Behind the Candelabra Proves that Hollywood is Out of Touch

I only vaguely recall Liberace. He died when I was fifteen. Nor had I really been exposed to him by then. Nobody in my family was an especially big fan, though I never heard anyone disdain him either. He'd simply never really crossed my cultural path.

The little I knew by osmosis was that he was a flamboyant piano player, who loved big, glittering costumes. I've since heard tell that he was - in the opinion of the reviewer - one of the greatest musicians of the 20th century.

Though I'd vaguely grasped that he was gay (and absolutely flaming in his ostentatious campness), I'd not encountered a single whisper about his stormy relationship with the much younger Scott Thorson.

As Behind the Candelabra detailed some of the finer points of that highly secretive romance, I felt like I'd stepped onto a roller-coaster ride. By equal measure charmed, thrilled, then utterly disturbed, gasping in shock as the story unfolded.

Nor should this story be viewed as merely the chronicle of a past time. "I don't care what anybody says, we were married!" Scott screamed in frustration, promptly raising a very topical issue. The 21st century debate surrounding same-sex marriage will find a lot of resonance here.

It's been a long time since I saw a movie with such a clever script as this one.

As a viewer, my alarm bells were ringing for Scott from the outset, yet Liberace (Michael Douglas) was written with such overwhelming charm that I found myself sympathizing with him too.

He was so much older, but had a childlike aspect that countered that. He was domineering and over-confident, yet surely that covered an inner vulnerability?  He was demanding and dismissive of all perspectives but his own. On the other hand, experience and star status had given him that right, and his generosity was beyond imagination.

Even when the warning signs became quite shrill, they were easily drowned out by the razzle-dazzle of those extravagant showbiz sets, the costumes, the palatial homes and dozens of classic cars.

The brilliance of the writers, set designers, costumers and director was that you are taken on this journey. You can see precisely why Scott ends up in the position that he was. It's a movie that's both stunning to watch cinematically, but also deeply thought-provoking.

The acting is so much so that I consciously peered at the screen trying to see Michael Douglas behind Liberace, but couldn't. I lost Matt Damon behind the face-lifts of Scott Thorson. I was thoroughly engaged and right there with them.

It's hardly a surprise to me that awards are cascading around this movie like the glitter on a Liberace backdrop.

Nor was it unexpected for the actors involved. They both said 'yes' the second that they read the script, despite the fact that they would have to take substantial pay cuts to do so. Matt Damon kept his schedule free, even when filming was delayed for months, while Michael Douglas received treatment for throat cancer.

Michael Douglas commented that he rarely sees scripts this in-depth anymore, hence his eagerness to embrace the role. It genuinely challenged him as an actor. It was the sort of story which Hollywood studios would disdain as being too intelligent.

Only that's not why they turned it down. They said it was 'too gay' for American audiences.

Director Steven Soderbergh spent four years beating a trail to the door of every Hollywood studio executive.

His vision for the story of Liberace lent itself brilliantly to the silver screen. The master pianist practically was Hollywood! And this was a movie which would allow some of that old world showbiz glamor to resurface again.

But none of them were interested. While many studios agreed that it was a great script and a fascinating story, the fact remained that this was a romance between two men. They didn't care that Michael Douglas and Matt Damon were already signed up to portray those men, it was still a homosexual love story.

It was the considered opinion of studio after studio that Behind the Candelabra was just 'too gay'.

This story didn't have the apologetic subtlety of Brokeback Mountain; the moralistic warning of Philadelphia; the historical distance of Maurice; nor the underlying message that you can outgrow the camp, as in The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.

Instead the life-style of Liberace and Scott Thorson was unashamedly depicted as it was. There were scenes of outlandish display interspersed with gritty realism. The homosexuality was merely a sexual preference. If Liberace had been straight, then he would have done to a woman as he did to Scott.

The only difference being that society's reaction to homosexuality at the time kept it all the more firmly behind closed doors, adding immensely to the pressure cooker claustrophobia that kept Scott acquiescing to all demands.

It was felt that American audiences weren't ready for something like that. It would fail at the box office and prove too controversial in the press.

After four years of attempting to make his movie with financial backing from Hollywood, Soderbergh gave up and turned to the small screen. HBO agreed to fund the filming, which the director later recognized as a great result. No executive there attempted to temper his story. He was given free reign to tell it in its full glory.

And American audiences loved every second, as did those further afield.

Critical receptions continued to push big Hollywood productions from the headlines. Behind the Candelabra's accolades beat many other movies to the podium. Suddenly studio executives were faced with a smash hit which hadn't originated from their back-lots, carrying with it a highly public message about why that should be the case.

Let's hope there's been some soul-searching in Tinsel Town in its glittering wake.