"The Right Profile" is one of the greatest songs ever produced by The Clash. Appearing on what is widely regarded as one of the five best rock and roll albums of all time, "London Calling," the song is a tough but ultimately tender tribute to actor Montgomery Clift. The double meaning of the title's song refers to the fact that Clift looked different in each of his two profiles due to a near-tragic automobile accident in which he may well have been saved from death by the heroic efforts of his close friend Elizabeth Taylor. In a few years, you may be able to count on millions of new fans thinking the song is actually about the band's singer/songwriter Joe Strummer. Actress Julie Delpy has announced plans to direct a biopic of Joe Strummer titled "The Right Profile."
If Delpy wanted to name her biographical cinematic presentation after a song about the face of the Clash she could always have opted for "Joe Strummer." That song, by Cowboy Mouth, is about a guy who kicks to the curb an otherwise okay chick because she doesn't know who Joe Strummer is. The song is fast, furious and features a riff that fans of the Clash's "Career Opportunities" will find quite familiar. Cowboy Mouth's tribute to Joe Strummer seems a much better title and opening song for Delpy's planned pic than the Clash's own "The Right Profile." Let Montgomery Clift have his own biopic. No, wait, forget I said that!
Julie Delpy seems a strange choice to lens a movie about the punk rock icon. She's a bit ethereal and her resume doesn't exactly indicate a woman familiar with the punk rock scene. Which may be all the more reason why she should. Someone sporting punk tattoos and wearing ripped shirts and jeans might approach the story of Joe Strummer, the Clash and punk rock from a perspective that is way too obvious. One of the underlying strains of punk rock is rejection and rebellion. Look at the way the members of Gang of Four presented themselves. They looked more like college students than an essential element at the tip of the vanguard of the punk revolution. Which, of course, is exactly what they were. In both cases.
A number of movies have already been made about the Clash, but, as with punk rock itself, no single vital film has yet managed to capture the spirit, drive and style of the rock movement. Julie Delpy may not be the perfect choice, but at least she knows who Joe Strummer is.
Find out who Timothy Sexton is by clicking on the links below:
London Calling: 30 Years Later
Montgomery Clift: Cinema's Forgotten Rebel
29 Punk Rock Essentials for Your Collection
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