Sogno d'amore

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.

Would the radio ads of the day announced: '"LIBERACE: inSINCERELY YOURS" thus starting the thin edge of the wedge about his reputation? I wonder.....This film has a howling reputation in Australia. For some reason it is really well known with the over 45s who still today make jokes about it. There must have been one major TV moment in this Nation's history in about 1967 when the entire population - all ages - must have watched it on the same night . I did, all my school friends did, Granny, Mum and Dad all the Aunties and Uncles and even people from other TV stations did. Because the next week or so they made a big deal about showing 'the original' which is 1931 film THE MAN WHO PLAYED GOD with George Arliss and Bette Davis. and if we stayed up late on a Friday night and saw THAT we could compare the two. Somehow SINCERELY YOURS stained the nations psyche...and future film makers...just look at the demented campy musicals Australia has made in the last decade. One friend said once to me: "when I saw the apartment with those big rooms and that patio with the view, I thought this is what life was going to be like when we grew up." And it is true! we all did! It screened about the same time THE JERRY LEWIS SHOW made a debut on Oz TV. and of course weren't we all in for a disappointment when we grew up. I think SINCERELY YOURS should be reissued and made into an audience participation film like ROCKY HORROR or MOMMY DEAREST. Lush, camp and ridiculous. Great viewing. Almost all through as good as the fantastic scene in MIDNIGHT LACE when Doris Day goes mad on the stairs. She lets out some sort of wobbly primeval shudder and howl. Incredible! Well all of SINCERELY YOURS is like that except with Liberace leering and tinkling as well, and on a shag carpet, under a chandelier. Wow!

It's hard to believe that I never previously viewed this film since I was raised in Liberace's hometown of West Allis, WI, an abutting suburb of Milwaukee. My sister attended West Milwaukee High School long after Liberace graduated and learned more about him than I will ever know.

The cast is very good and Liberace is a better actor than most pianists', right up there with Hogy Carmichael? ('Best Years of Our Lives' and other films - NOT! Well, let's say Liberace holds his own.

The screenplay is okay but it is certainly inspired by the life of Beethoven, so it wasn't very original.

Liberace may have been under-rated due to his flamboyance and his theme song 'I'll Be Seeing You' (recorded by many artists) was not composed by him. So what! He was an icon who will always be remembered by many, in one way or another.

Surprisingly enjoyable to watch given the average rating. Good engaging story. Honestly I'm surprised the movie was such a bomb commercially and critically when it was released, and my guess is that Liberace simply did not display the expected characteristics of a typical leading man of the time; and probably it was way over-hyped and failed to live up to expectations. Admittedly his acting was a bit flat.. From the perspective of his life and performance career, I found the movie fascinating and enjoyable and would watch it again.

This is a fine film, with lots of entertaining piano playing from Liberace (1919-1987). I think Liberace's acting is more than adequate, and the musical items alone are enough to warrant the purchase or hire of this film. I found the story compelling and extremely moving.

Admittedly, I am a fan of Liberace, but not an apologist, and I do believe this film deserves to be