Cole Porter, legendary composer and lyricist, met and married American divorcee Linda in Paris. The marriage was unexpected: where Porter was clearly homosexual, Linda was uninterested in physical intimacy. Even so, those who knew them describe them as deeply in love with each other on a purely emotional level. Throughout their long marriage, Porter repeatedly engaged in shallow liaisons with various men while Linda looked the other way--at least as long as Porter was reasonably discreet.Porter's sense of discretion was not always sufficent for Linda, who left him several times and threatened divorce on at least one occasion. It was, however, enough "to get by" with the vast public, which saw only the glamour of their lives and the great brilliance of Porter's talents. The result was a 1946 film biography that put many of Porter's greatest songs before the camera while casting handsome Cary Grant as the waspish Porter and lovely Alexis Smith as the somewhat icy Linda--a movie that went over well with audiences but which actually had very little basis in reality.
The 2004 DE-LOVELY takes a considerably different tack. It would be hard to say that the film "tells all"--but it tells enough and it offers a host of high-art concepts and truly fine performances in the process. It debuted with tremendous fanfare and then, amazingly, seemed to vanish from the screen within a single night. While most critics liked the film, the public did not, and they were pretty emphatic about it.
Some audiences complained about the "artiness" of the film's concept, which consists of the aging Porter reviewing the major events of his life through the filter of a stage show--an idea that seems to owe a great deal to Bob Fosse's ALL THAT JAZZ without managing to carry it off with the same conviction. Some Porter fans complained that the contemporary pop singers used in the film couldn't carry Porter's music; others complained that the music was never presented in a straight-forward sort of way. Still others were taken aback by the discovery that Porter was gay--and truly one has to wonder where such viewers have been for the past fifty years, that they somehow managed to miss this very widely circulated bit of information.
In truth, the concept works reasonably if not spectacularly well, the singers are acceptable if not always knock-out in their performances, and Porter's sexual habits are made plain without throwing the characters in and out of bed on the screen. The real problem with DE-LOVELY, at least to my mind, is two-fold: it is just ever-so-slightly slow and it is profoundly, and I do mean profoundly, depressing. Each tends to heighten the effect of the other.
On the other hand, the performances are exceptionally good. Kevin Kline is hardly a look-alike for the small, dark Cole Porter, but you believe him in the role. As for Ashley Judd--the role of Linda Porter would seem impossible to play in a believable sort of way, much less in a sympathetic manner, but she carries it flawlessly from start to finish. Together they are brilliant, and that isn't a word I use very often in refence to contemporary film making.
The DVD contains a host of bonuses, including two audio tracks and several behind-the-scenes documentaries, and for once the word "bonus" really is generally applicable. While it will probably prove too dark for most, many will be fascinated by the way DE-LOVELY turns the glitter of Porter's public life into a costume for his often bitter private life--something that was very much the case in reality. Recommended.
GFT, Amazon Reviewer
It brings back the sound of music so tender,
It brings back a night of tropical splendor,
It brings back a memory ever green."
When "De-Lovely" begins it is October 15, 1964 and Cole Porter (Kevin Kline) is about to die. This requires his life to flash before his eyes, but since we are talking Cole Porter this means there are all sorts of creative decisions involved in this final production. The conceit of the film is that Porter is sitting in the first theater that he visited while growing in Peru, Indiana, with "Gabe" (Jonathan Pryce) at his side. The result is not a musical but rather a musical biography, which is why we do not go back to Porter's childhood but rather to the moment that the gay songwriter met the love of his life, the divorcee Linda Lee (Ashley Judd), who would become his wife.
"And that's why birds do it, bees do it
Even educated fleas do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love."
Cole and Linda marry, equally aware of the strengths as well as the weaknesses of their relationship. Linda was more than a front of respectability for Cole's homosexuality; she was his muse. "De-Lovely" abandons the traditions of a bio-pic in terms of places and dates to focus more on the songs Cole Porter wrote. Kevin Kline is a piano player, and he uses this talent to great affect in the film. Cole is often sitting at the piano composing the music of his life and it compels us to listen again to the familiar lyrics, but this time in the context of his life. The recurring thought is not that he is writing all of these songs to reflect himself, but that there are times when the songs are clearly for her.
"Every time we say goodbye, I die a little,
Every time we say goodbye, I wonder why a little,
Why the Gods above me, who must be in the know.
Think so little of me, they allow you to go."
You can try and tell the story of Cole Porter's life, but it is always going to come back to his music. After all, it is a song that attracts Linda to Cole and teaching someone to sing "Night and Day" that shows Porter at his seductive best. However, when you have Cole Porter's songs being sung by the likes of Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow, Dianna Krall, Robbie Williams, and Natalie Cole, it is not surprising that those songs once again take the spotlight away from the man who wrote them. I was rather surprised that I recognized every single song played in "De-Lovely," but then that only serves to underscore that Cole Porter is one of the greatest American songwriters.
"You're the Top! You're the colosseum,
You're the Top! You're the louve museum,
You're a melody from a symphony, by Strauss,
You're a Bandle bonnet, a Shakspeare sonnet,
You're Mickey mouse.
You're the Nile, You're the Towr of Pisa,
You're the smile on the Mona Lisa;
Im a worthless check, a total wreck, a flop,
But if Baby, Im the bottom,
You're the top!"
Director Irwin Winkler's 2004 film has the advantage of not only Porter's music but of Kline's performance, although obviously the actor needs to tone down his singing considerably (we get to hear Porter himself singing at the start of the final credits). Judd, who usually refrains from singing in public to avoid comparison to her mother and sister, does a couple of songs as well. You can also throw in the exquisite period costumes courtesy of Armani that help to define Porter as the paradigm of wit and urbane sophistication before the riding accident that crippled him. The film keeps trying to suggest that "Let's Misbehave!" is the de facto Cole Porter theme song, but in the end the man and his music both speak to more optimistic sentiments.
"The world has gone mad today
And good's bad today,
And black's white today,
And day's night today,
When most guys today
That women prize today
Are just silly gigolos
And though I'm not a great romancer
I know that I'm bound to answer
When you propose,
Anything goes." What we have here is a film based on but not limited to the adult life of Cole Porter. How to describe it? It's not a biopic nor is it a musical comedy. It resembles All That Jazz (1979) and Evita (1996) when combining fact with contrivance within a series of flashbacks to create dramatic impact. Various devices (e.g. hallucination and reminiscence) enable us to explore various components of Porter's life as well as the various relationships which he developed over a period of several decades. Kevin Kline brilliantly portrays Porter, with an able supporting cast headed by Ashley Judd (Linda Thomas Cole), Jonathan Pryce (Gabe), Kevin McNally (Gerald Murphy), Sandra Nelson (Sara Murphy), and Alan Corduner (Monty Woolley). I guess this could be called a Film Noir/Musical Review. Defining moments in Porter's adult life are coordinated with his greatest Broadway musicals which include Gay Divorcee, Anything Goes, and Kiss Me Kate, later adapted to the screen. As for his most popular songs, several of their titles suggest double meanings when we take into account Porter's bi-sexual love life. For example, "Let's Do It," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "You Do Something to Me," and "Anything Goes." Irwin Winkler pulls all of this together fairly well. Yes, the plot has its lumpy moments and, yes, the make-up isn't always effective (late in life, Kline's Porter resembles Charles Foster Kane) but the musical performances are highly entertaining and I especially appreciate the fact that Kline sings as ineptly as Porter did. I much prefer this version to Night and Day (1946) which Porter enjoyed because he was played by Cary Grant. On balance, De-Lovely is an enjoyable film and I resist the temptation to offer a pun on its title when selecting a title of my own for these brief remarks.
Read Best Reviews of De-Lovely (2004) Here
The musical production numbers are fabulous in this telling of the high and low points in the life of songwriter Cole Porter. He wrote so many tunes, ones I've heard and loved all my life, and those selected for this movie were great---many done with updated renditions by current artists.The movie begins when an aged Porter is summoned by a director to view the rehearsal for a play based on his life. The story unfolds in a series of theatrical scenes beginning with his love-at-first-sight romance with Linda and his lifelong devotion to her. Also highlighted is his bisexual lifestyle which she accepts amazingly well as long as it doesn't become a public scandal. Kevin Kline is outstanding as the young and dashing Porter as well as the aged and defeated man. Ashley Judd shines as the loving mate who guides his career and his recovery from a horrific accident.
But it is the music that steals the show, the lyrics and melodies that have endured for years and will remain firmly entrenched as pop standards long past the 20th century. Songs such as "De-Lovely," "Let's Misbehave," "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," "You're the Top," and my personal favorite "Every Time We Say Goodbye" are done with the style and grace worthy of Cole Porter and performed by such varied artists as Elvis Costello, Sheryl Crow, Alanis Morissette, Natalie Cole and others including Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd. One outstanding feature of the DVD is that the scene selection menu makes it easy to just go back and see all the production numbers.
If you like musicals and a toe-tapping good time, this is one you don't want to miss.
Want De-Lovely (2004) Discount?
De-Lovely is a major achievement and is remarkable for many reasons, not the least of them being that it was even made in the first place. For every De-Lovely, Hollywood seems to crank out hundreds of shoot-em-up explosion spectaculars, teen sex comedies, star vehicles for gangster rappers, and depressing, nihilistic "independent" films for the intelligentsia.De-Lovely is everything these films are not. It is a great musical in the "they don't make `em like that any more" sense, a poignantly heartwarming love story with true emotional depth (and a twist), a celebration of life and happiness (as well as a recognition and understanding of life's tragedies), and a star vehicle for two truly talented actor/singers, Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd, plus a plethora of cameo appearances by currently popular singers (including Elvis Costello, Alanis Morissette, Sheryl Crow and Natalie Cole) who obviously are singing their songs more for love (of Cole Porter) than money.
As depicted in De-Lovely, Cole Porter possessed more joie-de-vivre than perhaps any man in history, and he wrote his songs straight from the heart. The first part of the film, corresponding to the first half of Porter's adult life, appears to be all peaches and cream, and I was prepared simply to enjoy an upbeat musical. Porter enters into a nearly perfect (for him) relationship with his wife Linda, that allows him his dalliances and to remain true to his self, but also to, over time, experience the depths of true love with a life's partner. It is the second half of the film, when the Porter's must overcome multiple tragedies, that elevate De-Lovely to a truly noteworthy film, by showing a deep understanding of love and humanity.
Kevin Klein and Ashley Judd give great performances. Klein has the most challenging role, as he must sing, dance, and act through a broad range of emotions, as well as age over the course of 40 or 50 years (by the way, the make-up work which aged the actors is very good it must be amazing for Klein and Judd to see what they may look like in their 60s or 70s). I wouldn't be surprised to see Oscar nominations for Klein (especially) and Judd, if this film reaches a broad enough audience. My quibbles with the film are minor (some abrupt transitions, and some garbled dialogue), and are far outweighed by the many positives.
Surprisingly, the major movie critics have ranged all over the "love/hate" spectrum in their reviews of De-Lovely (check out the metacritic web site to see for yourself). I think the reaction to the film is primarily a function of the state of mind of the reviewer, i.e. subjectivity dominates objectivity. I am flabbergasted that the Village Voice reviewer could call this film "overwhelmingly glum". I wonder what this reviewer thought of "Sid & Nancy", which I would say is the antithesis of De-Lovely?
If modern pop culture has not yet turned you into a complete cynic, if you have any appreciation at all for music of the Jazz Age, big bands, or crooners such as Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Mel Torme, or (today) Harry Connick Jr., if you have a romantic bone in your body, if you enjoy traditional Hollywood or Broadway musicals or a great love story, then I think you will find De-Lovely definitely delightful!
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