BY: LOUIE LA COMPTE

De-Lovely is a stellar introduction to the conflicted life and musical genius of the celebrated Cole "Anything Goes" Porter.

Lately I've been increasingly interested in popular songs from the first half of the 20th century, particularly the 30s and 40s. Where does one start?

Songwriters, of course. The names are familiar enough: Gershwin, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter. Luckily, regarding the last of that list, there are two biopics of his full and infinitely interesting life. "Night and Day," the first film, is a very white-washed, squeaky-clean version of Porter's life, starring the always dashing Cary Grant as Porter. Interesting to any fan of Grant or Porter, but completely lacking in the truth. "De-Lovely" is the more recent biopic of Porter's life, starring Kevin Kline as Porter and Ashley Judd as his wife Linda. In my opinion, the latter is a very enjoyable - and probably more accurate - portrait of a man struggling with his own sexual identity in a time when that was just unheard of, particularly for such a public figure still trying to do right by his wife. (It is a love story.)

The premise for "De-Lovely" is Cole Porter at the end of his life, re-experienced as a staged musical, directed by his guide/guardian angel Gabriel, played brilliantly by Jonathan Pryce ("Brazil"). The film starts fairly quickly, with a big production number featuring all of the characters that play a major role in Porter's life, but this isn't evident until the end. Once you know who these people are on repeat viewing - which I did to listen to the audio commentary with the director and star - you know just how each person affected his life, for good or bad. The subsequent musical numbers simply flow into the main narrative of the story and definitely add to the storytelling. How else do you tell the story of such an extravagant life? When Cole and Linda are leisurely walking through a Parisian park, and there is an 'unmanned piano', it's just natural that Porter must 'man' it and serenade her, leading into a romantic dance and ending with applause from the by-standers. When a cocktail party’s excitement begins to lag, what else is there to do but break into a rousing rendition of “Well, Did You Evah!”, each and every person present participating.

The "other side" of Porter's life, the half that they couldn't deal with in the 1946 film, was handled very tastefully. No graphic male on male scenes, just the slightest indication that he's committing an illicit act, according to the mores of the time, driving his wife further away from him. There is one notable scene where Porter frequents an apparent gay speakeasy, done in one continuous take, with arious characters appearing in and out of frame, with costume changes between each time they are off camera - what a feat! The scene tells of his continuing liaisons despite their effect on his relationship with Linda, whom he seemingly is deeply in love with. It also tells of Irwin Winkler’s determination to tell the story in an interesting way. In the end, Porter's relationship with Linda was, to say the least, an unconventional one, especially for the times they lived in.

The main draw to this film is, of course, the many wonderful songs of Cole Porter. According to director Winkler, there are over thirty on the soundtrack, beginning with the opening number, "Blow, Gabriel, Blow," and including "It's De-lovely" (of course), "Let's Misbehave," "Let's Do It, Let's Fall in Love," "Night and Day," "Anything Goes," and so much more. Porter's knack for a clever turn of phrase, and ability to imply so much without revealing too much, is evident with every lyric. Each song is not placed in chronological order of when Porter penned it, but when it coincides to that particular moment in Porter's life. The bonus is that Winkler gathered some of the best modern recording artist to record and even perform a Cole Porter classic in the film. Can you picture Alanis Morissette singing "Let's Do It, Let's Fall In Love"? Well, she does, and I have to admit it’s not that bad. While she brings the usual Alanis touch to the song, it still has that original touch of Porter's genius. Other notable appearances are Elvis Costello crooning to "Let's Misbehave," which is just a perfect pairing of song and performer; Robbie Williams belting out "Night and Day" (I can't even remember what song he had out in the late 90s, but I just love his rendition of this classic), and Diana Krall (don't even know who that is) [Ed note: modern jazz singer, and Elvis Costello's wife!] singing a very sultry version of "Just One of Those Things." The soundtrack is a must-have, and "De-Lovely" is a must for lovers of a bygone age. Highballs and fedoras.

Louie La Compte has been a Tucson resident for the past 12 years now. As a self-proclaimed cinephile, he screens an average of 6-8 films a week. Since his first viewing of Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows," he has been increasingly interested in film and filmmaking. He is currently working on various short film projects. As a bibliophile, he is a frequent patron of Bookmans; just look for the guy in the fedora. You can read more of his random babblings and rants on his LiveJournal.