FILM STARS DON'T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (2017)

Written by Matt Greenhalgh


Directed by Paul McGuigan


Where & When: AFI Film Festival, TCL Chinese Theatres, Hollywood, CA. November 12, 2017 1:30 PM


I like to think of myself as a fairly knowledgeable film buff but I must admit I didn't know much about actress, Gloria Grahame nor have I ever seen one of her film performances. I have become aware that she is best known for her supporting roles as sexy, tough dames in the 1940's and '50's with films like "Crossfire", "In a Lonely Place", "The Big Heat" and impressively won an Oscar for her nine minute appearance in "The Bad and the Beautiful" in 1952.

With "Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool", Paul McGuigan's lukewarm romantic drama, we learn about Grahame in her later years when her career was in decline and her relationship with Peter Turner, a decades younger aspiring actor from this city in North West England. The story of this ill-fated love affair, based on a memoir by Turner, has moments when it can be touching and heartbreaking but the film is most effective as a showcase for the extraordinary performances of Annette Bening as Grahame and Jamie Bell playing Turner. Each of these actors reliably delivers some of their finest work when on screen separately yet when they appear together, the lively, sparkling chemistry between them is downright breathtaking.

The film begins in 1981, with Grahame preparing to take the stage in a small theater outside of London. Peter, who lives in Liverpool with his parents (Kenneth Cranham and Julie Waters), receives a call informing him that Gloria is gravely ill. Although they haven't spoken in some time, Peter still has warm feelings for his former love and invites her to his home with the hope of her recovering with the support of his family.

This leads to a series of inventive flashbacks to the time when Peter first met Gloria a few years earlier. While both were living in a London boarding house, they catch each other's eye and after an afternoon of drinks, conversation and disco dancing (all in Gloria's apartment), the couple drift in to a intimate relationship. With her breathy, girlish voice and assured sensuality at odds with her fiery temper and chronic insecurities, Grahame is more than a handful to deal with but Peter is patient and understanding of the life and career challenges facing the troubled actress.

And Grahame lived a wild and provocative life filled with impulsive behavior and poor judgment. She was married four times with one of her husbands being filmmaker Nicholas Ray who directed "Rebel Without a Cause", "Johnny Guitar" and one of Grahame's best known films, "In a Lonely Place" which helped expedite the end to their turbulent marriage during filming. Grahame later married Ray's step-son, Anthony with a rumor that they had first began an affair when he was thirteen and she was still married to the director.

Some of this, as well as her time as a gilded Hollywood star, are touched upon briefly in the film but the emphasis is almost entirely on the turbulent relationship between Grahame and Turner and her final days in his loving care. Mr. McGuigan, the Scottish filmmaker who was last on the big screen with the James McAvoy and Daniel Radcliffe 2015 horror dud, "Victor Frankenstein", would have benefited with showing us more of what made Grahame such an intriguing screen presence and a clearer understanding of the deep emotional connection between this young man and the mature actress.

While Ms Bening doesn't share any physical similarities to Grahame, she expertly captures the complicated spirit of the actress, continuously battling her inner demons of the narcissist nature of a performer with an enduring desire to simply love and be loved. Mr. Bell first came to our attention at the age of fourteen in the title role of the 2000 film, "Billy Elliot" which went on to become an international box-office smash and an equally successful Broadway musical. While he has continued to work, this is Bell's most significant film role since his debut and the actor holds his own next to the formidable Bening, bringing a sensitivity and stability to his role of Grahame's lover and caregiver. Vanessa Redgrave makes a welcome appearance as Grahame's mother but it's far too brief to be effective or memorable.

The legacy of Gloria Grahame has not remained as vibrant as some of her contemporaries and "Film Stars Don't Die In Liverpool" isn't the best introduction of the actress to a new generation. But it does succeed in bringing some well-deserved attention to the fascinating Grahame and hopefully will lead people to search out her films to discover the magic she had that captivated audiences.