Behind the Candelabra

This movie caught my attention because it has two big name stars as lead actors – Michael Douglas who plays Liberace and Matt Damon who plays his lover of five years, Scott Thorson.  I didn’t know anything about Liberace himself except for a few things here and there.  So I read the autobiographical book by Mr. Thorson (the same title as this movie) and the HBO movie stayed true to his perspective of their relationship.  Liberace, who had an amazing talent for the piano, also kept a secret life – he was gay.  This is his story of what it was like to be in Liberace’s life and how it all unraveled for him.  I was impressed by Michael Douglas – he really stepped into Liberace’s skin, the way he walked, talked and his mannerism was spot on and Matt Damon was also outstanding for his portrayal of his lover.  To go behind the mask and into a world of opulence, wealth, and addiction was very enlightening.  This movie may not be for everyone - but just to see the lead actors take on something that wasn’t normal for them and to bring these very real people to life was very entertaining and eye-opening at the same time. (Just recently, this film won 11 Emmy Awards – 1 for outstanding movie made for television and 1 for outstanding actor in a film (which was Douglas) made for television, plus categories for hair, makeup, casting and directing).