Behind the Candelabra

Steven Soderbergh's Behind the Candelabra pulls back the curtain on one of show business's most carefully guarded secrets: the six-year love affair between Liberace, the piano man who dazzled audiences with candelabra-topped pianos and rhinestone-studded capes, and Scott Thorson, a young animal trainer who became his lover, companion, and ultimately his legal adversary. Adapted from Thorson's 1988 memoir, the film stars Michael Douglas and Matt Damon in career-defining performances that earned them Emmy and Golden Globe awards. Produced by HBO Films with a budget of $23 million, it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival before airing on the network in May 2013.

The project was famously rejected by major Hollywood studios, which deemed the gay subject matter too risky for theatrical release. Soderbergh, who had announced this would be his final film before retirement, found a home for it at HBO, where the creative freedom allowed him to explore the relationship's complexities without compromise. Michael Douglas later admitted to feeling "revengeful joy" when the film's critical and awards success proved the studios wrong. The film also marked the final score by composer Marvin Hamlisch, who died in 2012, and features an unforgettable supporting turn from Rob Lowe as the ethically dubious plastic surgeon Dr. Jack Startz.

Behind the Candelabra isn't just a biopic; it's a meditation on fame, control, and the corrosive toll of living a lie. Soderbergh, working as his own cinematographer under the pseudonym Peter Andrews, bathes the film in the gaudy excess of 1970s Las Vegas, contrasting the glittering public performances with the suffocating intimacy of Liberace's private world. The result is a film that feels both opulent and claustrophobic, a fitting tribute to a man whose life was a constant performance. [edit]

The summer of 1977 in Las Vegas. Scott Thorson, a twenty-something animal trainer with dreams of becoming a filmmaker, gets a backstage pass to meet Liberace after one of his sold-out shows. The entertainer, already a global icon known for his flamboyant costumes and signature candelabra, is immediately taken with the handsome young man. What starts as a whirlwind courtship, with Liberace showering Scott with gifts and access to a world of unimaginable luxury, soon deepens into a full-blown relationship that will consume both their lives for the next six years.

Scott moves into Liberace's lavish Las Vegas compound, becoming his lover, personal assistant, and chauffeur. He's introduced to the inner circle, including Seymour Heller (Dan Aykroyd), Liberace's longtime manager and gatekeeper of his carefully crafted public image. While Liberace is openly flamboyant on stage, he remains deeply in the closet offstage, maintaining a public facade of heterosexuality. This tension between public persona and private reality defines their life together, as Scott must navigate the constant fear of exposure and the demands of being the partner of a man who can never fully acknowledge him.

As their relationship intensifies, Liberace's controlling nature becomes more apparent. He seeks to reshape Scott into his ideal companion, even arranging for him to undergo plastic surgery to resemble a younger version of Liberace himself. The procedures, performed by the flamboyant and ethically questionable Dr. Jack Startz (Rob Lowe), mark a turning point, as Scott begins to realize the extent of Liberace's narcissism and his own replaceability.

The film chronicles the couple's domestic life in all its glamour and dysfunction: the palatial homes, the fur coats, the diamonds, the custom cars, and the increasingly strained emotional connection. Scott struggles with his position as both beloved partner and disposable accessory, caught between genuine affection for Liberace and the corrosive effects of the entertainer's manipulation. As Scott ages past Liberace's preferred type, the entertainer's eye wanders to younger men, setting the stage for a painful unraveling.

Their relationship deteriorates as Liberace's obsession with youth and perfection becomes more extreme. Scott, feeling increasingly discarded, begins to assert his own needs, leading to conflicts that threaten to expose their secret. The film builds toward the inevitable breakup, but not before exploring the depths of their codependency and the emotional toll of living a hidden life. By the time the relationship ends, Scott is left with nothing but memories and a bitter sense of betrayal, setting the stage for the legal battle that would follow.[edit]