fine biopic despite a few minor flaws
Added 10/24/2009
Me and My Shadows: Life with Judy Garland was the way for Garland's daughter Lorna Luft to tell her mother's compelling life story. Many say she was the greatest entertainer who ever lived and that could well be the case. Nobody gave as much as Judy Garland did. Judy was one of a very rare kind: she could sing better than anyone I've ever heard and she could act better than anyone I've ever seen act--and that was on a bad day! She danced wonderfully, too, in the numerous movies she made. She danced onstage during many of her live concerts, too, much to the sheer delight and awe of her devoted audiences. Moreover, when Judy Garland was in a movie, it didn't matter who she danced with or with whom she was talking in any particular scene, your eyes were always on her. This biopic, done with great care and no doubt at least partially supervised by Lorna Luft, captures Garland's ups and downs incredibly well.
Look for exceptional performances by just about everyone in this film. Not everyone looked exactly like the people they played but Tammy Blanchard DID look a great deal like Judy, especially the very first time we see her walking on the yellow brick road on the set of "The Wizard of Oz." Judy Davis gives a stunning, electrifying performance as Judy Garland in her post-adolescent years. Alison Pill is just great as young Lorna Luft and Ellis Turner, Harrison Kane and Alex House play Joe Luft, Judy's only son, very well at three different ages. Dwayne Adams also plays a teenage Mickey Rooney to perfection. Victor Garber looks a bit like Sid Luft but from there on in the convincing acting makes up for the fact that the actors don't always look too much like the people they portray.
Other reviewers have noted that there are several inaccurate details scattered here and there throughout the film--and they are right. For example, when Judy loses the Oscar for Best Actress in A Star Is Born, her then-husband Sidney Luft (Victor Garber) says "That's the greatest robbery since Brinks." Actually, that was something Groucho Marx stated to tell Judy how sorry and angry he was that she didn't win the award. If I have any other gripe with this DVD release it would be that it is missing a few scenes that were originally released when this came out as a two VHS tape set which is now unavailable. However, don't be too disappointed: the movie as it exists is rather faithful to Garland's real life and times even as it stands.
The cinematography and the choreography couldn't have been better. In addition, the DVD comes with extras. There is a commentary by Lorna Luft; a "behind the scenes" featurette; and another featurette entitled "I Play the Palace." Terrific!
Overall, this movie is a must-have for Garland fans although as others have said they will probably notice a few inaccurate details along the way and they will be annoyed that a few minutes were deleted from the original version sold as a two VHS tape set. Nevertheless, this is an especially good place to start for people just discovering the singular artistry of Judy Garland; and anyone studying the truly few and very rare major "superstars" of Hollywood will want this for their collections.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
JUDY DAVIS & TAMMY BLANCHARD DO JUDY GARLAND JUSTICE IN SUPERIOR BIOPIC
Added 5/28/2009
2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of Judy Garland's death; on June 22, 1969. It is hard to believe she has been "gone" so long. She always seems so near and "present" to me. Death, of course, never destroys a spirit and talent as singularly special as Judy. As one of the biggest Judy Garland fans in the world, (trust me, Judy is in every corner of my apartment; and on my computer), I was very skeptical when this TV biopic first aired in 2001. How could any biopic, or any other actress, hope to capture the essence, the incandescence, the charisma, the magic, the talent, and the often heartbreaking humanity of Judy Garland??-- who has quite correctly been called "The World's Greatest Entertainer." To my delight and surprise, this TV biopic passed the test of my critical nature. Watching it again earlier this week, I was, once again, simply stunned. The movie falls just short of being miraculous.
Robert L. Freedman's teleplay gives Judy Garland's extraordinary story the epic treatment she richly deserves; although it does, quite understandably, tone down aspects of her life for a PG TV movie. Robert Allan Ackerman's direction is remarkably solid. Of course, the story is fascinating and absorbing-- so absorbing, in fact, that one barely notices the film runs 2 hours and 50 minutes. Judy Garland led a turbulent, roller coaster existence. By the end of the movie, the audience is likely to feel we have taken the roller coaster ride right along with her.
What makes the movie work, though, and makes it a superior biopic, are the extraordinary performances of Emmy winning actresses Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis. Judy Garland was so singularly special and extraordinary, it's no surprise that two extraordinary actresses were required to portray her. Both Blanchard and Davis go far beyond all the myths and legends. This is not Judy Garland, the gay icon-- or Judy Garland, the tragic diva (although there's more than enough tragedy to go around here). Both Blanchard and Davis portray Judy Garland as a human being. God knows how many psychological/emotional demons Judy Garland wrestled with during her lifetime, but the movie makes all of her struggles understandable and relatable on a basic, human level. With Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives constantly telling Judy she is fat and forcing pills on her, it's no wonder she had an inferiority complex and was an emotional mess. It's easy to see how the insecure, earger to please, young Judy portrayed by Tammy Blanchard evolved into the tortured, vulnerable, and volitile adult Judy portrayed by Judy Davis. I do wish, however, that Tammy Blanchard had still played Judy in the scene recreating "The Trolley Song" from 1944's "Meet Me In St. Louis," but this is only a minor quibble. There are also excellent supporting performances from John Benjamin Hickey as Roger Edens, Judy's constant champion and musical mentor, and Marsha Mason as Ethel Gumm, Judy's mother. Ethel was, apparently, a driven "stage mother," whom Judy hated. Judy adored Frank Gumm, her loving father who died much too soon. The Gumm family dynamics led to another central life conflict: The real life Frances Gumm always lurked behind, in the shadows of Judy Garland, who was "created." In one of the best scenes, a psychiatrist says, "Tell me about Frances Gumm." Judy instantly respondes, "She was a little fat girl. Nobody liked her. We had to get rid of her. Judy Garland stole Frances Gumm's voice."
The production design is superb. The recreations of scenes from Judy's most beloved films, "The Wizard Of Oz," "Meet Me In St. Louis," and "A Star Is Born", are excellent. The scenes depicting Judy's triumphant Carnegie Hall concert in 1961 are electrifying. The film only falters in the final hour, when it ceases to be about Judy Garland and becomes, in effect, all about Lorna Luft (Allison Pill) taking care of the increasingly fragil, frail, drug-dependent Judy. This is understandable, seeing as the film is based on Lorna's "family memoir." Interestingly, Sid Luft did not want Lorna to publish the memoir or this movie to be made. Since much of the last half of the movie depicts Sid's (Victor Garber) domestic battles with Judy, and their bitter custody battle over children Lorna and Joe, he can hardly be faulted or blamed for his feelings. Since the memoir and the movie are from Lorna's perspective, it is dramatically unbalanced. Brother Joe and superstar half-sister Liza Minnelli, for instance, are largely left in the shadows in the movie. Judy's second husband, the gentlemanly Vincente Minnelli ("House's Hugh Laurie) is depicted as rather cold and indifferent. On the other hand, Sid Luft (husband number three and Lorna's father) comes off, for the most part, as Judy's knight in shining armour. In truth, Judy and Sid were a much more tempestuous couple who probably couldn't live with or without each other. But these criticisms are minor. The film is extremely worthwhile; the overall quality of the production being so far above the standard show-business biopic.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
"The Story of Judy Garland"
Added 4/30/2009
Ever since Judy Garland died in 1969 Hollywood has been extremely slow in developing a movie based on her life. In 1998 Judy's youngest daughter, Lorna Luft, wrote a mesmerizing and well-written memoir on her famous mother called "Me and My Shadows", and it immediately became a best seller. It was only natural that a film based on that book would come to pass. The miniseries "Life With Judy Garland-Me and My Shadows" aired on ABC as a two-parter, and gained huge ratings. People knew about Lorna's book, and it was obvious people still loved Judy Garland. The telefilm would receive five Emmy awards, including two for the actresses who played Judy at different stages in her life: both Tammy Blanchard (the young Judy) and Judy Davis (the older Judy) would both win acting Emmys for their portrayal. The film is excellent, with a superb script, and the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved screen icons and singers is well documented. Judy's destructive descent into alcohol and prescription pill addiction is thoroughly explored, and it is well dramatized that these addictions are what eventually destroyed her. The DVD comes with audio commentary by Lorna Luft and director Robert Ackerman, and there is a behind the scenes featurette. The New York Times calls the movie "Dazzling", and the National Post says, "Judy Davis delivers a majestic and memorable performance". Read the book by Lorna Luft as well to get even more insight into the legend that is Judy Garland.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
fantastic movie
Added 2/27/2009
I'm seriously biased....I'm a huge Judy Garland fan. This is one of the best TV movies I've ever seen on anyone. Even if you're not a Judy fan, you would like this movie because the acting and story are both so compelling.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
No easy task--replicating a LEGEND
Added 1/3/2009
Considering what cinematic audacity it is to attempt to replicate the great Judy Garland, I think this film suceeds more than it fails--Blanchard's teenage Judy is mesmerzingly eerie. Beholding her striking resembleance to the "real" Miss Garland sends chills , especially during the OZ bits.The actor (???) who plays Mickey Rooney creeped me out to the point where I almost had to press SKIP on the dvd remote when he appeared on the screen...AWFUL (as were the Lahr/Bolger/Haley portrayls-ugh!) Judy Davis has proven herself a fine actress in many other roles (Woody Allen's "Husbands And Wives",for example) and mostly suceeds here as Garland. A harrowing,challenging assignment for ANY actress,let's face it...she gets points for giving it everything she could and taking the plunge--Could anyone else have done a BETTER job? All in all, a passable if somewhat unflattering version of the great Judy's lifestory.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
fine biopic despite a few minor flaws
Added 10/24/2009
Me and My Shadows: Life with Judy Garland was the way for Garland's daughter Lorna Luft to tell her mother's compelling life story. Many say she was the greatest entertainer who ever lived and that could well be the case. Nobody gave as much as Judy Garland did. Judy was one of a very rare kind: she could sing better than anyone I've ever heard and she could act better than anyone I've ever seen act--and that was on a bad day! She danced wonderfully, too, in the numerous movies she made. She danced onstage during many of her live concerts, too, much to the sheer delight and awe of her devoted audiences. Moreover, when Judy Garland was in a movie, it didn't matter who she danced with or with whom she was talking in any particular scene, your eyes were always on her. This biopic, done with great care and no doubt at least partially supervised by Lorna Luft, captures Garland's ups and downs incredibly well.
Look for exceptional performances by just about everyone in this film. Not everyone looked exactly like the people they played but Tammy Blanchard DID look a great deal like Judy, especially the very first time we see her walking on the yellow brick road on the set of "The Wizard of Oz." Judy Davis gives a stunning, electrifying performance as Judy Garland in her post-adolescent years. Alison Pill is just great as young Lorna Luft and Ellis Turner, Harrison Kane and Alex House play Joe Luft, Judy's only son, very well at three different ages. Dwayne Adams also plays a teenage Mickey Rooney to perfection. Victor Garber looks a bit like Sid Luft but from there on in the convincing acting makes up for the fact that the actors don't always look too much like the people they portray.
Other reviewers have noted that there are several inaccurate details scattered here and there throughout the film--and they are right. For example, when Judy loses the Oscar for Best Actress in A Star Is Born, her then-husband Sidney Luft (Victor Garber) says "That's the greatest robbery since Brinks." Actually, that was something Groucho Marx stated to tell Judy how sorry and angry he was that she didn't win the award. If I have any other gripe with this DVD release it would be that it is missing a few scenes that were originally released when this came out as a two VHS tape set which is now unavailable. However, don't be too disappointed: the movie as it exists is rather faithful to Garland's real life and times even as it stands.
The cinematography and the choreography couldn't have been better. In addition, the DVD comes with extras. There is a commentary by Lorna Luft; a "behind the scenes" featurette; and another featurette entitled "I Play the Palace." Terrific!
Overall, this movie is a must-have for Garland fans although as others have said they will probably notice a few inaccurate details along the way and they will be annoyed that a few minutes were deleted from the original version sold as a two VHS tape set. Nevertheless, this is an especially good place to start for people just discovering the singular artistry of Judy Garland; and anyone studying the truly few and very rare major "superstars" of Hollywood will want this for their collections.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
JUDY DAVIS & TAMMY BLANCHARD DO JUDY GARLAND JUSTICE IN SUPERIOR BIOPIC
Added 5/28/2009
2009 marks the 40th Anniversary of Judy Garland's death; on June 22, 1969. It is hard to believe she has been "gone" so long. She always seems so near and "present" to me. Death, of course, never destroys a spirit and talent as singularly special as Judy. As one of the biggest Judy Garland fans in the world, (trust me, Judy is in every corner of my apartment; and on my computer), I was very skeptical when this TV biopic first aired in 2001. How could any biopic, or any other actress, hope to capture the essence, the incandescence, the charisma, the magic, the talent, and the often heartbreaking humanity of Judy Garland??-- who has quite correctly been called "The World's Greatest Entertainer." To my delight and surprise, this TV biopic passed the test of my critical nature. Watching it again earlier this week, I was, once again, simply stunned. The movie falls just short of being miraculous.
Robert L. Freedman's teleplay gives Judy Garland's extraordinary story the epic treatment she richly deserves; although it does, quite understandably, tone down aspects of her life for a PG TV movie. Robert Allan Ackerman's direction is remarkably solid. Of course, the story is fascinating and absorbing-- so absorbing, in fact, that one barely notices the film runs 2 hours and 50 minutes. Judy Garland led a turbulent, roller coaster existence. By the end of the movie, the audience is likely to feel we have taken the roller coaster ride right along with her.
What makes the movie work, though, and makes it a superior biopic, are the extraordinary performances of Emmy winning actresses Tammy Blanchard and Judy Davis. Judy Garland was so singularly special and extraordinary, it's no surprise that two extraordinary actresses were required to portray her. Both Blanchard and Davis go far beyond all the myths and legends. This is not Judy Garland, the gay icon-- or Judy Garland, the tragic diva (although there's more than enough tragedy to go around here). Both Blanchard and Davis portray Judy Garland as a human being. God knows how many psychological/emotional demons Judy Garland wrestled with during her lifetime, but the movie makes all of her struggles understandable and relatable on a basic, human level. With Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer executives constantly telling Judy she is fat and forcing pills on her, it's no wonder she had an inferiority complex and was an emotional mess. It's easy to see how the insecure, earger to please, young Judy portrayed by Tammy Blanchard evolved into the tortured, vulnerable, and volitile adult Judy portrayed by Judy Davis. I do wish, however, that Tammy Blanchard had still played Judy in the scene recreating "The Trolley Song" from 1944's "Meet Me In St. Louis," but this is only a minor quibble. There are also excellent supporting performances from John Benjamin Hickey as Roger Edens, Judy's constant champion and musical mentor, and Marsha Mason as Ethel Gumm, Judy's mother. Ethel was, apparently, a driven "stage mother," whom Judy hated. Judy adored Frank Gumm, her loving father who died much too soon. The Gumm family dynamics led to another central life conflict: The real life Frances Gumm always lurked behind, in the shadows of Judy Garland, who was "created." In one of the best scenes, a psychiatrist says, "Tell me about Frances Gumm." Judy instantly respondes, "She was a little fat girl. Nobody liked her. We had to get rid of her. Judy Garland stole Frances Gumm's voice."
The production design is superb. The recreations of scenes from Judy's most beloved films, "The Wizard Of Oz," "Meet Me In St. Louis," and "A Star Is Born", are excellent. The scenes depicting Judy's triumphant Carnegie Hall concert in 1961 are electrifying. The film only falters in the final hour, when it ceases to be about Judy Garland and becomes, in effect, all about Lorna Luft (Allison Pill) taking care of the increasingly fragil, frail, drug-dependent Judy. This is understandable, seeing as the film is based on Lorna's "family memoir." Interestingly, Sid Luft did not want Lorna to publish the memoir or this movie to be made. Since much of the last half of the movie depicts Sid's (Victor Garber) domestic battles with Judy, and their bitter custody battle over children Lorna and Joe, he can hardly be faulted or blamed for his feelings. Since the memoir and the movie are from Lorna's perspective, it is dramatically unbalanced. Brother Joe and superstar half-sister Liza Minnelli, for instance, are largely left in the shadows in the movie. Judy's second husband, the gentlemanly Vincente Minnelli ("House's Hugh Laurie) is depicted as rather cold and indifferent. On the other hand, Sid Luft (husband number three and Lorna's father) comes off, for the most part, as Judy's knight in shining armour. In truth, Judy and Sid were a much more tempestuous couple who probably couldn't live with or without each other. But these criticisms are minor. The film is extremely worthwhile; the overall quality of the production being so far above the standard show-business biopic.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
|
"The Story of Judy Garland"
Added 4/30/2009
Ever since Judy Garland died in 1969 Hollywood has been extremely slow in developing a movie based on her life. In 1998 Judy's youngest daughter, Lorna Luft, wrote a mesmerizing and well-written memoir on her famous mother called "Me and My Shadows", and it immediately became a best seller. It was only natural that a film based on that book would come to pass. The miniseries "Life With Judy Garland-Me and My Shadows" aired on ABC as a two-parter, and gained huge ratings. People knew about Lorna's book, and it was obvious people still loved Judy Garland. The telefilm would receive five Emmy awards, including two for the actresses who played Judy at different stages in her life: both Tammy Blanchard (the young Judy) and Judy Davis (the older Judy) would both win acting Emmys for their portrayal. The film is excellent, with a superb script, and the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved screen icons and singers is well documented. Judy's destructive descent into alcohol and prescription pill addiction is thoroughly explored, and it is well dramatized that these addictions are what eventually destroyed her. The DVD comes with audio commentary by Lorna Luft and director Robert Ackerman, and there is a behind the scenes featurette. The New York Times calls the movie "Dazzling", and the National Post says, "Judy Davis delivers a majestic and memorable performance". Read the book by Lorna Luft as well to get even more insight into the legend that is Judy Garland.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
