Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool is based on Turner’s
book and is directed with just the right stylistic flourish by Paul McGuigan.
Fundamentally a straight-forward (even rather conventional) narrative, McGuigan
doesn’t crowd out the action and emotion, but skilfully intercuts past and
present together (for instance, characters walk through doors in 1981 and
emerge in their memories of 1979). This is pretty subtly done throughout
(although the glorious, sun-kissed past and the rain drenched Liverpool present
isn’t particularly subtle!) and allows the film to focus on its main strengths
– the acting.
The success of the film rests on the chemistry – and skill –
of the two leads who both give wonderful performances. Annette Bening excels in
nearly a career-best role, as a star clinging to the remnants of her career.
Outwardly displaying glamour and confidence – complete with a soft-toned movie
star voice – it’s a brilliant study of inner fragility and uncertainty. She
carefully reveals a Gloria Grahame who is deeply insecure and fragile.
Bening brings a lot of empathy to the role of a slightly lonely
woman who has spent years avoiding questions around her own health, terrified
that it could make her unemployable. It’s a fear that has a tendency to make
her brittle and defensive. And of course, that’s only added to by her knowing
that she is ageing in a young person’s profession. Even jokes about age expose
her self-doubt and fear. (Peter drops an early clanger when she tells him after
their first date she dreams of playing Juliet with the RSC: “You mean the
Nurse?” he says without thinking. She throws him out.)
It’s one of the nice things about the film that the only
person who really has a concern about age – or ever seems to mention it as an
issue – is the older woman. Nobody else in the film questions the relationship
between these two on age grounds (all the doubts raised are based on background
and, above all, Grahame’s track record with marriage – four and counting). It’s
purely an obsession of Grahame’s – because she doesn’t want to be reminded of
her own mortality and, unconsciously, the far younger Turner is a constant
reminder of this. And Grahame isn’t really that old anyway: certainly not at
heart, her vibrancy being one of the first things that attracts Peter to her.
Peter’s feelings though are heart-breakingly genuine, shown
in Bell’s wonderfully compassionate performance. McGuigan frequently allows
long reaction shots to study the emotional impact of events on the characters,
and no-one benefits from this more than Bell whose face is frequently a picture
of conflicted, tortured emotion, of grief that he’s only just managing to hold
in. Bell is terrific.
The film charts a romance that starts with a blissful
freedom, but ends with a very true and heartfelt declaration of love. The past
– saturated with cleanliness and colour as it is – is full of fun, romance and
semi-surreal early encounters stuffed with expressive dancing (a great reminder
that Bell can really move!) and watching Alien. The time the two spend
in New York is similarly golden tinged. What draws it to a close is illness –
and Grahame’s fears of how it will affect Turner as well as not wanting to live
her last few months being nursed by her lover like an invalid.
It’s an involving romance and relationship piece, and it
also gives time to how important families can be. Turner’s parents (lovely work
from Walters and Cranham) are supportive and caring of Grahame – and his
brother (edgy work from Graham) is only frustrated that they put her before
their own interests. It makes quite a contrast with Grahame’s family, a mother
who seems more interested in herself (Redgrave at her grand damest, showily
quoting Shakespeare) and bitchy, jealous sister (a prickly Frances Barber).
But it’s mainly a film about the two leads and while it
doesn’t reinvent anything about biopics or romances (or tragic stories of
loss), it tells its story neatly and cleanly and allows scope for the acting to
do a lot of the work. Bening and Bell more than rise to the challenge.
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