American pianist Liberace (1919-1987) has been a known entity in Germany ever since Steven Soderbergh‘s BEHIND THE CANDELABRA (2013) at the latest. Liberace‘s strength was less his musicianship and more his talent as “Mr. Showmanship.“ Based on an intense relationship with the audience, he built his shows into ever-growing spectacles in which he regularly entered in a Rolls Royce and let audiences admire his outfits before he ever lifted a finger on the piano. Liberace was the biggest star of his time, the “King of Vegas“ before Elvis, who allegedly motivated him to dress more dramatically. He only cancelled one performance out of his 5000.
Jeremy J.P. Fekete visits many of the kitsch palaces where Liberace made his money in LOOK ME OVER and asks former lovers and the children of his employees about the man. An image of a person forms that was able to be generous, but was also so conservative underneath the stiff grin and the glittery outfits, that he denied being gay until his death from AIDS. Scott Thorson, who was the undisputed love of Liberace‘s life and whose autobiography was the basis of BEHIND THE CANDELABRA, doesn‘t get to speak in LOOK ME OVER, but is very present in the memories of Liberace‘s counterparts – even if it‘s as the person who abused Liberace‘s generousity the most. Fekete‘s portrait is definitely not unbiased, but it does find a good balance beween peaking behind the fabulous curtains and reveling in what made Liberace so unique and a man who influenced artists, like Elton John, to this day.

Christian Klose

Translation: Elinor Lewy