Tab Hunter Confidential (2015)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tab Hunter Confidential is a documentary film which premiered in 2015.

 

It is about the life and career of the famous actor and singer Tab Hunter (1931-2018).

 

Here is some basic information about this film:

 

** Producer: Allan Glaser

** Director: Jeffrey Schwarz

** Based on the autobiography Tab Hunter Confidential by Tab Hunter (with Eddie Muller) (2005) (2006)

** Run time: 89 minutes

 

In the 1950s and the 1960s, Tab Hunter was a famous actor and singer. He was a handsome young man. He was a symbol of the American man. He was Mr America. Millions of women in the US (and other countries) would dream about him and put pictures of him up on the wall.

 

But he had a secret: he was not interested in women. He was interested in men. However, he could not say so in public. If this information were to become public, there would be a scandal, and he would lose his career. He would go from hero to zero in a few seconds.

 

His secret was known by a few people in the movie business and the media world. But the studio protected him, because he was making money for the owners, and the media did not reveal his secret.

 

At that time, the big studios were able to tell the media what to report and what to ignore about their stars and the media would often respect their wishes (today, this is no longer the case).

 

Later in his life, when he was no longer a famous actor, Tab Hunter stopped pretending. He could no longer be two persons. He decided it was time for him to say:

 

No more secrets!

 

Allan Glaser, his partner in life since 1983, persuaded him to write an autobiography. Which he did (working with Eddie Muller). It was published in 2005.

 

Ten years later, in 2015, Allan Glaser turned the book into a documentary film with the same title as the book:

 

Tab Hunter Confidential

 

It is about the person he was before and the person he became when he decided to be himself.

 

Many persons are interviewed in the film. Family, friends, and people who have worked with him. The list of names is long; too long to be included here. I will mention only one name: Tab Hunter, who appears throughout the film, because he is the narrator.

 

This film follows a chronological line from the time when Tab Hunter was a young child until the time when he was an old man (more than 80). The film covers the music he made, the movies he made, and the secrets he no longer wants to keep.

 

Between the numerous talking heads, there are short clips from the music and the movies.

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

Here are the results of three review aggregators:

 

** 60 percent = Meta

** 76 percent = IMDb

** 88 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

** 96 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

 

On Amazon there are at the moment more than 200 ratings of this product, more than 100 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.6 stars which corresponds to a rating of 92 percent.

 

If you ask me, the first two ratings are too low. When you look at Rotten Tomatoes, you can see that there is a gap between the professional critics and the general audience. The audience likes this drama more than the critics, but both groups are positive. In this case, I have to side with the audience, because it is a great film.

 

When a famous person is writing a book about himself – or, in this case, narrating a film about himself – there is always a danger that the account we get will be rather one-sided, because he tends to focus on the positive aspects of his life, while ignoring whatever negative aspects there may be.

 

In my opinion, we do not have this problem here. As far as I can tell, this is what I call an ABC product:

 

** Accurate

** Balanced and

** Comprehensive

 

In addition, it is interesting and informative. The pace is brisk; and the story is quite captivating.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

*****

 

Tab Hunter Confidential:

The Making of a Movie Star

by Tab Hunter

(with Eddie Muller)

(Hardcover 2005)

(Paperback 2006)

 

*****

 

Phantom Thread (2017)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phantom Thread is a historical drama which premiered in 2017. The story, which is set in London in the 1950s, focuses on the life and career of the fictional fashion designer Reynolds Woodcock. 

 

Here is some basic information about this drama:

 

** Written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson

** Costumes designed by Mark Bridges

** Run time: 130 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

** Daniel Day-Lewis as Reynolds Woodcock – a fashion designer

** Lesley Manville as Cyril Woodcock – Reynolds’ sister

** Vicky Krieps as Alma – a waitress

** Camilla Rutherford as Johanna – Reynolds’ girlfriend

** Gina McKee as Countess Henrietta Harding – a customer

** Brian Gleeson as Dr Robert Hardy

** Harriet Sansom Harris as Barbara Rose – a customer

** Lujza Richter as Princess Mona Braganza – a customer

 

As stated above, this is a historical drama, i.e. a fictional story that is placed in a historical context.

 

In this case, the context is England in the 1950s. Most scenes are set in London, but a few scenes are set in the English countryside.

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. This is why I am not going to say not say much about what happens in this historical drama, but I have to mention a few details in order to explain and justify my rating.

 

Reynolds is a fashion designer who creates dresses for people who are rich and famous. His life is carefully designed by himself and his sister Cyril.

 

He is a confirmed bachelor who has one beautiful woman after another. When he is tired of a woman, he will lose interest, and his sister Cyril will tell the women to disappear.

 

One day Reynolds meets Alma who is a waitress in a restaurant where he wants to have breakfast. He invites her out and she says yes. Soon she becomes his muse and lover.

 

But Alma is not like the other women in his life. She does not submit to him. She will not be told what to do. She has a mind of her own. Now Reynolds must decide how he is going to respond to this new and unexpected situation.

 

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends. If you want to know what happens to Reynolds, Alma, Cyril, and the people around them, you will have to watch the drama all the way to the end.

 

As stated above, Reynolds Woodcock is a fictional character, but he is not pure invention. The character is inspired by two famous fashion designers:

 

** Charles James (1906-1978) from the USA

** Cristobal Balenciaga (1895-1972) from Spain

 

What do reviewers say about this historical drama?

 

Here are the results of three review aggregators:

 

** 71 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

** 74 percent = IMDb

** 90 percent = Meta

** 91 percent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

On Amazon there are at the moment more than 3,000 ratings of this product, more than 600 with reviews.

 

The average rating is 4.4 stars which corresponds to a rating of 88 percent.

 

If you ask me, this historical drama is highly overrated. I cannot understand the numerous positive reviews.

 

What is wrong?

 

# 1. It is slow

# 2. It is boring

# 3. It is far too long

 

In addition, there are some technical flaws during the first fifteen minutes of the movie. Let me explain:

 

# 1. Six minutes into the drama, there is a knock on the front door. Cyril walks towards the door to open it. When she opens the door, we see Countess Henrietta walking up the stairs towards the door. But there is a mystery here: who knocked on the door?

 

At the moment when we hear the door hammer, there is no one outside the door! The countess is still sitting in her car outside the house! This is a factual mistake.

 

# 2. Seven minutes into the drama, Countess Henrietta is trying her new dress. She puts on her glasses to look at herself in the mirror.

 

In the next clip, when we see her from a different angle, the glasses have disappeared! This is a problem with continuity.

 

# 3. Eleven minutes into the drama, Reynolds is driving his car to the countryside. He stops at a gas station. As he pulls into the gas station, the lights of the pumps are on.

 

But in the next clip the lights of the pumps are no longer on! This is another problem with continuity.

 

Finally, I have to mention a medical concept: fabricated or induced illness by carers – previously known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy. But I cannot say more about this issue without revealing too much.

 

Daniel Day-Lewis has explained that Phantom Thread is his last movie. He wants to retire. I cannot understand why he decided to end his career with this movie. He could (and should) have chosen something that was better than this.

 

The costumes are impressive, but the main story is a big disappointment.

 

In my opinion, this drama highly-overrated drama does not deserve more than two stars (40 percent).

 

*****