"Behind the Candelabra"

I have been looking forward to this film for some time. Ever since it was first announced that Academy Award winner Michael Douglas was going to play Liberace, I knew that this was a film that I had to watch. I could see that with some make-up that there would be a resemblence between the actor and the music cabaret star.

With a leading Oscar winner in the main role, and an equally talented Oscar winning Matt Damon playing the love interest, through into that Director Steven Soderbergh, and you get the makings of a highly anticipated film.
The film stars with the music star at the height of career. Living the life that the rest of us can only dream about. It is whilst he is performing on stage that he first meets Scott, the man who is to become his partner for the next few years. Liberace was always so secretive about his sexuality and he brought down the wrath of God upon anyone who would refer to him as being gay. That being said, it never stopped him from enjoying relationships with young men, whether it be a one night stand or something more permanent, as was the case with Scott Thorson.
It is a fascinating insight into the life of a true music legend, both the public life and the very private one. He had no problem flaunting his sexuality when in the privacy of his own home, even in front of his staff, but it was never done in front of the public. And this led to tension between the two. As Lee was happy to stay at home, and Scott wanted to go out, have fun, party. They had a highly sexual relationship for several years, but things started to break down. In the end they seperated.

A lot of what is told on screen is very accurate. There was a bitter legal dispute over ownership of properties when Scott tried to sue Liberace. Seeing the relationship on screen  makes for great viewing. The two lead actors give amazing performances, but for me it is Michael Douglas who gives a career best performance as the man himself. Someone recently commented that both lead actors were too old to play their roles by a good ten years. Certainly that can be said of Matt Damon who is 20 years the senior of when Thorson met Liberace.
But this remains an example of good old fashioned story telling, with a great love story at the centre of it, and two of Hollywood's finest at the top of their game. Rob Lowe is also wonderful funny as a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, who has clearly been under the knife too many times.

So with such a great cinematic experience, it will be nice to sit back and look forward to seeing Michael Douglas get another much deserved Best Actor nomination next January.....oh hang on. Wait a minute. I forgot. All the American studios were total wimps and would not finance a film featuring gay leading characters, and so the film failed to get a cinematic release.
All I can say is thank goodness for Entertainment One, who managed to secure a release in the UK and it has found similar success with other distribution companies for most of the rest of the civilized world.

If this is Soderburgh's final film, then he goes out in style......9 out of 10