Behind the Candelabra (2013)

A chronicle of the tempestuous six year romance between megastar singer, Liberace, and his young lover, Scott Thorson.

Director:

Steven Soderbergh

Writers:

Richard LaGravenese (screenplay), Scott Thorson (book)

Stars:

Michael Douglas, Matt Damon, Scott Bakula

Won 2 Golden Globes. Another 41 wins & 48 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Matt Damon	...	Scott Thorson
Scott Bakula	...	Bob Black
Eric Zuckerman	...	Lou
Eddie Jemison	...	Assistant Director
Randy Lowell	...	Director
Tom Roach	...	Stunt Actor
Shamus Cooley	...	Camera Assistant
John Smutny	...	Sound Mixer
Jane Morris	...	Rose Carracappa
Garrett M. Brown	...	Joe Carracappa
Michael Douglas	...	Liberace
Pat Asanti	...	George Liberace
Debbie Reynolds	...	Frances Liberace
Casey Kramer	...	Dora Liberace
Cheyenne Jackson	...	Billy Leatherwood

Storyline

Scott Thorson, a young bisexual man raised in foster homes, is introduced to flamboyant entertainment giant Liberace and quickly finds himself in a romantic relationship with the legendary pianist. Swaddled in wealth and excess, Scott and Liberace have a long affair, one that eventually Scott begins to find suffocating. Kept away from the outside world by the flashily effeminate yet deeply closeted Liberace, and submitting to extreme makeovers and even plastic surgery at the behest of his lover, Scott eventually rebels. When Liberace finds himself a new lover, Scott is tossed on the street. He then seeks legal redress for what he feels he has lost. But throughout, the bond between the young man and the star never completely tears.

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Plot Keywords:

pianist | gay adoption | boy toy | gay relationship | based on real person | 

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Taglines:

"Too much of a good thing is wonderful"

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 June 2013 (UK)

Also Known As:

Liberace

Filming Locations:

Santa Clarita, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jerry Weintraub Productions, HBO Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

118 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Debbie Reynolds' final live-action acting role.

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Goofs

In the movie both Liberace and his mother claim that his first name was "Walter". In fact Liberace was born "Wladziu Valentino", but used only his last name as his stage name for most of his career.

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Quotes

Liberace: [to Seymour on the phone] Seymour? I told you not to call this number.
Seymour Heller: [into the phone] Hi, Lee. I'm sorry, I have to talk to you about these dates. We've got six months of bookings.
Liberace: I already told you the dates I would do. I'm not working after Thanksgiving during the holidays.
[quietly to Scott]
Liberace: Especially now.
Seymour Heller: But you can make double on holiday shows. Take a vacation later.
Liberace: Seymour, I do not want to be the richest piano player in the grave. Forget it.
Scott Thorson: No definitely not. You're already working ...
[...]

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Connections

Referenced in Breakfast: Episode dated 29 December 2016 (2016)

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Soundtracks

When Liberace Winks at Me
Written by Bobby Gimby and Johnny Wayne (as Jonny Wayne)
Sung by Peggy King
Piano Performed by Liberace
COurtesy of John Delgatto/Entrée Records & DVD
By arrangement with the Liberace Foundation

User Reviews

Everything I like about a movie

Honestly, I'm not a huge fan of Steven Soderbergh as I find a lot of his films quite boring. But this film really blew me away.

It has everything I want to see in a movie: great performances, true stories, same sex love, a little bit of nudity, but not too much, truthfulness, warmth, minimum amount of violence and good cinematography.

I have a newfound respect for Michael Douglas, who becomes completely unrecognizable (with a little help of good make up) , gives it all in his performance as Liberace, and yet only just beat cancer a year earlier.

10 out of 10**