The loneliness behind the glitz.....

Rating: 8/10 (2 January 2016)

As a child I remember Liberace popping up from time to time on TV. Somehow even back then there was something "unsettling" about the man. It had nothing to do with his sexuality, as I child that mean't little to me. What I do remember is thinking the facade the man presented to the world hid something rather sad and empty.
Behind the Candelabra, offers up an image of Liberace as a man who appears to have everything but, in fact, has nothing. Liberace as he admits himself, is a marketing product, Lee as he prefers to be called, worked very hard to create.
There is too, no denying the man's musical talent or his intellect. His sharp humour and insight can not easily be dismissed. That said, for all his material success, his glitzy shows, expensive cars, overstated mansions and young paramours, Liberace was a lonely, isolated figure.
Liberace is a victim of his own success and the times he lived in. He can not openly admit his sexual preferences for fear of losing his career and he can not be sure who his friends are and who is simply out to take advantage of his considerable wealth (for the large part of his time in show business he was the highest paid entertainer in the world).
The result as this film ably shows, is a man who leads a strained, sad, rather superficial existence. Surrounded for the most part by quislings and hanger on's. A man so worried about his outward appearance he resorts to plastic surgery that leaves him sleeping with his eyes partly open. Indeed, even his partner Scott Thornson, is compelled to have surgery to look more like Liberace. It seems the only person Liberace can really trust in and have any measure of love for, is himself.
Its a sad tale, with beautiful sets and a very camp feel to it. Michael Douglas hands in a excellent, if slightly overstated, performance as Liberace. Personally, I felt Matt Daemon was somewhat more convincing, as Liberace's partner, Scott Thorson.
All in all this is an excellent, very interesting film, that explores the unglamorous reality that lurks behind the glitzy veneer of the US entertainment industry. Eight out of ten from me.