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Cinematographic genre
A film à clef (or cinéma à clef , movie à clef ,
[1] film à clé (French pronunciation:
[film a kle] ), French for "film with a key") is a
film describing real life, behind a façade of
fiction .
[2] "Key" in this context means a table one can use to swap out the names.
Film à clef is the film equivalent of the literary
roman à clef , and the two share the same techniques.
[1]
Many films à clef are
biopics of Hollywood personalities.
[1]
Selected notable films à clef
8½ (1963) is based on
Federico Fellini 's experience suffering from "
director's block ."
[3]
8 Mile '’ (2002) is inspired by the life of
Eminem .
21 (2008)
Adaptation (2002); while parts of the film are adapted from
Susan Orlean 's non-fiction book
The Orchid Thief , most of the film is a heavily fictionalized account of
Charlie Kaufman 's difficulty in adapting the book into a screenplay.
All Good Things (2010) is inspired by the life of
Robert Durst .
All the King's Men (1949), is based on the life of
Huey Long .
[4]
All That Jazz (1979) musical film by Bob Fosse loosely based on his struggle with life and health during post production of his 1974 film
Lenny and his 1975 Broadway musical
Chicago .
[5]
Almost Famous (2000), is based on writer, director
Cameron Crowe 's experience as a teenaged writer for
Rolling Stone magazine.
Alpha Dog (2006), based on the story of
Jesse James Hollywood and the
murder of Nicholas Markowitz .
Annie Hall (1977), believed to be a version of
Woody Allen 's own relationship with
Diane Keaton (whose birth name is Diane Hall). Allen has denied this in interviews, however.
The Birth of a Nation (1915), Austin Stoneman is based on
Thaddeus Stevens .
The Carpetbaggers (1964),
[1] based on the book by
Harold Robbins , whose main character, Jonas Cord, is influenced by
Howard Hughes
Casino (1995) is based on
Frank Rosenthal and the
Stardust casino.
[4]
Citizen Kane (1941), is partially based on the life of
William Randolph Hearst .
[1]
A Cock and Bull Story (2005)
[6]
The Devil Wears Prada (2006) is based on
Vogue magazine editor
Anna Wintour .
Diva (1981) is based on the early European career of soprano
Jessye Norman .
Dreamgirls (2006), the
musical film based on the career of
The Supremes .
The Celebration (1998) was based on an alleged real-life story that director
Thomas Vinterberg heard on Danish radio.
The Fabelmans (2022), loosely based on
Steven Spielberg 's adolescence and first years as a filmmaker.
[7]
The Five Heartbeats (1991) inspired loosely by the lives of
The Temptations ,
The Dells ,
The Four Tops ,
Wilson Pickett ,
James Brown ,
Sam Cooke ,
Frankie Lymon and others.
[8]
The Goddess
[1] (1958) said to be based on
Marilyn Monroe .
The Greek Tycoon (1978),
[1] influenced by
Aristotle Onassis .
The Great Dictator (1940), Adenoid Hynkel is based on
Adolf Hitler .
The Mechanism (TV series): about Brazilian political corruption.
Guru (2007), based on the rise and business practices of
Dhirubhai Ambani .
Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)
[9]
I'm Not There (2007), a series of stories loosely inspired by the life of
Bob Dylan . While some segments are more literal interpretations of parts of Dylan's life (such as the segment featuring
Cate Blanchett ), others are heavily fictionalized accounts inspired by Dylan's music (such as the segment featuring
Richard Gere ).
Imitation of Life (1934)
[1]
Iruvar (1997), Tamil movie based on true events surrounding the tenuous friendship and later intense political rivalry between
Karunanidhi and
M.G. Ramachandran .
Last Days (2005), a barely concealed dramatization of
Kurt Cobain 's final days.
[4]
The Last Samurai (2003), inspired by the 1876
Satsuma Rebellion and also on the story of
Jules Brunet , a French army captain who fought in the
Boshin War .
The Last Tycoon (1976)
[1]
[4]
The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004), which features a protagonist based loosely on
Jacques-Yves Cousteau .
[10]
Lost in Translation (2003); Charlotte and John are believed to be based loosely on writer-director
Sofia Coppola and her ex-husband,
Spike Jonze .
Magnolia (1999), is loosely inspired by
Paul Thomas Anderson 's experience in dealing with his father's death from cancer.
Mr. Arkadin (1955)
Monsieur Verdoux (1947), Henri Verdoux is based on
Henri Désiré Landru .
Network (1976)
[1]
The Power and the Glory (1933) is loosely based on the life of
C.W. Post .
Primary Colors (1998) is a thinly veiled depiction of
Bill Clinton 's
1992 presidential campaign .
[11]
The killers in
Psycho (1960),
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), and
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) are all modeled closely after
Ed Gein , who murdered two women, robbed many graves, and made clothing and furniture out of human skin and bones.
The killers in
Rope (1948),
Compulsion (1959),
Scream (1996),
Funny Games (1997 and 2008), and
Murder by Numbers (2002) are all believed to be based on infamous kidnapper-murderer duo
Leopold and Loeb , who attempted to commit the
perfect crime after learning of
Friedrich Nietzsche 's
Ubermensch Theory .
[12]
[13]
[14]
Saving Private Ryan (1998), based loosely on the
Niland brothers .
Scarface (1932), is largely based on the life of
Al Capone .
The Sea Hawk (1940), Geoffrey Thorpe is based on
Sir Francis Drake .
The Shootist (1976)
Stagecoach (1939), Doc Boone is based on
Doc Holliday .
A Star Is Born (1937)
[16]
Stillwater (2021) is based on the experiences of Curt and
Amanda Knox , although the film hinges on the prosecution's disproven version of the
incident .
Sunset Boulevard (1950)
[1]
Sweet Smell of Success (1957) is based on the life of
Walter Winchell .
[4]
Talk Radio (1988)
[17]
Velvet Goldmine (1998) is largely based on the career of
David Bowie .
White Hunter Black Heart (1990)
[18] based on film director
John Huston
Withnail & I (1987) is based on the experiences of writer/director
Bruce Robinson , represented in the film by "I" (
Paul McGann ), and his friend
Vivian MacKerrell , represented in the film by Withnail (
Richard E. Grant ), as struggling actors living in
Camden Town in the late 1960s. The character of Uncle Monty (
Richard Griffiths ) is based on Italian film director
Franco Zeffirelli , who Robinson claims made amorous advances during the filming of
Romeo and Juliet .
Z (1969) is a thinly veiled account of the events surrounding the 1963 assassination of Greek politician
Grigoris Lambrakis , which was part of the series of events that led to the country's
1967 military coup .
See also
References
^
a
b
c
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f
g
h
i
j
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"Films à clef - LC Linked Data Service: Authorities and Vocabularies" . id.loc.gov . Library of Congress. Retrieved 16 August 2017 .
^ Truffaut, François (1994).
The films in my life . Da Capo Press. p. 131.
ISBN
978-0-306-80599-8 . Retrieved 2012-05-01 . [
permanent dead link ]
^ Kezich, Tullio.
"8 ½: When "He" Became "I" " . The Criterion Collection .
^
a
b
c
d
e
"Subgenre - Film a Clef" . AllMovie .
^
"All That Jazz" . The Criterion Collection .
^ Smith, Damon (2010).
Michael Winterbottom: Interviews . Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 98.
ISBN
978-1-60473-841-4 .
^
"How 'The Fabelmans' Draws From Steven Spielberg's Life" . Time . 2022-09-14. Retrieved 2023-08-11 .
^
"The Five Heartbeats (1991) - Robert Townsend | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
^
Movie Discussion: John McNaughton's Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer (1986)|Girl Meets Freak
^
"Wes Anderson in Oklahoma" . The Criterion Collection .
^
"The Best Film A Clef Movies of All Time" . Flickchart .
^ Ihnat, Gwen (7 March 2024).
"3 Body Problem looks as grand as Game Of Thrones in final trailer" . The A.V. Club . Retrieved 9 March 2024 .
^ Lybarger, Jeremy (26 July 2018).
"Reopening the Case Files of Leopold and Loeb" . The Paris Review . Retrieved 9 March 2024 .
^ Jordan, Zoe (21 September 2022).
"Scream: The Real Life Murderers Billy & Stu Were Based On" . ScreenRant . Retrieved 9 March 2024 .
^
"Is 'A Star Is Born' Based on a True Story?" . June 7, 2018.
^
"Talk Radio (1988) - Oliver Stone | Synopsis, Characteristics, Moods, Themes and Related | AllMovie" – via www.allmovie.com.
^ Sara Anson Vaux (2014).
Clint Eastwood: A Biography: A Biography . ABC-CLIO. p. 83.
ISBN
978-1-4408-2998-7 .
Works cited
Further reading
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