Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Judy Garland: By Myself

Born into a vaudevillian family as Frances Gumm, Judy Garland became a beloved, tragic, and highly polarizing entertainment icon. "By Myself" chronicles her life, beginning with her time as an MGM child star, her unsurpassed success with "The Wizard of Oz" and "Meet Me in St. Louis", and some of the behind-the-scenes horrors imposed by the studio. It goes on to cover time spent with her husband and often director Vincente Minnelli, their daughter Liza, and latter successes like "A Star is Born" and her offstage singing tours, while documenting the depression and insecurity which plagued her personal life and contributed to her ultimate demise. Like most of the films in the American Masters series, this installment features a wealth of engaging interviews and footage, here telling the story of a talented and often misunderstood persona.