FILMS WE SEEM TO HAVE IGNORED: DE-LOVELY
By Memo Salazar
2/02/2007
One thing about technology that gets to me is the way it caters to our impatience. The faster we can get our media fix, the less patient we are with the world’s artistic offerings. Our never-ending hunger for something new keeps us always looking forward, never back, and rarely allows for the thoughtful introspection many films and pieces of music (to name a couple of mediums) demand for in order to truly understand and appreciate them. It's sad, because lots of great stuff slips through the cracks, while not-so-great-stuff rides a wave of hype that only later crashes with a "what-were-we-thinking?" sense of sobriety.
Which brings me to "De-Lovely," producer-turned-director Irwin Winkler's 2004 musical biopic about the late, great Cole Porter. This film was pretty much ignored when it came out a couple of years ago, and when it wasn't ignored, it was described as...
"Stiff, lifeless and incomprehensibly dull."
"'De-Lovely' is pretty standard, run-of-the-mill stuff."
"I don't know what I was more bothered by, his smirk or his strut."
...and the always-hilarious twist on a title, "De-lousy."
I saw "De-Lovely" on a lark, having no idea it even existed, simply because it was the only film that didn’t sound like absolute shit in the megaplex I happened to be at, while visiting a friend in good ol’ suburbia. I didn’t know it was a musical, but I love Cole Porter’s music, so "De-Lovely" it was. The film begins with an arguably-silly conceit of having Cole Porter (Kevin Kline), at the end of his life, sitting in a theater with an imaginary director (Jonathan Pryce) basically reviewing his life as it were a grand musical production. They speak theatrically about his life while actors recreate it on stage. Not only does this sound somewhat ridiculous, it’s also a watered-down twist on another brilliant film about music and theater, "All That Jazz." So, ten minutes into the film, I was preparing myself for the worst.
But then the story began its slow unravel, sucking us deep into a love story like no other... and, in an industry which basically regurgitates love stories over and over, finding a fresh one is a delicacy one rarely gets to savor. It was such a delight that, by the end, even the cheesy “Porter looking back on his life in the theater” gimmick didn’t seem so gimmicky. Rather, it was earnest, sweet, and touching.
"De-Lovely" is many things. It is a musical about a man who’s life was musicals. Again, this is treading on All That Jazz territory, except Cole Porter was a real man, and all this really happened. Cleverly, the filmmakers took it a step further- not only did they tell the story via the musical genre, but they actually used Cole Porter’s song lyrics as commentary on his life and state of mind. Even if you’re familiar with his charming music, hearing his songs in this context gives a whole new meaning to this enigmatic artist; “Let’s Misbehave” and “Don’t Fence Me In”, for example, are much more revealing when Kline transforms the songs into expressions of his personal philosophy and sexuality. They transcend being merely whimsical tunes into insightful revelations of Porter’s lifelong fight against society’s restrictive ideas.
But that’s not all, folks. "De-Lovely" is also a love story between a homo (or bi, it’s never quite clear) sexual man and a heterosexual woman. This is truly the heart of the film; it is a story of how Linda Thomas (Ashley Judd) loved Porter so much that she gave up many of the traditional “benefits” that one expects from a relationship, such as fidelity and sexual fulfillment, giving Porter the freedom he craved and emotional support he needed to navigate through the difficult life he had chosen for himself. This is truly a love story, not a lust story; there is a genuine commitment and appreciation between the two that transcends the typical carnal desire Hollywood usually sells us as fodder for our minds.
Add to that several amazing performances by our famous thespians, an incredible amount of craft put into every scene (sets, lighting, cinematography, costumes...) and wonderful music that’s only occasionally butchered (hello, Alanis Morissette!) and you have one of the most unique biopics you’ve ever seen.
So why the commercial and critical could shoulder? Well, critics are a pretty insecure lot, rarely straying (whether consciously or not) from the “party line”, usually getting a feel for what the buzz is on a film before they jump into a review. And, since their livelihood depends on coming up with something entertaining to say every week about their subject, let’s just say it’s easy for them to lose sight of what really matters in art-- having something to say, and saying it in an original way. "De-Lovely" manages both while sticking to a very “Hollywood” sensibility, a rare feat indeed. It’s accessible & commercial, yet intelligent & complex. It’s one of those movies that I fall in love with more and more as time goes on, and one that will undoubtedly gain critical favor as time passes, and critics realize just how damn beautiful this film really is.
Beat the critics to the punch and check it out for yourself.
