You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth?: Savage Grace

Sometimes ignorance is bliss. A couple weeks ago, one of my friends recommended I watch Savage Grace (2007). I vaguely remembered the title- and once I recalled Julianne Moore was in it- I was good to go. I would watch La Moore poop in a can- and for all I know, that happens in the upcoming Bel Canto (2018). What I'd forgotten was that this was the somewhat infamous based-on-a-true-story film about an uncomfortably close relationship between a mother and son. I didn't look any further into it than that- and I'm glad I didn't- cause the ending made my jaw drop.

Savage Grace recounts the life of our narrator, Antony Baekeland (Eddie Redmayne), heir to the Bakelite fortune and apple of his omnipresent mother's eye. Barbara (the aforementioned not-pooping Julianne Moore) has shifted her affections to her son because her icy husband (the nicely built Stephen Dillane) is tired of her social-climbing and philandering. As Antony tells us, "I was the steam when hot meets cold." As we watch Antony's story unfold, we realize that steam can cloud and confuse what we see.

What made Savage Grace so interesting to me was the classic style in which director Tom Kalin shot it. I don't just mean the beautifully realized period costumes and exotic European hotspots from the Forties to the Seventies that populate the film. For a film that is so much about sex, we see very little of the act. Glances, touches, and cuts to "the next morning" take the place of our seeing what actually happens when passions become unmanageable.

Classic movies did this to avoid the evil red pen of Joseph I. Breen. But Kalin does it to allow our imaginations to fill-in the blanks. When we do catch these moments, Kalin focuses more on faces than on bodies. It is not about the act- it is about what is going on internally for this fucked-up family.

Objects also receive unusual focus in the camera frame. Whether it's the dog collar of a long-dead pet, a record player, the serving of morning tea, or the accoutrements of a failed suicide attempt, objects hold the permanence in this story over the people. This is after all a memory play- and memory thrives on physical anchors. Throw in some mirrors and portraits and in style, Savage Grace feels like a Minnellian or Sirkian melodrama but with content that far exceeds anything classic Hollywood could have produced.

Moore is absolutely magnetic as the emotionally starving Barbara, and Redmayne gives a wounded, natural performance free of the tics and tricks he's picked up lately. If you don't know about the true story, I recommend waiting to research it until after you've seen the film. Trust me. Give yourself a little surprise in a world that has become reliably insane.

Babsolutely Babulous

I'm a binge-watching failure. When it was announced that six of Barbra Streisand's television/concert specials along with a special edition of A Star is Born (1976) would be released on Netflix on June 15th, I should have set time aside in my funemployment schedule to watch them all and immediately report back to my faithful readers.

Well... I'm doing that now... almost a month later. In my defense, it was a much more all-consuming task than I first thought- and I needed to make time to see Liz Taylor and Mia Farrow in Secret Ceremony (1968). I became so guilt-ridden over not finishing all the shows that I dreamed about having dinner with Barbra and breaking her toilet.

But better late than never as they say.

For your Babs binge-ing pleasure, here is my ranking of the six classic specials and the most recent Netflix-produced concert special- Best to Not As Best:

Barbra Streisand: A Happening in Central Park (1968)

Fresh from shooting Funny Girl (1968), Streisand flew back to New York City in June of 1967 to perform in Central Park in front of 135,000 fans- okay maybe it was 150,000- but who other than Barbra is counting?
Streisand is literally a force of nature. As she sings the winds rise, her gown billows, and her voice soars. Totally in her element she is assured, funny, and seemingly relaxed- like the calm before the approaching storm both literally and figuratively. In a little over a year she would become a Hollywood superstar and Oscar-winner with the release of Funny Girl.

Broadcast in September 1968 on CBS (appropriately timed with the release of Funny Girl) the special  included some of her best-known hits of the time (and her version of Silent Night?) and picked up an Emmy.




Barbra: The Concert (1994)

When it was announced that Streisand was going to return to live performance after a 28 year absence, her fans went bat-shit and all 18 shows sold out in an hour. Starting with a New Year's show in Las Vegas in December of 1993 and culminating with her "last" show in Anaheim in July of '94, the tour was a great success with a bout of laryngitis thrown in for some drama at the end. If you don't believe me, watch the tour promotional videos woven throughout the concert.

The HBO special was shot at her final show in Anaheim, and it is superb. Streisand is no longer the young lady with the big voice singing her heart out to get noticed by Hollywood. She is now a legend- the veritable priestess of American voice whose movies and career garner worldwide attention no matter how good or meh they are. Streisand is in full control... of everything- including her audience patter- rehearsed and planned for desired effect.

La Streisand has the deep musical history to fill an over two hour show with recognizable standards- many of which she made famous. Marvin Hamlisch's brilliant arrangements and song selection are all sung with a mastery that no one can match- no, not even Celine Dion. When Streisand duets with her younger self in the final scene of Yentl on a giant video screen, the audience explodes. It is Streisand's emphatic declaration that she was there, and she is still here. The special would go on to win 5 Emmys.




My Name is Barbra (1965)

Here she is! That plucky Brooklyn girl you've all heard about is ready to take on the world in her first musical television special!

Imagine a time when Barbra wasn't a household name. Well, in this 1965 CBS special, Babs launched herself into American living rooms with the hopes of changing all that.

It's really amazing to watch her vitality and her youth- and that voice! While the first two sections of the special are staged and in my opinion are only saved by a selection of Halston hats in the Bergdorf Goodman, the last section is a triumph. Barbra just sings- and it's transcendent. The voice is pure, and hungry, and at this point she hadn't sung "My Man" five bajillion times.

Color Me Barbra (1966)

After the success of My Name is Barbra CBS jumped at the chance to team with Barbra and producer  Martin Erlichman again in March of 1966 for a COLOR special. What better way to show off the abilities of a color TV set than to have Barbra run through the Philadelphia Museum of Art? Like its predecessor, the sketch portion of the program (including a "circus" set) feels forced- with the exception of Streisand's mod "Gotta Move" number. The fireworks start in the final segment when Streisand drops the schtick and just sings.

Barbra: The Music... The Memries... The Magic! (2017)

Streisand inked a lucrative deal with Netflix to produce a special for her 14 city tour in 2016 promoting her most recent Broadway duets album. Previous specials could skirt Barbra's age, but at this point she is 74. And while the top registers and clarity of her younger voice are strained, Streisand wisely dials those aspects down and focuses on her other genius ability- as an interpreter of songs. She knocks "You Don't Bring Me Flowers" and "Losing My Mind" out of the park- even if she can't hold that last note from "Don't Rain on My Parade" like she used to.

Stick around for the video in memoriam for her beloved Coton de Tulear, Sammie. It's so overly produced, it feels like a parody video. But it only takes a quick YouTube search to discover that Barbra's not alone in this sort of tribute to her four-legged best friend.








Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments (1973)

This show is just plain weird. Airing in November of 1973, the concept was that Streisand would transcend her Broadway/standard catalogue and sing along to music from different countries. It's sort of like "It's a Small World" on LSD with Streisand doing an international costume change every couple of minutes. Her African wig was a bad idea- even then- but Streisand seems game to try anything even performing with a computer.

What really saves this special are her duets with Ray Charles. It seems a strange combination at first- not unlike Der Bingle and David Bowie crooning Christmas carols together. But Streisand jumps into the numbers with gusto- and explores the gospel/soul layers of her voice- something she would continue to do throughout the '70's.

Barba Streisand: Timeless Live in Concert (2000)

Have you ever wanted to end the millennium with Barbra? New Year's Eve 1999/2000 in Las Vegas was your chance. The MGM Grand was decked out in a pyramid and three giant, moving video screens to accommodate Streisand and Kenny Ortega's concept of- well I honestly have no idea what their concept was.

There's an opening skit where a mini-me Barbra shows her early pluck before adult Barbra appears on stage to sing with her- all while Brother Time (an immensely talented but wasted on this show Savion Glover) tap dances around whenever Streisand is in need of a costume change or a countdown.

Barbra's in fine voice but the attempt to do something better or different from previous shows comes off more like she doesn't trust her audience to just sit and listen to her. Trust me, Babs. We'll listen and enjoy. Emmy voters did. They gave the special 4 Emmys.


If that's not enough Barbra for you, the 1973 remake of A Star Is Born is also available on Netflix with additional footage. But don't say I didn't warn you...