Liberace once took a poop in the lobby of the Four Seasons Hotel in Palm Beach, Fla., in full view of staff and guests. Quelle horreur! Naturally I made frantic excuses for him. After all, he was middle-aged at the time and starting to get a little confused. It was, nonetheless, an acutely embarrassing episode and not one that I would ever care to repeat.
When I say Liberace, I am referring, you will be enormously
relieved to hear, to Liberace my ancient Norwich terrier, as opposed to
the deceased be-sequined entertainer, the tawdry details of whose
private life are about to be unfurled Sunday in the HBO biopic Behind the Candelabra.
This incredible movie—it’s based on the tell-all by Liberace’s former lover, the currently incarcerated Scott Thorson—is the don’t-miss of the decade. It is Showgirls plus Casino times GAY. It is so über-gay that while watching it, I, the person who once topped Time Out’s
list of the gayest people in New York City, started to feel like
Charles Bronson by comparison. This two-hour drama is jampacked with
bejeweled Speedos, bristling toupees, antiques, mantiques, yapping
poodles, houseboys, and twinkies.
Despite the ormolu gewgaws and the polyester Nik Nik shirts, Behind the Candelabra soars effortlessly above the perils of campy kitsch. Director Steven Soderbergh has pulled off a miracle: a touching and powerful movie that is nonetheless filled with sumptuous satin caftans, ostrich-feather-trimmed capes, and crystal-encrusted pianos.
Full credit for the emotional gravitas must be given to the male
leads. Loath though I am to give compliments to actors—they already get
plenty of hot air blasted up their dirndl skirts and trouser legs—in
this instance I must. Michael Douglas and Matt Damon are magnifique.
Despite their pancake maquillage, matching facelifts, and “budgie
smuggler” bathing suits, they somehow manage to convey the pain and
complexity of their freaky fur-clad cohabitation.
It’s good to be reminded that Liberace was gay back when gay was a
felony and a mental illness. As his fame grew, he was obliged to find
ever more elaborate ways to elude detection. He sued people. He told
them he was in love with ice skater Sonja Henie. By the time he met
twinkie Scott, he was hiding his gayness in plain sight beneath an ocean
of white fox and rhinestones. Opulence trumps everything. Why would you give two shits about my sexual orientation when I am obviously as rich as Croesus is the line of thinking. (Prior to coming out, Elton John deployed a similar strategy.)
While the blinding flashiness of his performances and his lifestyle
distracted from probing questions about his private life, the threat of
exposure was constant. This couple lived under gay house arrest. As a
result, the relationship between Scott and Lee (his nickname) plays out
in a world of bored poolside luxury, alleviated by occasional brunches
with Charo, Dom DeLuise, and Jim Nabors. Douglas and Damon skillfully
inhabit this fragile, tacky prison. Their full-hearted performances—I
cried during the AIDS deathbed scene—are so convincing as to be
Oscar-smelly.
Liberace, the dog
Courtesy of Simon Doonan
