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Topic: Kenneth Williams Biopic: Fantabulosa!

Message 1 / 2
BobbyAug 20, 2010
 

 
I've just recently watched this incredibly well made film about the life of Kenneth Williams, and it is an amazingly well written and well acted film.

Michael Sheen perfectly embodies Kenneth Williams, from his facial expressions, to his vocal inflections, everything was spot on and pitch perfect.

there is a constant voiceover narration done by Michael Sheen as Kenneth Williams, which no doubt are excerpts taken from the actual diary entries of Kenneth's diary. the voiceover narration is fantastic, as it adds even more gravitas to the whole thing.

there's a fantastic bit at the start of the film which features Michael Sheen, as Kenneth Williams, singing a Rambling Syd Rumpo song over a scene of Michael Sheen (as Kenneth) riding his bicycle back to his flat in Great Portland Street.

The film for the most part focuses on Kenneth's personal life, sprinkled in with career highlights (including his work with Tony Hancock, his work on Round the Horne, his work in the Carry On Films, and there's even a fantastic scene of him playing 'Just a Minute', with Nicholas Parsons and Clement Freud as themselves), as it showcases his constant struggle to find personal love, even in the face of his fear of intimacy. Its a very sad and tragic character study of a man so loved by the public, seeing him tortured by his personal demons, his insecurities and his struggle with his own sexuality.

I was very moved by watching the film, and it really made me think about sad and tragic ol' Kenny's life was inbetween his show biz gigs.

its an amazing film, and I'm pretty sure when I listen to earlier recordings of JAM again, it'll make me view the late Mr. Williams in a different light.

anyone else seen this film?

 
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Topic: Re: Kenneth Williams Biopic: Fantabulosa!

Message 2 / 2
SeDi_98Aug 20, 2010
 

 
Yes, I saw it some time ago, when the BBC first broadcast it. For me, it didn't really get to the core of Kenneth Williams.

I'd read the published diaries not long before seeing it, and noticed at the time a couple of scenes where written exchanges between Williams and others, and also private comments he'd written in the diaries, had been staged as if spoken face-to-face. This is common enough in biopics, of course, but I found it particularly jarring in this case as there was a tendency to make Williams sound rude and outrageous at times when I really don't think he was. I also found Michael Sheen's performance a bit over-the-top, even (dare I say it) a bit Carry On.

Now, of course, Kenneth Williams most definitely was over-the-top at times, and could be rude and outrageous when he wanted to be, but based on what I picked up from the diaries, and the other writings about his life I've read, my feeling is the film was slightly on the sensationalist side of the balance, and didn't quite do this complex man justice.

--Darren

--- In just-a-minute@..., "Bobby" <bobbyshaddoe3004@...> wrote:
>
> I've just recently watched this incredibly well made film about the life of Kenneth Williams, and it is an amazingly well written and well acted film.
>
> Michael Sheen perfectly embodies Kenneth Williams, from his facial expressions, to his vocal inflections, everything was spot on and pitch perfect.
>
> there is a constant voiceover narration done by Michael Sheen as Kenneth Williams, which no doubt are excerpts taken from the actual diary entries of Kenneth's diary. the voiceover narration is fantastic, as it adds even more gravitas to the whole thing.
>
> there's a fantastic bit at the start of the film which features Michael Sheen, as Kenneth Williams, singing a Rambling Syd Rumpo song over a scene of Michael Sheen (as Kenneth) riding his bicycle back to his flat in Great Portland Street.
>
> The film for the most part focuses on Kenneth's personal life, sprinkled in with career highlights (including his work with Tony Hancock, his work on Round the Horne, his work in the Carry On Films, and there's even a fantastic scene of him playing 'Just a Minute', with Nicholas Parsons and Clement Freud as themselves), as it showcases his constant struggle to find personal love, even in the face of his fear of intimacy. Its a very sad and tragic character study of a man so loved by the public, seeing him tortured by his personal demons, his insecurities and his struggle with his own sexuality.
>
> I was very moved by watching the film, and it really made me think about sad and tragic ol' Kenny's life was inbetween his show biz gigs.
>
> its an amazing film, and I'm pretty sure when I listen to earlier recordings of JAM again, it'll make me view the late Mr. Williams in a different light.
>
> anyone else seen this film?
>