Behind the Candelabra

[newdot]

Just back from 241 orange screening of this & it's enjoyable. Whilst michael douglas has rightly gotten a lot of praise for his performance, at no point did I forget that i was watching michael douglas, the actor. Conversely, matt damon disappeared into his less showy role and was excellent. Also a bit puzzled by the (over) praise rob lowe is getting. OK, he gives an amusing turn, but when the point of his character is largely his plastic / unmoving face, how much acting can he do ?

Its a shame that this was made for a "made for tv" budget. More money & the film locations could have expanded & we could have ended up with something to rival "Boogie Nights". As it is, a quirky 7/10.

[Ms Thrifty]

Caught up with this yesterday, courtesy of a rare Vue voucher (the result of a complaint, but getting some redress was like the proverbial blood from a stone job) and largely enjoyed it. I thought the make-up (etc) was fascinating and excellent - to the point that at times I'm sure it actually distracted me - and the only stage at which I felt slightly less enthusiastic was during the rather-too-realistic pre-plastic-surgery scenes.

[Sheila]

I enjoyed watching the members of the audience as much as the film - a sweet older lady commented " I've learnt a lot from this film " !!!

[rambo9000]

I was really taken by the subtle storytelling of Behind the Candelabra.
A carefully told tale about the stuff love is made of, and how we become attached to the choices we make, even when others might find them morally abject.

[Beate]

Saw this tonight with a voucher in the last showing at the Greenwich Picturehouse before it disappeared.

Thought it was fantastic. Such an insight into a lonely celebrity's life who happened to be gay and trying to hide it (though how anyone could look at this flamboyant and camp character and NOT realise he must be gay is beyond me - hiding in plain sight?) Yes, he was manipulative and controlling but I guess fame makes you like that and it's not like Matt Damon's character got any nicer during the film, on the contrary. The trappings of wealth are ugly sometimes.

I thought both performances were astonishing, particularly Michael Douglas who embodied Liberace so perfectly. I was a bit annoyed at first when the people around me laughed just because he acted so camp but I couldn't help laughing myself at Rob Lowe with his ridiculous haircut. Wasn't expecting to be shown bloody surgeries too! The costumes and make-up were very good. Just about recognized Scott Bakula under an enormous 70s moustache. I didn't think this was too long - they obviously had to cram in a lot of years and sometimes the action jumped a bit too quickly from scene to scene but they couldn't include everything.

Solid 8/10

[RickyRaj]

I really enjoyed the film, thought it was a touch too long however.

I remember Liberace as a showman and an extravagant personality so insights into his life are interesting but, in hindsight, not surprising. Great performances by Douglas and Damon. Must mention Rob Lowe who was also good as the 'sculptor' (as I've labelled him) in this film. 8.5/10.

[The Sparrow]

Thought it was fantastic. Such an insight into a lonely celebrity's life who happened to be gay and trying to hide it (though how anyone could look at this flamboyant and camp character and NOT realise he must be gay is beyond me - hiding in plain sight?)

In hindsight, I wondered how he managed to get away with it too. But in reality, it was a far more innocent time. We never thought to question his sexuality. He was a Grand Showman and the rhinestones and elaborate costumes were just part of the act. I do recall my mum telling me about Cassandra of the Daily Mirror but not sure if that was before or after Lee's death.

Nowadays with the gossip magazines and the Internet, he'd never have been able to hide his homosexuality. Twitter would have outed him long ago.

[elski]

'Behind the Candelabra' did Liberace 'a monumental disservice'
http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/movies/news ... rvice.html