I finally caught up with this Movie yesterday at our favourite Mount Vic Flix after hearing a lot of good reports about it. Some friends said it should have been nominated for Oscars ,and I agree the two stars Annette Bening (a favourite of mine) and Jamie Bell ( remember Billy Elliott) are superb together.
I found it a sad and frankly depressing story , based on famous 1953 Oscar winning supporting actress Gloria Graham , known for sultry roles and famous as Ado Annie ( the girl who couldn't say no) the film version of Oklahoma , perhaps that philosophy played true in Gloria's real life?
Tell all tales of Hollywood Stars , especially stars that have long passed for me are of course interesting but can tarnish their reputation and I often think how would they react to this last invasion of their intimate life. Bette Davis and Joan Crawford were alive when their daughters published their versions of growing up with starlet mothers and were horrified of course ..
The very sad part of this movie I found was Gloria Graham's fall from grace after her career dwindled down to a trickle of roles to odd stage roles. She seemed plagued by child like immature insecurities and even thought she could still play the role of Juliet in her late fifties and this is reflected beautifully in the last part of the film.
We witness her last days of terminal illness and flashbacks as she rekindles her relationship with a young man Peter Turner, who is old enough to be her grandson and Gloria moves in with his Liverpudlian family to let his mum Bella (played beautifully by Julie Walters )care for her, which of course has ramifications for all involved.
I won't spoil the plot but it's certainly a film worth seeing , however I personally felt perhaps I'd rather not have known the reason and circumstances why Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool.
Review of Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool
