Kevin Kline plays legendary songwriter Cole Porter in the musical biopic De-Lovely. Irwin Winkler directed this "polished but ultimately skin-deep portrait", which received mixed reviews and a ho-hum reception from moviegoers. Perhaps the only reason you went to see it was to catch a glimpse of Robbie Williams or Alanis Morissette singing a couple of Porter's classic ditties.
De-Lirious
"There's no easy answer to what this film is about," says director Irwin Winkler in The Making Of De-Lovely. No, this isn't an admission to senility but a reflection on the thorny problem of representing Cole Porter as a gay man who was nonetheless deeply in love with his wife (played by Ashley Judd). It's an intriguing matter, but perhaps one that Winkler should've thought more about in the development stage?
Kline also offers his thoughts while footage from the hair and makeup room reveals his dramatic transformation from dapper Dan to crotchety old Cole. Apparently he had difficulty getting used to acting under layers of latex before realising that, "I was able to start doing the usual facial overacting that I'm known for."
Pop icons including Sheryl Crowe, Elvis Costello and Robbie Williams share their experiences in the hum-inducing featurette The Music Of De-Lovely. "Porter was an insecure songwriter so this was really a push for me," says (who else?) Robbie Williams. Meanwhile Costello was alarmed by the prospect of having to wear a white suit, commenting, "At first I thought I should be selling ice cream."
De-Liberate
Two key scenes are deconstructed in separate Anatomy Of A Scene featurettes. Kline undergoes dance training in Be A Clown while Love For Sale reveals how Winkler recorded this major musical set piece in one fluid camera move. Disappointingly there isn't much in the way of technical insights, especially with regard to the latter sequence. Instead cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts tells us, "Everything was computerised." Gee, thanks, Tony.
Similarly Winkler hosts two rather dry feature commentaries - one with Kevin Kline and the other with screenwriter Jay Cocks. Both make quite unconvincing attempts to understand the psychology of Porter although Cocks at least offers some practical insights into the structuring of the story using Porter's songbook as a framework.
Among nine deleted scenes there are two versions of Be A Clown and an alternate ending capping off the relationship between Porter and his wife with a slightly cheesy exchange of dialogue. Altogether it's a fair but rather patchy selection of bonus features that's more likely to get the toe tapping than the cogs turning.
EXTRA FEATURES
The De-Lovely DVD is out to buy on Monday 7th March 2005.
