Wednesday different movie theaters in Belgium premiere Cloclo, the biopic about the French singer-songwriter, Claude François, The I Love Belgium team saw the movie in avant-première last week. The biopic portrays him as he was: a tormented star, but also a businessman, a marketing star, a showman, icon of a whole generation, a womanizer, but also a father. And that’s why he still fascinates people more than 30 years after his death.
Cloclo recounts the life of Claude François, from his birth in Egypt, through his first hits, the birth of a legend, his difficult relationship with friends and family and of course to his accidental death by trying to adjust a light bulb when he was standing in his bath. It’ a very realistic (sometimes even naturalistic) biopic, thumbs up for Cloclo’s two sons, who co-produced the movie for allowing director Florent Emilio Siri to show their father how he really was.
But why are we talking about a French artist’s biopic on I Love Belgium? Very simple. First of all Claude François was also very popular in Belgium. His following in this little country is so big that his Belgium fan club even financed a huge statue for his tomb on the cemetery of Dannemois where he is buried.
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Claude François statue in Dannemois financed by his Belgian fan clubI
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He also played a historical concert in the Brussels Forest National in 1974; it was the last concert of his farewell tour (he actually thought he wasn’t going to do anymore live concerts with the upcoming of television shows) and it was the only concert where he fully let go and jumped shirtless into the crowd where he only appeared after minutes full of blacks and bruises.
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Cloclo at Forest National before leaping into the public
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Second of all the lead role in the movie is played by Belgian talented actor Jérémy Renier who ressembles the late singer so much, it is sometimes hard to tell if they’re showing historical imagery or if it is a recreation with one of Belgium’s finest acting export products.
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Jérémy Renier as Claude François
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So if you love Claude François’ music, you love yourself a good biopic or you’re just looking for a good night out at the movies, Cloclo is right for you. And we won’t be surprised if you’d leave the movie theater while singing Alexandrie, Alexandra,…out loud.
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