Sa dernière chance

As a musician I'm nearly always disappointed by films which intend to show musical performances (one exception is the 1947 film CARNEGIE HALL, which is otherwise a poor film). Though I'm certainly not a Liberace fan, I was pleasantly surprised by not just the plentiful musical sequences but that they generally played full excerpts without unusual cuts. Even when there are cuts (as in, obviously, Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no. 1), the excerpts begin and end at totally appropriate moments. I gather that Liberace or his brother George (credited as a music director) had something to do with this.

Liberace can't really act (his face rarely shows any kind of emotion), but at least the film is not boring. It's fascinating to watch the color - you almost need sunglasses for those 1950s styles.

Poor Liberace. Imagine being that talented and that flamboyant at a time when being gay was illegal as well as classified as a mental illness. Liberace fought allegations of homosexuality until his death from pneumonia caused by AIDS in 1987. In 1955, however, he was at the top of his game, arguably the most popular pianist who ever lived. This film offers plenty of insight into his talent and appeal, especially to older women, who saw in him the kind and attentive lover they longed for, made even more sympathetic by the fact that his character copes with losing his hearing by improving the lives of others. The film includes 31 piano pieces-everything from Chopin to "The Beer Barrel Polka," boogie-woogie to "Rhapsody in Blue." It's almost a time capsule, minus the on-stage excesses he ultimately became known (and ridiculed) for. Look for background shots of San Francisco and check out costar Joanne Dru's gorgeous wardrobe. This is the only film in which "Mr. Showmanship" played the lead. At the 1982 Academy Awards ceremony, presenting the award for Best Original Score, Liberace prefaced his performance of selections from each nominee by joking, "I'm very proud of my contribution to motion pictures. I've stopped making them."

While, by any legitimate standard of criticism, "Sincerely Yours" may be a terrible film, I have to say I had a good time watching it. That may have been for all the wrong reasons, but nevertheless...

Maybe no other performer in the history of show business fit the description of "love him or hate him" as well as Liberace. He had a huge and devoted following from the 1950's till his death, while all the rest of humanity either laughed or groaned at the mere mention of his name. This was the one and only film ever built around him, though he made appearances in others. It is, not surprisingly, a campy schmalzfest which makes plenty of room for Liberace's piano playing. The look and decor of the film is really the epitome of 50's kitsch. I won't go into the plot and all the lines and situations which bring a raised eyebrow because it would turn this review into the length of "War and Peace". I must say a word about the hilarious hospital scene at the end, though, where our hero learns whether or not he can hear again after a delicate operation. While William Demerest (Uncle Charlie from "My Three Sons") smokes a cigar in the hospital room, the doctor, played by Edward Platt, the Chief from "Get Smart" (fitting to have these situation comedy stars in this opus) cuts Liberace's bandages off to test his hearing. The sight of his chubby-cheeked, smooth face against the pillow offset by his famous wavy silver hair in disarray brought to mind nothing less than the Bride of Frankenstein!

In all fairness, this is a professionally made film, with that stylized, glossy, sanitized look that most Hollywood films of the 50's had. The supporting cast does the best they can under the circumstances. You'll either gush tears if you typically fall under Liberace's spell or be laughing and groaning your way all through the film, but one way or the other you'll be entertained!

... that is a retelling of 1932's The Man Who Played God, because of course Liberace is the perfect stand-in for the spry George Arliss(???), who was the star of the original film.

Anthony Warrin (Liberace) is a world-renowned concert pianist who is about to see his life's ambition fulfilled: playing at Carnegie Hall. Tragedy strikes when Anthony suddenly goes deaf due to a rare medical condition that can only be fixed with very risky surgery. Anthony decides to try life as a deaf person, learning to read lips, which allows him to eavesdrop on the lives of people in the park by his apartment. Anthony becomes a sort of guardian angel to some needy people, while also finding himself in an awkward love triangle between his loyal secretary Marion (Joanne Dru) and wealthy socialite Linda (Dorothy Malone).

A notorious flop intended to make master pianist Liberace into a matinee idol, this came recommended as a "so bad it's good" romp. It is silly, corny, schmaltzy, and filled with various unintended laughs. But the music is very good if one enjoys piano music, be it classical, contemporary or folk. The first part of the film is a very unbelievable romance, but when Liberace's character goes deaf, it suddenly morphs into a bizarre feel-good piece with Liberace playing the mysterious good Samaritan.

I enjoyed the awkwardness of it, including Liberace's performance, which ranges from creepily and jovially intense, to nervous amateurism (his hands are visibly shaking in some acting scenes). The supporting cast does what it can, and Dorothy Malone deserves some recognition for being on the receiving end of one of the screen's most uncomfortable looking kisses.

The music alone is worth the price of admission in this somewhat corny film, but with Liberace in the romantic lead who in their right mind would have expected anything more. The plot: famous pop/concert pianist, at the peak of his career, suffers a sudden loss of hearing threatening his career and his personal life. The personal life is portrayed in the lovely form of a doting and smitten fan played by Dorothy Malone who captures the heart of our leading man, all this transpiring under the watchful eyes of the musician's administrative assistant/girl Friday, played by Joanne Dru, who has been reluctant to tell him of her hidden love for him. While Liberace is no Barrymore, his performance is a credible one. He is complemented by a fine supporting cast, including trouper William Demerast as his manager, Lurene Tuttle as a sad mother of a snooty daughter, and Richard Eyer as a crippled boy longing to join the other kids on the football field. The latter two flesh out a subplot wherein the star learns to cope with new challenges in his own life by helping others to deal with problems in theirs. Once you get over the fact that Ms. Malone and Ms. Dru would be quite unlikely to give Liberace the amorous attentions in real life that they afford him in the movie, the film is actually quite entertaining. If you enjoy Liberace's musical style, this movie is worth watching--and listening to--for that reason alone. Watch it with an open mind and I am sure you will be entertained by this movie.