Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows

No one can capture the true Garland essence, but Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis come as close as humanly possible, and I'll settle for that. While I'm still conflicted over daughter Lorna's motives for writing the book upon which this film is based (and would Judy have approved??), and knowing there are gaps in the story, I was nonetheless astonished at the total virtuosity of this film. Wisdom prevailed when electing Blanchard and Davis to lip-sync to Judy herself, although this undoubtedly created more of a challenge for the actors portraying her. Both rose to the occasion. Ms. Blanchard's performance is little short of incredible--she captures the young Judy with a brilliance that is exceeded only by the subject herself (the "Oz" sequence is almost spooky). Judy Davis performing "The Trolley Song" is a bit jarring (perhaps Ms. Blanchard exited the film a bit too soon), but as the film moves ahead, the perfection of her casting is obvious. She vocally and physically mimics the great Garland in another "tour-de-force" performance. The supporting cast also shines, in particular John Benjamin Hickey as Roger Edens, Judy's vocal coach, mentor, and dear friend. Mr. Hickey's quiet strength matches that of Mr. Edens, a lovely, warm glow in the background. Even Legends have their anchors--Roger was Judy's for many years, and Mr. Hickey's silent presence in this regard is perfect. Garland fan or not, this is captivating show(man-and-woman)ship of the first order. I repeat . . . "virtuosity". In keeping with the great and wonderful Judy Garland.

There have been a lot of show business biographies put on film, but for the most part, they are sketchy and fictionalized. Judy Garland was a show business legend, who even though much has been written about her, a definitive film biography has alluded us. An NBC TV movie was made in the 80's called RAINBOW, but it only covered Garland's childhood to the time she was cast in THE WIZARD OF OZ. At long last, we finally were gifted with a surprisingly factual and lavishly produced TV movie called LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS, a two-part mini-series which chronicles Garland's life from her first audition for MGM to her tragic death in 1969. Most show biz biopics tend to fictionalize material for dramatic effect or lack of knowledge of the facts, but I trust the facts presented here because there are several events recreated here that I have actually heard Garland herself talk about in interviews. Some things are omitted and/ or glossed over (Her first marriage to David Rose is barely mentioned), but when you only have 2 hours and 45 minutes to tell the story, some fact-trimming is necessary. The filmmakers wisely chose two actresses to play the teenage and adult Garland. Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis both won Emmys for their work as young Frances Gumm and the adult Judy Garland. Davis, in particular, is astonishing in a powerhouse performance that just gets richer and more complex upon repeat viewings. Another wise decision to dub original Garland recordings for Davis' singing voice further enhances the power of the piece. I read that prior to shooting, Davis watched every movie Garland made and as much concert footage as she could get her hands on and her homework pays off in spades here. Her recreations of "The Trolley Song" from MEET ME IN ST. LOUIS and "The Man that Got Away" from A STAR IS BORN are positively spooky. Victor Garber gives the performance of his career as Judy's volatile third husband, Sid Luft. Hugh Laurie is a little too masculine as Judy's 2nd hubby, Vincente Minnelli, whose rumored bisexuality prior to meeting Judy is part of Hollywood folklore. There is also solid work from Sonja Smits and John Benjamin Hickey as Judy's good friends, Kay Thompson and Roger Edens and by Dwayne Addams as a young Mickey Rooney. There is also a memorable turn from Marhsa Mason as Ethel Gumm, Judy's hard-nosed mother. A hauntingly accurate look at the tragic life of, arguably, Hollywood's greatest creation, whose very human troubles never allowed her to live up to the creation.

Me and My Shadows is an above average TV film that tells an average story of Judy Garland's life. The acting, particularly by the two Judy's, Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis, as well as Victor Garber as Sid Luft, is outstanding. The producers did an outstanding job of recreating decades of history. But this telling of Judy's life, based largely on Lorna Luft's recollection, would have been much better told with Get Happy or a more personal account of Judy's life.

Again, this is a pretty good film. The acting is outstanding, and the recreations of the musical numbers from some of Judy's films, particulary "Meet Me In St. Louis" and "A Star is Born" is incredible. The bit players, like Mickey Rooney, Louis Mayer and Vincente Minelli were also superbly cast.

However, this production is bogged down with a number of problems. First and foremost, Judy Davis takes over the role WAY too early. The filming of Meet Me In St. Louis started in 1943, when Judy was 21 years old. Judy Davis is 45. You do the math. Now, drugs and other factors did cause Judy to age pretty badly, but that really didn't happen until the fifties, when Judy hit her 30's. Twenty one year old girls do not have horribly visible wrinkles. Tammy Blanchard did an outstanding job, and should have held the role until 1950's Summer Stock, which isn't covered in the film.

Which leads me to another problem I had with this film: important parts of Judy's life/career are not covered, Summer Stock being one of them. After "Over the Rainbow", "Get Happy" is probably Judy's most well known song. And the story of how that number gets into the film was worth being told. The film, without commercials, is about 2 1/2 hours, and too much time is spent beating us over the head about Judy's pill problems. There are other aspects of Judy and her life that needed to be mentioned, as well, such as her promiscuity with characters such as Artie Shaw, her wild teenage years, and World War II, which all get absolutely no mention. Practically the last half hour of the film is more about Lorna Luft than Judy. Who cares about Lorna Luft???!!!

In addition to those things, I also have a problem with the way "facts" are dropped throughout the film. The characters don't speak the way people normally speak. It sounds awkward to hear Judy Garland tell Vincente Minelli that he and Gene Kelly are whispering all the time. She would have called him "Gene" or "Kelly", not "Gene Kelly". Or the way Judy and her friends throw out generic insults to the other Best Actress nominees Judy is up against in 1954 (Incidentally, Grace Kelly totally deserved that Oscar). There are silly speeches made by the characters to help move the script along where they would have been better served actually adding the scenes that they refer to. Judy's problems with Bubsy Berkeley were well documented, and he caused her an inordinate amount of grief over the years. A major part of Judy's early career that's just sort of swept along by a quick shot of Berkeley having a mild tantrum and Judy making an all encompasing speech about it. The film neglects many major characters in Judy's life, but for some reason, bothers to introduce some of them, only to never be heard from again. The scene where Judy meets Lana Turner is pointless if they're not going to show Judy's competition with Lana and her affair with Artie Shaw that ended with Turner taking him away from Judy. Same thing with Berkeley. Either tell the whole story, or don't bother introducing the character. Even major characters in the film are underdeveloped, Sid Luft being an example. This is a guy with a serious gambling problem and a very bad temper, who is pretty much angelically played by Victor Garber.

This production really should have been 4 or 5 hours. But as a 2 1/2 hour production, they should have cut some of the redundant scenes (pill popping), dug deeper into what they underdeveloped, and moved the film along with shots of newspaper and magazine headlines and radio and movienews voiceovers. They actually did do that in one part of the film; I don't know why they didn't do it throughout. One place in particular that something like this was needed was after Judy's first show at Carnegie Hall, which was considered a legendary perfect masterpiece by everyone who saw it, and one of the high points of Judy's entire career. The magnitude of this event is not conveyed in this film.

My final problem with this film is the passive way in which Judy and "her shadows" are filmed. This was a very emotionally unstable woman with a lot of serious issues. Judy Davis's portrayal of THIS woman, especially in the later years, is very shallow and too driven by incidents that occur than by whatever torment Judy Garland was actually experiencing.

It's hard to expect too much from a TV movie. Especially since they have to be designed to appeal to the masses and the short attention spans of people. But who was this film made for? Certainly not the big fans of Judy Garland, who like me, I'm sure wanted more depth and accuracy. This film was targeted to a general audience and assumes people have little or no knowledge of Judy, and don't want to find out too much. But there is plenty of good here, and it's entertaining. "B-"

Life with Judy Garland: Me and My Shadows is the penultimate of made-for-TV biopics. Both Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard do fine jobs portraying the legendary singer/actress Judy Garland. Based on daughter Lorna Luft's loving paean to her mother, this is a warm, poignant, buoyant motion picture for the small screen. The re-creation of "Meet Me in St. Louis" is eerily exacting, it's like watching a documentary of the film. Davis quite simply glows as the doomed Judy. Old pro Marsha Mason has the unenviable role of mother Ethel Gumm, and quite convincingly too. This movie was televised five years ago, but it still haunts me. Even Judy would have been proud of this masterful television production. Kudos to all.

I must say that Judy Garland has never been a favorite icon of mine, although many of my friends adore her. My impressions of Judy Garland have always been the classic star who seemingly had it all but lost it due to drugs and addiction. But what struck me most about "Me and My Shadows" was how the film was able to portray Judy Garland as a human being, not just a typical star immersed in tragedy, which unfortunately is too common among Hollywood legends.

Lorna Luft should be truly proud of this film which will I predict sweep the Emmy Awards this year. Judy Davis was mesmerizing!!!! Watching her performance literally sent chills down my spine. I haven't seen an actress completely transform herself into another actress so brilliantly and believably. Faye Dunaway, who was literally Joan Crawford in "Mommie Dearest", was not even as good as Davis. She has always, in my opinion, been seriously underrated as a dramatic actress. This performance is undoubtedly the best of her career, and she deserves all of the praise she has been garnering. Tammy Blanchard was also remarkable, and Victor Garber was good as well. The acting performances of all were truly breathtaking and just goes to show that true talent doesn't always lie at the feet of the "Hollywood star machine." The pace of the movie was just right, and it seemed to truly encompass the scope of Judy Garland's life, leaving out minor details such as her first marriage and subsequent abortion.

If there was a complaint, it would probably be that Liza Minnelli was not mentioned a great deal here, but the movie itself was not about Liza. This was a truly well-crafted cinematic effort that doesn't particularly cast Garland as a victim, but not as a saint as well. That balance is needed to truly avoid this movie from becoming a sad, soppy melodrama. Overall, this will stand the test of time and really allow the public to see first and foremost the dark side of Hollywood back in the days of the studio system.

I highly recommend seeing this movie. Even if you're not particularly familiar with Garland, the acting and storyline will keep you glued to the television set.

My rating is 9 out of ten.