Movie #898 "Behind the Candleabra" was an uncomfortable film to watch since it really focused on the sexual relationship Lee (Liberace) had with a man 40 years his junior Scott Thorson, toward the end of Liberace's life. I was never a Liberace fan, but I have to say this is a very troubling story --- one I ended up feeling sorry for both of the parties involved. Liberace lived a luxurious, pretentious, sleazy life, and all that, and the face that he was gay, was kept hidden from his fans, so he thought. That caused a huge problem when he met and fell in love with Scott, because he tried to keep Scott hidden from everyone, so Scott felt a prisoner in his home, and the coping device he used was drugs. That made him less attractive to Liberace, and thus the problems began. It is so sad that Liberace had to live a double life and that such a talented man had to put on so many airs and use gimmicks to get people to watch him on stage. It is sad that Scott, raised in foster homes, was so eager to please his first love, even to the point of going in for cosmetic surgery. I really didn't "like" watching this film because of its sleaziness, but I did think Debbie Reynolds played an intriguing mother of Liberace -- she evidently knew her and wanted to make sure that the character was played correctly so she signed on to do it --- Rob Lowe is good, too, as the cosmetic surgeon. And the dedication to Marvin Hamlish, who had done all the music arranging, was a nice touch.
118 minutes --- t.v. movie --- I would give it 3 stars out of 5.
Behind the Candelabra2013
Michael Douglas stars as flamboyant entertainer Liberace in this sequin-studded drama that chronicles the legendary pianist's roller-coaster relationship with his young lover, Scott Thorson -- from their passionate liaison to their stormy battles.
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