Life with Judy Garland - Me and My Shadows
by Robert Allan Ackerman
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Hugh Laurie, John Benjamin Hickey, Judy Davis, Sonja Smits, Victor GarberDirector: Robert Allan Ackerman
Brand: Buena Vista Home Video
Producer: Craig Zadan
Producer: Dave Mace
Producer: Ed Gernon
Producer: John Ryan
Producer: Kirk Ellis
Writer: Lorna Luft
Writer: Robert L. Freedman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; English (Subtitled)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 170 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2002-01-22
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Miramax
Movie Reviews of Life with Judy Garland - Me and My Shadows
Movie Review: fine biopic despite a few minor flaws
Summary: 4 Stars
Me and My Shadows: Life with Judy Garland was the way for Garland's daughter Lorna Luft to tell her mother's compelling life story. Many say she was the greatest entertainer who ever lived and that could well be the case. Nobody gave as much as Judy Garland did. Judy was one of a very rare kind: she could sing better than anyone I've ever heard and she could act better than anyone I've ever seen act--and that was on a bad day! She danced wonderfully, too, in the numerous movies she made. She danced onstage during many of her live concerts, too, much to the sheer delight and awe of her devoted audiences. Moreover, when Judy Garland was in a movie, it didn't matter who she danced with or with whom she was talking in any particular scene, your eyes were always on her. This biopic, done with great care and no doubt at least partially supervised by Lorna Luft, captures Garland's ups and downs incredibly well.
Look for exceptional performances by just about everyone in this film. Not everyone looked exactly like the people they played but Tammy Blanchard DID look a great deal like Judy, especially the very first time we see her walking on the yellow brick road on the set of "The Wizard of Oz." Judy Davis gives a stunning, electrifying performance as Judy Garland in her post-adolescent years. Alison Pill is just great as young Lorna Luft and Ellis Turner, Harrison Kane and Alex House play Joe Luft, Judy's only son, very well at three different ages. Dwayne Adams also plays a teenage Mickey Rooney to perfection. Victor Garber looks a bit like Sid Luft but from there on in the convincing acting makes up for the fact that the actors don't always look too much like the people they portray.
Other reviewers have noted that there are several inaccurate details scattered here and there throughout the film--and they are right. For example, when Judy loses the Oscar for Best Actress in A Star Is Born, her then-husband Sidney Luft (Victor Garber) says "That's the greatest robbery since Brinks." Actually, that was something Groucho Marx stated to tell Judy how sorry and angry he was that she didn't win the award. If I have any other gripe with this DVD release it would be that it is missing a few scenes that were originally released when this came out as a two VHS tape set which is now unavailable. However, don't be too disappointed: the movie as it exists is rather faithful to Garland's real life and times even as it stands.
The cinematography and the choreography couldn't have been better. In addition, the DVD comes with extras. There is a commentary by Lorna Luft; a "behind the scenes" featurette; and another featurette entitled "I Play the Palace." Terrific!
Overall, this movie is a must-have for Garland fans although as others have said they will probably notice a few inaccurate details along the way and they will be annoyed that a few minutes were deleted from the original version sold as a two VHS tape set. Nevertheless, this is an especially good place to start for people just discovering the singular artistry of Judy Garland; and anyone studying the truly few and very rare major "superstars" of Hollywood will want this for their collections.
Summary of Life with Judy Garland - Me and My Shadows
The remarkable story of Hollywood legend Judy Garland is vividly told in this widely acclaimed film, which features amazing, Emmy Award-winning portrayals by Judy Davis (Best Actress) and Tammy Blanchard (Best Supporting Actress). Loved by millions the world over, Judy was the brightest star in Hollywood's Golden Era. Away from the bright lights and brilliant performances, however, her devotion was to her family. But while she loved her children unconditionally, they could only desperately try and hang on to their mother as a powerful dependence on alcohol and prescription drugs began to consume her life. Based on the book by Garland's daughter Lorna Luft, and honored recipient of 5 Emmy Awards, LIFE WITH JUDY GARLAND: ME AND MY SHADOWS is a deeply moving testament to the healing powers of embracing one's past, facing one's demons, and charting a course of self-discovery!Pulling off the rare feat of winning Emmys for portraying the same role, Judy Davis and Tammy Blanchard raise this widely watched TV movie above the usual weepy-biopic standard. Since the project is based on a memoir by Lorna Luft, Judy Garland's "other" daughter, the emphasis is on Garland's rocky post-MGM years, spotlighting marriages, pills, and spectacular stage comebacks. Davis handles the neurotic swoops with authority; when Garland sighs on her birthday, "I'm 47 today--with my life, that makes me 412," you believe her. One thing she can't capture is Garland's onscreen incandescence: Davis's lip-syncing of "The Trolley Song" is expert but joyless. The luminous young Blanchard (who won the supporting actress trophy) has a physical and vocal resemblance to the former Frances Gumm that's often breathtaking, and the Wizard of Oz sequences look like outtakes from the real thing. Too much TV-flick telescoping dooms the movie to sketchiness, but those performances are over the rainbow. --Robert Horton
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