearing in the film, a more than reasonable entertainment, including for a holiday viewing.