Let yourself go & bask in the dazzle of the diamonds. Queentastic!

Rating: 8/10 (19 July 2013)

When Stephen Soderbergh announced his retirement as a director, he may have told a little porky. Though it was reported he would no longer direct for the big screen (indeed, Behind the Candelabra was produced as a TV movie for HBO), his latest foray behind the camera has deservedly earned a cinematic release in the UK, at least, in a similar manner to which Truly Madly Deeply did in 1990 following great acclaim after it's initial airing on TV.
If this is to be his swansong, what a way to flounce out! Based on Scott Thorson's (played here by Matt Damon in sparkling form) exposé, Behind the Candelabra: My Life With Liberace, this is a fluffy boa wrapped around a lead pipe; soft to touch and a little exciting but able to cause a headache of you cross it. Soderbergh has once again proved to be a master of control in handling a flamboyant story about a great pretender, that could easily become a tawdry pastiche on less skilled hands.
Michael Douglas is beautifully queenly as the maestro Liberace. He sails onto the stage in the opening scene, dazzles at once as his fingers dance across the ivory keys and doesn't stop preening, even when his character's body fails and fades. No, that's not a plot spoiler if you understand this is based on truth and we all die. You don't need to have read the book to grasp that! Douglas inhabits Liberace with a delicate grip and wonderful manipulation of the screen and all those around him. It is staggering to realize that most of the pianist's adoring public was completely unaware (either genuinely or by subconscious decision) that their idol was gay, and Douglas' presentation of him on the screen renders it impossible to see him any other way.
But though he is obviously brash, camp and regal, not far below the makeup is a man who struggles with the need to be loved, the obsession to be in subtle control and the fear that he will achieve neither. Why else would he invent girlfriends and hide his truth so solidly while tantalizing the press and fans with unabashed excess? Freddie Mercury was perhaps the greatest showman to strut across a stage, but Liberace was a unique monarch of glitz and glamour and Douglas is flawless in resurrecting him.
Damon rarely disappoints in his career and has proved to be equally comfortable as a romantic dad (We Bought a Zoo) as when playing the action man (Bourne), with a great deal of variety between. As Scott, the closet gay country boy turned Liberace plaything, Damon astounds again as he gently excites in his fearless approach to a character the bigots will despise (though I'm sure most will damn Behind the Candelabra without seeing it). Scott's excitement dissolves into his own brand of neediness and torture and Damon effortlessly presents us with a multi-dimensional man who continually evolves, both for better and for worse, upon the screen. While Liberace may be the star, Behind the Candelabra is truly a double act from two actors in their finest form.
If Behind the Candelabra had received an original cinematic release and we were mid-way through our post-Christmas diets, I would predict Oscar nominations for both Douglas and Damon. However, they must contend themselves with Emmy nods as Behind the Candelabra waits to see how many of its 15 nominations turn to gold.
Beyond the two star turns, honorable mention must go to the almost unrecognizable Dan Aykroyd as Seymour Heller, the puppeteer tugging the strings of Liberace's business and purse. Part snake, part sledgehammer, Heller is a man always less than pleasant to those who aren't his boss and Aykroyd is a revelation in a performance (and makeup) that is far removed from what we expect from him.
While many have and will continue to turn their noses up at a biopic of a long-dead queen who denied the truth up to his death, it is not necessary to know about Liberace's life nor be a fan to enjoy Behind the Candelabra. It might help, but it is far more important to understand this is a film for those who applaud actors for breaking their own moulds and who delight in surprising performances. Go on have a gay moment; let yourself go and bask in the dazzle of the diamonds.
Soderbergh's next slated directorial project is TV miniseries The Knick, staring Clive Owen. Tantalizing though that is, life just isn't going to be the same without another Soderbergh cinema release to look forward to. We can only hope he was economical with the truth about his retirement.
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