Film Stars’ crossed lovers impress
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool (M, 106mins) Directed by Paul McGuigan
★★★★1⁄2
They were from different worlds and at the opposite ends of their careers.
When Peter Turner (Jamie Bell) met Gloria Grahame (Annette Bening), he was an aspiring Liverpudlian thespian, she was a fading former Hollywood starlet desperately clinging to the last vestiges of her fame.
‘‘She was a big deal in blackand-white, not so much in colour,’’ one barman informs Peter. An Oscar winner for 1953’s The
Bad and the Beautiful, Gloria had earlier been known for playing a series of tart-with-a-heart roles in everything from Blonde Fever to It’s a Wonderful Life.
But Grahame was known equally for her offscreen roles, racking up four children and four ex-husbands before meeting Peter – a young man almost 30 years her junior.
However, with Turner instantly smitten by Grahame’s charisma and she equally by his boyish charm and attention, the pair become an item, going on dates to
Alien, dancing in their mutual London accommodation, and sharing their dreams of performances to come (despite her advancing years, Grahame still harboured ambitions of playing Juliet at the Royal Shakespeare Company).
But although his family welcomed her into their hearts and home, all Peter got was a warning. ‘‘Do us a favour – don’t marry Gloria, even if she begs, it would be so embarrassing,’’ her mother pleads.
Based on Turner’s 1984 memoir of the same name, Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is a gorgeous, vibrant cinematic tale filled with terrific performances, a beautifully crafted script and plenty of artistic flourishes.
Director Paul McGuigan, bestknown for his TV work on the likes of Sherlock and Munroe, does a superb job of not only making the romance believable, but also establishes a terrific sense of space and place through doorway-inspired clever segues and match shots and choice soundtrack cuts that include the heartbreaking use of Elton John’s instrumental Song for Guy.
Screenwriter Matt Greenhalgh, now something of an expert in British biopics after the trio of
Control, Nowhere Boy and The Look of Love, also deserves plenty of credit for giving the excellent cast, which also includes Julia Walters, Stephen Graham and Vanessa Redgrave, plenty of dramatic meat and memorable lines to chew on.
But of course, it has been Bell and, in particular, Bening, who were getting most of the plaudits during the current Awards season and they were fully deserved.
The former finally delivers on the promise more than 15 years ago of Billy Elliot, while the latter continues an impressive run which began with 2004’s Being Julia.
A kind of a cross between My Weekend with Marilyn, An Education and the 1980s TV series Bread, Film Stars is a sumptuous slice of movie making that deserves to find a wide audience.