Sam Burcher Is in Hollywood for the North American premier of My Way, just one film in a week of stunning new films shown at the American French Film Festival, October 29-November 3, 2024.

And now, the end is near, and so I face the final curtain…..These are the opening lines from one of the world’s most memorable songs. Lyrics forged from darkness, a heroic lyrical and melodic representation of the dark night of the human soul before the light of a new dawn. Over time, My Way has has been covered by artists as diverse as Nina Simone, Sid Vicious, the Gypsy Kings, and, of course, the grandfather of them all Frank Sinatra. For many his version is the definitive one, which he recorded in one take in 1968. 

What is a man, what has he got? ….This song came at a critical juncture for Sinatra, who was reeling from his divorce from the beautiful actress Ava Gardner. As we learn, one night she simply exits the restaurant in which they were dining to run off with her bull fighter lover. So great was Sinatra’s rejection that, tired after thirty years of touring and recording, he abruptly quit show business. This film explains how a French song restored his life and career and became Sinatra’s comeback theme tune.

My friend, I’ll say it clear, i’ll state my case…. My Way explores the story of how a young Canadian singer/songwriter Paul Anka first heard the original version of this song with French lyrics in France. He dreamt of rewriting the lyrics in English for his friend and hero Frank Sinatra, who affectionately called him “Kiddo.” Anka's English words would became Sinatra’s and many others forthright confession, an admission of a universal state of being, of which we can be certain. 

The film’s directors Thierry Teston and Lisa Azuelos have succeeded in their good intention to reclaim the song for everyone, especially for women. We watch two singing Nina’s - Nina Simone and Nina Hagen - utilising My Way at different, but pivotal points of global social change in the compelling expression of personal freedom. The song has allowed many more women to speak up for themselves and be heard. An exuberant Teston told me ,“It’s a song for everyone. When people listen to it on the train in the morning, they feel powerful.” 

My Way has its own unique narrative by Jane Fonda, whose voice personifies the history and evolution of the song. She is perfectly cast as the Narrator for many reasons: she is a self-confessed Francophile, a peace activist who was living and working in Paris with her husband, the French actor Roger Vadim when the song was recorded in 1968, a troubled year for soldiers in America and students n France. In the context of this intriguing musical documentary, and more broadly for The American And French Film Festival, My Way exemplifies what France can bring to America and what America can bring to France. 

I’ve lived a life that’s full. I travelled each and every highway..Throughout the film we discover intimate details about the song’s composition and musical structure. We learn about its acoustic origins in Paris with Jacques Revaux, Gilles Thibault and Claude Francois, the gifted French writers who created it. Then, we travel to Las Vegas where Anka honed the American version and presented it to his hero. We understand the lyrics as a poetic recitation performed again and again, which never becomes boring. Over 4,000 artists have covered the song and each subsequent incarnation sets My Way on a free and eternal path.

To think I did all that, and may I say not in a shy way….My Way has become a gift for all ages and backgrounds. And, like the song, the film works across a diversity of cultures. It exposes the darker shades of violence erupting around the song and its meaningful choice at the funeral of a courageous leader rubbed out for his beliefs.

But, there is plenty of humour here too. Footage of Sid Vicious’s outrageous version of My Way along with the sharp insights from Malcolm McClaren are laugh out loud funny. An appearance by David Bowie is a welcome sight, and we find out how My Way inspired his own anthem with similar qualities.

And more, much more than this, I did it my way… The film concedes that the lyrics may have narcissistic tendencies. But, perhaps deliberately, overlooks the interpretation of My Way as a song of self-will run riot. Some have claimed it fails to encourage listeners to hand over control of their lives to a higher power. Whether they know it or not, the film makers flip this criticism on its head by concentrating on the joyful notions of self-empowerment, self expression and transformation. For billions of people, including myself, who align with the sentiments of My Way, this film is an engaging celebration of the soundtrack to our lives.

Now in its 28th year, The American And French Film Festival (TAFFF), is a beacon of light for those who love French film in LA. TAFFF continues its focus on education, and to date has invited 38,000 school children to the premiers, sparking curiosity and new perspectives on film. This year a combination of 59 films and television series contended for the TAFFF awards. The Festival commenced with the highly acclaimed film Emilia Pérez, directed by Jacques Audiard, the official French entry for the Oscars presented in collaboration with Netflix.