Elton John film documents singer's farewell tour

A caller documentary astir Sir Elton John's last tour, co-directed by his hubby David Furnish, has premiered astatine the London Film Festival.

The Farewell Yellow Brick Road circuit played to audiences astir the satellite betwixt 2018 and 2023, longer than expected owed to delays enforced by the pandemic.

Elton John: Never Too Late focuses connected the star's instrumentality to Dodger Stadium successful Los Angeles, 47 years aft helium archetypal played successful beforehand of 110,000 fans astatine the venue.

But the documentary, which has conscionable played the London Film Festival, has had a mixed reception from critics.

Variety said "the archetypal King of Pop gets the satisfying documentary helium deserves", but the Guardian described it arsenic a "thin representation of a philharmonic genius".

The circuit footage is interspersed with archive worldly focusing connected Sir Elton's popularity earlier successful his career, peculiarly the 1970s.

Furnish and Sir Elton were among the guests attending the film's London premiere astatine the Royal Festival Hall connected Thursday.

The film's merchandise follows a biopic, Rocketman, which came retired successful 2019 and starred Taron Egerton arsenic Sir Elton.

The caller documentary is produced by Sir Elton's hubby and manager David Furnish, who besides co-directs it with RJ Cutler.

It focuses connected Sir Elton's 2022 performance astatine Dodger Stadium successful Los Angeles, a venue helium archetypal played successful 1975.

Using the stadium arsenic a communal dominator allows the film's timeline to leap backmost and distant and research however Sir Elton, and nine astir him, has changed implicit the decades.

The astir evident quality is the cognition towards homosexuality. Sir Elton said helium was bisexual successful a 1976 interrogation with Rolling Stone. He reflects successful the movie that being unfastened astir his sexuality wounded his career.

But today, helium is 1 of millions of cheery radical astir the satellite who person the close to wed and commencement families.

Sir Elton besides doesn't shy distant from admitting his cause usage astatine the tallness of his fame, and the antagonistic interaction it had connected his songwriting.

Sections which woody with that, arsenic good arsenic different issues and stories for which nary footage exists, are represented connected surface by photographs and animated sequences.

The film, released adjacent month, has received varied reviews truthful far. The Guardian's Radheyan Simonpillai noted the impetus of telling the communicative present was that Sir Elton wants to mostly discontinue from music, successful bid to walk much clip with his hubby and children.

"However, the movie seldom lives successful that space," helium continued successful his two-star review, "because the film-makers, who understandably privation privateness erstwhile it comes to their family, stock truthful small of it. That leaves its affectional arc much assumed than felt."

The movie is "a competent but mostly accepted look astatine John, which focuses connected the astir documented portion of his life: His astronomical emergence successful the archetypal fractional of the 1970s," wrote IndieWire's Esther Zuckerman.

It's existent that the documentary arguably doesn't radiance overmuch caller airy connected Sir Elton's beingness and career, and audio interviews the vocalist recorded for his memoir successful 2019 are utilized arsenic the film's narration.

However, Variety's Owen Gleiberman was much positive. "We acquisition the staggering magnitude of stardom Elton achieved, the candy rapture of his music, close on with the anxiousness and hollowness helium was feeling," helium wrote.

And Alejandra Martinez of AwardsWatch said the "simple, well-made documentary" provides a "welcome look astatine and farewell to an unmatched dependable successful popular music".

Sir Elton retired from touring pursuing his drawstring of shows, but has said helium whitethorn inactive bash occasional one-off unrecorded performances successful the future.

Earlier this week, Sir Elton collected the Legacy prize astatine the Attitude Awards, a mag and media marque dedicated to LGBT community.

Ed Sheeran presented the prima with the award, making Sir Elton its 2nd recipient aft the Duke of Sussex collected the honour successful 2017 connected behalf of his mother, Diana, the Princess of Wales.

After immoderate spicy connection astir Tesla and X proprietor Elon Musk successful his acceptance speech, Sir Elton dedicated the grant to his family; hubby David Furnish and their opus Zachary and Elijah.

"I emotion my husband, my children - I person benefits arsenic a cheery antheral I ne'er thought I'd beryllium capable to have," Sir Elton said.

"Thank you, David, I emotion you so, so, truthful precise much. We've travel a agelong way. And we're precise fortunate to unrecorded successful a state that gives america the rights we have.

"But determination are inactive radical who don't person those rights, and I mean to combat for those rights until the time I die."

Earlier this year, Sir Elton won an Emmy for his performance film, Farewell From Dodger Stadium, earning the prestigious EGOT presumption - a victor of an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award.

The singer's adjacent projects see the opening of the philharmonic The Devil Wears Prada, for which helium wrote the music, successful London's West End.