Whereas Steven Soderbergh’s Liberace biopic, Behind the Candelabra, will be debuting on HBO across the Atlantic, the director’s final film will be getting a full theatrical release on our shores, arriving a little later at the start of next month.
Michael Douglas and Matt Damon take the leading roles as the renowned pianist, Liberace, and the much younger Scott Thorson, with whom Liberace had a five-year relationship. And with its UK release date fast approaching, a new trailer has made its way online giving us a flavour for the film.
In the summer of 1977, handsome young stranger Scott Thorson walked into Liberace’s dressing room and, despite their age difference and seemingly different worlds, the two embarked on a secretive five-year love affair. To the outside world Scott was an employee, at most a friend, but behind closed doors his life with Liberace was an intense rollercoaster of hedonistic fun, flamboyance and excess.
Starring Michael Douglas as Liberace and Matt Damon as Scott Thorson, BEHIND THE CANDELABRA tells the fascinating true story of their glamorous life together and their tempestuous relationship — from the glitz and glamour of the early days in Las Vegas to their very bitter and public break-up.
Douglas and Damon star alongside a great cast, led by Dan Aykroyd, Rob Lowe, Debbie Reynolds, Scott Bakula, Tom Papa, and Paul Reiser.
Soderbergh is directing from a script penned by Richard LaGravenese (Water for Elephants), based on Thorson’s autobiography, Behind the Candelabra: My Life with Liberace.
The director has been talking about retiring from the industry in recent years, making his final bow this year with Side Effects and this long-awaited Liberace biopic. The film promises to be an incredibly interesting close to this portion of Soderbergh’s career. And I’m hoping that, somewhere down the line, he’ll decide to return behind the camera once more.
Behind the Candelabra will be airing on HBO at the end of the month on May 26th in the US, and has its theatrical UK release date set for 7th June.
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