Liberace – Zuviel des Guten ist wundervoll (2013)

Liberace – Zuviel des Guten ist wundervoll: Directed by Steven Soderbergh. With Matt Damon, Scott Bakula, Eric Zuckerman, Eddie Jemison. A chronicle of the tempestuous six-year romance between megastar singer Liberace and his young lover Scott Thorson.

“Congrats to HBO for having the guts to produce a script which mainstream studios refused to consider. u0026quot;Behind The Candelabrau0026quot; gives us a story about Liberaceu0026#39;s personal life, from the POV of his one time lover, u0026quot;blond Adonisu0026quot; Scott Thorson. The plot spans some ten years, from 1977 to Liberaceu0026#39;s death in 1987.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAside from his public persona, Liberace (Michael Douglas) comes across as egotistical, daring, self-absorbed, and to some extent old-fashioned in his values and beliefs. Scott Thorson (Matt Damon) comes across as passive, a tad lazy, and lacking in foresight and intellect. The plotu0026#39;s first half presents us with a love story. In the second half, reality sets in. One gets the feeling that though there may have been love between the two, Scott is just one more object for Liberace to collect, which was easy for him given his wealth. That kind of material relationship speaks poorly of both men.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis film has a big cast, and some well-known names. Rob Lowe is terrific as a humorously bizarre plastic surgeon. Debbie Reynolds, as Leeu0026#39;s elderly mother, is so good that she is unrecognizable. Nearly all of the actors give fine performances. Michael Douglas especially deserves credit given that Liberaceu0026#39;s mannerisms and image are so well known.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eLavish custom costumes, detailed and elaborate production design, tons of subtle and not-so-subtle makeup all combine to add enormously to the storyu0026#39;s credibility, as does the cinematography. Interior lighting makes Liberaceu0026#39;s on-stage performances come alive. Music is, not unexpectedly, what Liberace liked, to some extent stuffy and old-fashioned.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eI was never a Liberace fan. But he was a much-beloved entertainer and talented pianist, who had a long show business career. That the Hollywood studios turned this script down tells us a great deal about Hollywood. The real hero in this film is not a character so much as it is HBO. Maybe there is hope that quality films can still be made, despite cowardly industry insiders.”