This Train Don't Stop There Anymore

From Videoville

artist: Elton John
director: David LaChapelle
label:
year: October 31,2001 - revised ending

treatment

The video opens back stage at mid-1970s rock concert rich with saturated colors, energy and movement. Backstage workers and '70's scenesters pass through frame as we pan toward an artist getting make-up and hair seated at a luminous mirror amidst bustling people. A glam jacket is placed on the artist's shoulders. His hands are adorned with jewels. We move to a close shot as the artist turns revealing a boyish, 20-something Elton John.

We gasp at the sight of the young Elton for he seems too perfect to believe. The scene is so meticulously re-created, the styles and colors so true to period, every detail so faithful, accurate and cinematically grand it's as if we've been transported back in time. The actor portraying Elton is striking double (with help of make-up, styling and prosthetics). This is not a mimic doing a parody; this is a nuanced performance. It's not just the costume and the fresh-faced look; this actor embodies young Elton in his every aspect and mannerism. It's an uncanny, amazing, mind-blowing resemblance.

Now dressed for the show, young Elton begins his long walk to the stage lip-synching the song. Elton wears flamboyant clothes, but he was never an effeminate person or performer. He often looked outrageous, but Elton has always been a serious artist. He's brilliant at striking poses, but in the end it's only a pose. Hence the actor who portrays young Elton must be capable of subtlety and a wide range of looks, attitudes and emotions. The overall effect of the video is spectacular and over-the-top, but the performance will be studied, focused, and understated.

Escorted by an entourage of managers, assistants, and various hangers-on, Elton pushes his way past screaming groupies and rabid fans down a hallway lit by stadium lights. It's like a scene from "The Rose" with all the realism that suggests. This isn't a cartoon or a joke-y look at '70s cultural iconography. There's nothing ironic here at all. This is a full dramatic performance piece teeming with genuine moments and subtle emotions. It's a real slice of glam rock life from a vivid bygone era and a superstar legend turn by the actor playing young Elton.

Moving down the hallway Elton stops to take a photo with a cop who wants an autograph, slipping effortlessly into his role as magnanimous superstar, them resuming a more determined aspect as he moves on. Elton enters a door off the hallway where a raging party is taking place-wrong turn. This is like back stage VIP lounge filled with oversexed, drugged out party people, women wearing skimpy, glitzy outfits, everyone pawing at Elton to get him to hang for a bit. Elton keeps moving because he's gotten past this part of his life and "This train don't stop there anymore…"

The journey continues through this over-the-top stadium show environment. Elton encounters record execs who need him to shake a hand. He consorts with the glitterati, the jet-setters, the fashionable people and iconic '70s celebs like Twiggy and Bernie Taupin. It's an endless barrage of visual decadence…and Elton moves through it all like the eye in the center of the storm. This song is all about turning the page and reconciling one's past with the present. The long hallway, the journey from dressing room to stage is a metaphor for Elton's journey through life and his career with all the temptations, the excesses, and the highs and lows of the superstar's existence.

Throughout this visual spree, young Elton- i.e. the actor playing this role-remains the focus of the camera's eye. We capture his every look, his every gesture, the subtleties of his emotional responses. In spite of the visual hoopla this is really a highly detailed personal journey. Watching Elton's journey we're witnessing his intelligence, his tenderness, his composure, and his humor. It's a brilliant, focused, understated performance by the actor playing Elton John.

At the end of the hallway there's a black curtain that leads to the stage. Young Elton approaches this curtain, pauses, and walks through. The screen fades to black as flash bulbs sparkling like diamonds illuminate the sea of darkness and we hear the sound of a crowd beginning to cheer wildly.

Casting the role of young Elton is obviously crucial to the success of this clip. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for a young actor or musician. I'd like to recommend Justin Timberlake to fill this role. He will bring a different quality to the character. I'm sure he could pull this off on a uniquely spectacular way.

I'm very excited about this video. It's a completely fresh concept unlike anything every done for an MTV audience. It's an amazing dramatic performance wrapped up in a high-concept 3-minute short film. It's also a special song from a great album that reminds people of a different era when lyrics meant something and melodies were original. This is what people want to hear now and I want to give then what they want to see now. I want this video to have the same sense of integrity and meticulous attention to detail as the Moby video I did with Christina Ricci. I want to represent this era faithfully and accurately, and I want to bring Elton's character to life in the most genuinely moving, meaningful and cinematic way. The result should be unforgettable.