88 keys to the magic kingdom

Rating: 8/10 (21 December 2013)

This seriously funny and quite heartbreaking biography of Liberace works so completely well that you actually forget what the real Liberace looked like. The fearless performances of both Douglas and Damon with astonishing support from a hilariously well cast Rob Lowe make this film one of the best of 2013. Unfortunately nobody will win an Oscar for any thing to do here because it was a TV movie in the 'States. Internationally it was released successfully in cinemas. With excellent and humorous production values, a lot also filmed in the Liberace museum and home and with some key scenes lifted directly from his awful 1955 romantic drama SINCERELY YOURS, Soderberg's terrific and emotional film literally 'hits all the right notes' for me and ends up being quite a moving experience. Ghastly behavior, petty jealousies and a wry eye for the outrageous, BEHIND THE CANDELABRA would have been a serious Oscar winner had it made the cinemas and not cable. What Damon and Douglas agreed to do nude in this film is as astonishing as the story itself. It is hilariously explicit and with jaw-dropping costumes they clearly enjoyed making this film. Imagine LA CAGE AUX FOLLES in Palm Springs with grand pianos. Great to also see Debbie Reynolds aged 80 on screen still as Momma, hamming it up and celebrating over 50 years as a headline actress.