Judy
09/10/19 Filed in: Cinema
I didn't read about this film before going to see it and therefore didn't realise that it was dedicated to a very short period towards the end of Judy Garland's life. It starts, however, with her as a child being coached, coaxed or if one were being particularly uncharitable, bullied by Louis B. Mayer on the set of The Wizard of Oz. Her experience at that time was to shape her life, a pawn at the mercy of the all powerful entertainment industry.
And so it was that in 1969, short of money and battling to keep her children, she reluctantly agreed to perform at London's Talk Of The Town. We see a fragile woman, almost fearful of what she has agreed to do, and actually refusing to go on stage on the opening night. But Bernard Delfont has lined up Rosalyn Wilder, played by Jessie Buckley, as Judy's personal assistant. And Rosalyn isn't taking no for an answer.
Once on stage Judy the performer replaces the insecure Judy that we've just seen in the dressing room, and she wows the audience. But she is physically low, with a lifelong dependance on drugs and acute insomnia, thanks largely to her treatment back in her youth. It is in fact quite amazing how she pulls out the stops when needed. But her fragility is exposed when she agrees to do an on screen interview, the interviewer digging into areas that destabilise her emotionally. The result is a near break down on stage.
Meanwhile, in her personal life she feels that she has found a saviour in Mickey Deans. Apparently devoted to her, he appears to have secured a way forward for her off the stage and she becomes dependant upon him emotionally. He becomes her fifth husband.
But Judy's life was, it seems, destined to be a tragedy and we know that, despite all her hopes, her frailty, both physical and mental, would in the end determine her future.
This is Renée Zellweger's film. The other players are more than competent but are but a sideshow to Zellweger's central performance. She embodies the fragility of Judy and her voice reflects the state of Judy's health at that time. A tracheotomy along with both physical and mental exhaustion were never going to allow Judy to recreate the beauty of her voice as a young woman.
While I enjoyed the film I was left feeling that there was something lacking. I can't pin it down and with many speculating that Zellweger's performance is in Oscar territory perhaps it's just me. See what you think.
But Judy's life was, it seems, destined to be a tragedy and we know that, despite all her hopes, her frailty, both physical and mental, would in the end determine her future.
This is Renée Zellweger's film. The other players are more than competent but are but a sideshow to Zellweger's central performance. She embodies the fragility of Judy and her voice reflects the state of Judy's health at that time. A tracheotomy along with both physical and mental exhaustion were never going to allow Judy to recreate the beauty of her voice as a young woman.
While I enjoyed the film I was left feeling that there was something lacking. I can't pin it down and with many speculating that Zellweger's performance is in Oscar territory perhaps it's just me. See what you think.