De-Lovely (2004)

Inspecting a magical biographical stage musical, composer Cole Porter reviews his life and career with his wife, Linda.

Director:

Irwin Winkler

Writer:

Jay Cocks

Stars:

Kevin Kline, Ashley Judd, Jonathan Pryce

Nominated for 2 Golden Globes. Another 2 wins & 11 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Kline	...	Cole Porter
Ashley Judd	...	Linda Porter
Jonathan Pryce	...	Gabe
Kevin McNally	...	Gerald Murphy
Sandra Nelson	...	Sara Murphy
Allan Corduner	...	Monty Woolley
Peter Polycarpou	...	L.B. Mayer
Keith Allen	...	Irving Berlin
James Wilby	...	Edward Thomas
Kevin McKidd	...	Bobby Reed
Richard Dillane	...	Bill Wrather
Edward Baker-Duly	...	Boris Kochno
Angie Hill	...	Ellin Berlin
Harry Ditson	...	Dr. Moorhead
Tayler Hamilton	...	Honoria Murphy

Storyline

De-Lovely is an original musical portrait of American composer Cole Porter, filled with his unforgettable songs. In the film, Porter is looking back on his life as if it was one of his spectacular stage shows, with the people and events of his life becoming the actors and action onstage. Through elaborate production numbers and popular hits like "Anything Goes," "It's De-Lovely," and "Night and Day," Porter's elegant, excessive past comes to light - including his deeply complicated relationship with his wife and muse, Linda Lee Porter.

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Plot Keywords:

jukebox musical | horseback riding | cole porter character | monty woolley character | louis b. mayer character | 

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Taglines:

A love that would never die and music that would live forever.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Music | Musical

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

The old Cole Porter make-up took 5 hours to complete.

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Goofs

Scenes showing Cole Porter musicals being produced on Broadway in the 1930s show African-American and white women dancing together in the chorus lines. Broadway chorus lines weren't racially integrated until the 1970s.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Gabe: Hello, Cole. I let myself in.
Cole Porter: We're not late, are we? I hate to be late.
Gabe: No, no. We're fine. That sounded lovely.
Cole Porter: I hate funeral music. Though, under the circumstances, I suppose I should say my prayers.
Gabe: Why start now?
Cole Porter: Exactly.

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Connections

Referenced in Dinner for Five: Episode #4.10 (2005)

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Soundtracks

Love for Sale
Performed by Vivian Green
Written by Cole Porter
Published by Warner Bros., Inc. / Chappell & Co, Inc. (ASCAP)
Produced by Stephen Endelman and Peter Asher
Vivian Green appears courtesy of Columbia Records

User Reviews

Delirious: Hollywood gets it wrong again!

I say "Delirious", because evidently, the people involved in this mess must've been just that. This ill conceived, miscast, puerile piece of garbage has very little to do with the late Mr. Porter's actual life and even less to do with his music. The movie even admits on a certain level that it's a fake by using footage from another horribly miscast biopic about Cole Porter, starring Cary Grant and Alexis Smith!

Another review I've read mentions that: "At the first night parties there seemed a disproportionately high number of black people as guests, and also in other scenes." Historical documentation supports that Cole Porter's life, especially while in New York, was more integrated than a casual observer might think. On the contrary, there were many black people who attended the late Mr. Porter's, shall we say..."Night Parties". Primarily Black male prostitutes whom he patronized at the Harlem brothels he frequented. A few, even served as inspiration for some of his more popular songs. This subject, which is a key part of Cole Porter's life, is conveniently leeched out of the story.

This isn't the only bone of contention I have with this movie. Much of the movie's music is taken out of context, not only chronologically, but also stylistically and logistically. He wrote songs for key reasons at key times. For instance, the very woman who was supposed to have inspired this movie, Cole Porter's wife Linda, also was reported to have given the song "De-lovely", its name. This is referenced in many notable biographies of Cole Porter.

If you actually want to know about his real life and his REAL music, go to the library and read for yourself about the actual person. Then, start by listening to his music. Ella Fitzgerald's Cole porter songbook serves as an excellent introduction. And if you're still intrigued, there are actual recordings of the late Mr. Porter playing and singing his own music. If you're reading this, you've obviously got online access, so do yourself a huge favor, start by visiting some of the online multi-media, book and music outlets and enter his name in a search. For the time investment of a few simple key-strokes and mouse clicks, you'll be able to learn and truly appreciate more about Cole Porter, his life, his music and his genius, than this blanched, consumptive Kevin Kline vehicle could ever hope to provide.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English French Italian

Release Date:

6 August 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Just One of Those Things

Filming Locations:

Café de Paris, Coventry Street, Soho, London, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$15,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$292,963, 4 July 2004

Gross USA:

$13,456,633

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$18,611,951

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Potboiler Productions, Winkler Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

125 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1