The point at which Steven Soderbergh crossed over from film to TV was through his long-gestating passion project, the Liberace biopic Behind The Candelabra. Considering Soderbergh had been developing the project for so many years, and acknowledging his years of prolific moviemaking, it's no big surprise that Behind the Candelabra turned out to be one of Soderbergh's best films, even if the lack of studio interest forced him to pitch up at HBO. Pared down to a small(ish) $23 million romantic drama, the film tells the story of Liberace's (Michael Douglas) poisonous relationship with Scott Thorson (Matt Damon). For Douglas, Behind the Candelabra obviously offers the role of a lifetime, one that stretches him further than ever, with the actor inhabiting the disturbed and domineering Liberace in a performance Oscar would have loved. Matt Damon is similarly impressive as Liberace's lover, his naive blankness turning to a sharp pout as his older squeeze subjects him to unwanted facial reconstruction and a life kept secret in the shadows. Even through the fights and the rampant gift-giving disguised as affection, though, there's something tender about the skewed relationship between Liberace and Damon's Scott - perhaps owing to the scaled-down production Soderbergh had to initiate when the movie studios rejected him, Behind the Candelabra is effectively an intimate two-man play. Albeit one with the most lavish set and costume design you'll likely see on TV for some time.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
