So. Much. Glitter. Not that that’s a bad thing, really, when we’re talking about Liberace. Some of us (like me) have been waiting a while for a proper full trailer for Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra, starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as his lover Scott Thorson. Now we have that full trailer. And it’s really sparkly.
Let’s face it, Liberace was really sparkly, trading on a camp aesthetic that charmed women to the extent that many did not believe he was homosexual even when the affair with Thorson came out. Despite the glitter, Behind The Candelabra looks very entertaining and very serious. It chronicles the relationship between Liberace and his lover/chaffeur Scott Thorson, at a time when homosexuality was very taboo. Liberace and Thorson had an extended affair that ended in a very public break-up, despite Liberace himself maintaining that he was straight for the benefit of his many adoring (female) fans. Not that this still happens today. Nope. Never.
The trailer also highlights some of the other actors appearing in Behind The Candelabra, including Dan Aykroyd, Debbie Reynolds and Rob Lowe. Damon and Douglas are the reason I want to see this film, however, and they’re naturally showcased in the trailer. I’m particularly impressed at how much Douglas looks and sounds like Liberace. Nor does it appear that this movie is going to be all angst and concealment – it looks like Thorson and Liberace had a lot of fun too.
This was a film that almost did not get made, after major studios rejected the idea because it was ‘too gay.’ Thank God for HBO, then, because it would be a shame to waste the story, the director and the cast simply because of some pretty blatant Hollywood homophobia.
Check out the trailer below and let us know your reaction to Behind The Candelabra in the comments section. Are you as excited to see Douglas and Damon trip the light fantastic as I am?
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