De-Lovely

For the popular song by Cole Porter, see It's De-Lovely.

De-Lovely
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Irwin Winkler
Produced by	Simon Channing Williams
Written by	Jay Cocks
Starring	Kevin Kline Ashley Judd Jonathan Pryce Kevin McNally Sandra Nelson Allan Corduner Peter Polycarpou
Music by	Cole Porter
Cinematography	Tony Pierce-Roberts
Editing by	Julie Monroe
Studio	Winkler Films
Distributed by	Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
Release date(s)	July 2, 2004 (2004-07-02)
Running time	125 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20 million
Box office	$18,396,382

De-Lovely is a 2004 musical biopic directed by Irwin Winkler. The screenplay by Jay Cocks is based on the life and career of Cole Porter, from his first meeting with Linda Lee Thomas until his death. It is the second biopic about the composer, following Night and Day.

Plot

As he is about to die, Porter's life flashes before him in the form of a musical production staged by the archangel Gabriel in the Indiana theater where the composer first performed on stage. From the start, Linda is aware of Cole's gay feelings, but her love for and devotion to him are strong enough for her to overlook his romantic flings outside their marriage. After a while, she can no longer ignore the innuendos in his songs and their relationship grows strained. Cole is photographed in an amorous embrace with another man in the rest room of a gay nightclub, and both he and Linda are blackmailed into paying a heavy settlement to suppress publication of the pictures. When he shrugs off the blackmail, she finally goes to Paris, leaving him bereft. Not until he is injured in a horseback riding accident that seriously cripples him does she return to his side, willing to forgive but still finding it difficult to cope with his extramarital affairs. Eventually she is diagnosed with emphysema, and as she prepares herself and her husband for her impending death, she attempts to forge a relationship between him and her interior decorator so he'll have a companion following her death, which deeply affects him. The eventual amputation of his right leg adds to his deep depression, affecting his creative output. Porter becomes increasingly reclusive, as well as becoming more dependent on alcohol.^[1][2]

Cast

• Kevin Kline as Cole Porter
• Ashley Judd as Linda Lee Thomas/Porter
• Jonathan Pryce as Gabriel
• Kevin McNally as Gerald Murphy
• Sandra Nelson as Sara Murphy
• Allan Corduner as Monty Woolley
• Peter Polycarpou as Louis B. Mayer
• Keith Allen as Irving Berlin
• James Wilby as Edward Thomas
• Peter Jessop as Diaghilev
• John Barrowman as Jack
• Caroline O'Connor as Ethel Merman
• Alanis Morissette as an on-stage performer

Production

Although Porter was a passable singer at best, director Irwin Winkler cast Kevin Kline, winner of two Tony Awards and two Drama Desk Awards for his musical performances on Broadway, as the composer. He stayed in character by limiting his vocal range. Most of his singing was recorded live on the set, and the actor played the piano himself in the scenes where Porter plays.

According to Winkler's commentary on the DVD release of the film, he had considered numerous actresses for the role of Linda when Ashley Judd's agent advised him she was interested in the part. Winkler was certain her salary demand would exceed that allowed by the budget, but the actress was so anxious to portray Linda she was willing to lower her usual asking price. Judd is twenty years younger than Kline, although the composer's wife was eight years older than he.

Filming locations included Chiswick House and Luton Hoo.

The film premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.^[3] It was shown at the CineVegas International Film Festival, the Sydney Film Festival, and the San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival before going into limited release in the US.

The film grossed $13,337,299 in the US and $5,059,083 in other markets for a total worldwide box office of $18,396,382.^[4]

Soundtrack

A soundtrack album of music from the film was released on June 15, 2004.

Track Listing (Europe)

1. "It's De-Lovely" performed by Robbie Williams
2. "Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)" performed by Alanis Morissette
3. "Begin the Beguine" performed by Sheryl Crow
4. "Let's Misbehave" performed by Elvis Costello
5. "Be a Clown" performed by Kevin Kline, Peter Polycarpou, and Chorus
6. "Night and Day" performed by John Barrowman
7. "Easy to Love" performed by Kevin Kline (American release omits this track)
8. "True Love" by Ashley Judd and Tayler Hamilton
9. "What is This Thing Called Love?" performed by Lemar
10. "I Love You" performed by Mick Hucknall
11. "Just One of Those Things" performed by Diana Krall
12. "Anything Goes" performed by Caroline O'Connor
13. "Experiment" performed by Kevin Kline
14. "Love for Sale" performed by Vivian Green
15. "So in Love" performed by Lara Fabian and Mario Frangoulis
16. "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" performed by Natalie Cole
17. "Blow, Gabriel, Blow" performed by Jonathan Pryce, Kevin Kline, Cast, and Chorus
18. "In the Still of the Night" performed by Kevin Kline and Ashley Judd
19. "You're the Top" performed by Cole Porter

Critical reception

The film had a mixed reception. It garnered a score of 53 from Metacritic^[5] and a 49 from Rotten Tomatoes.^[5] In his review in The New York Times, Stephen Holden called the film "lethally inert" and "lifeless and drained of genuine joie de vivre" and added, "It didn't have to be like this. In their highly stylized ways, All That Jazz (Bob Fosse's morbidly manic screen autobiography), Ken Russell's surreal portraits of composers or any of Federico Fellini's libidinous self-explorations have delved deeply into the muck of artistic creativity. Sadly, the daring and imagination required to go below the surface are nowhere to be found in De-Lovely."^[6]

Roger Ebert gave the film 3.5 out of a possible four stars. He wrote, for his review in the Chicago Sun-Times, that De-Lovely "...brings [...] a worldly sophistication that is rare in the movies".^[7]

Ruthe Stein of the San Francisco Chronicle said, "The movie never gels - despite Kline's nuanced performance, the stars' exquisite period clothes designed by Armani, and, of course, Porter's great songs. Director Irwin Winkler's highly stylized technique is difficult to connect with emotionally. His film also suffers from shockingly sloppy editing for a studio production. If nothing else, the composer . . . deserves a movie that has rhythm. But De- Lovely lurches along like a car with a missing spark plug."^[8]

In Rolling Stone, Peter Travers rated the film three out of a possible four stars and commented, "In voice, manner, patrician charm and private torment, Kevin Kline is perfection as legendary composer Cole Porter . . . At its best, De-Lovely evokes a time, a place and a sound with stylish wit and sophistication."^[9]

Steve Persall of the St. Petersburg Times graded the film C- and observed, "The movie is actually an ugly compilation of clashing cinematic styles occasionally salvaged by musical numbers that essentially are part of the problem. You can't make a good movie about a 1930s composer using a 1970s film conceit while hiring 21st century recording artists to perform Porter's classic songs. A tribute CD, maybe, but not a movie . . . [it] plays like a cabaret review rather than a motion picture, a sublime collection of songs linked by scripted banter barely scratching the surface of its subject. Not delightful, not delicious, just disappointing."^[10]

Awards and nominations

• Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Kevin Kline, nominee)
• Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Ashley Judd, nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Kline, nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Costume Design (nominee)
• Satellite Award for Best Art Direction/Production Design (winner)
• Costume Designers Guild Award for Excellence in Costume Design for Film - Period/Fantasy (nominee)
• Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (nominee)]

See also

• List of American films of 2004
• List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-related films by storyline

References

1. ^ Gardner, Elysa (June 30, 2004). "The woman beside the man". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-29-porter-side-linda_x.htm. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
2. ^ Gardner, Elysa (June 30, 2004). "'De-Lovely' examines unsanitized Porter". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2004-06-29-delovely-main_x.htm. Retrieved May 1, 2010. 
3. ^ "Festival de Cannes: De-Lovely". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4183985/year/2004.html. Retrieved 2009-12-05. 
4. ^ De-Lovely at TheNumbers.com
5. ^ ^{a b} http://www.metacritic.com/video/titles/delovely?q=de-lovely
6. ^ New York Times review
7. ^ "De-Lovely". Chicago Sun-Times. http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20040702/REVIEWS/407020314/1023. 
8. ^ San Francisco Chronicle review
9. ^ Rolling Stone review
10. ^ St. Petersburg Times review

External links

• Official website
• De-Lovely at the Internet Movie Database
• De-Lovely at the TCM Movie Database
• De-Lovely at AllRovi
• De-Lovely at Box Office Mojo