Yes, RLP, but these are specific songs that are supposed to be presented at the time they were written by Porter at a specific time. I am not trashing it, I am dismayed at the liberties they are taking, when they NEED NOT be to present the story they are claiming to present.
Porter probably wouldn't mind, that's true, but even Peter Bogdanavich was fairly faithful to notes and arrangements in his AT LONG LAST LOVE.
Not exactly true. Porter's music is used on the soundtrack to counterpoint the events of his life as they are played out on the screen. Songs that were written late in Porter's life are used here and there to accompany scenes that depict Porter before he wrote them.
This is definitely NOT an "and then he wrote..." biopic. It may be helpful to think of Porter's
oeuvre as a body of work from which the film makers drew to create appropriately dramatic scoring for the action on-screen.
As I said previously, the film is at its strongest when the songs are used as counterpoint for the dramatic action being depicted. It stumbles when the characters on screen (especially when it's more than just Cole and Linda) suddenly break into song and dance.
At least we are spared "In the Still of the Night" being sung as a Christmas carol by preternaturally cute children in the snow.
And this Dear Reader holds the opinion (apparently none too popular in these parts) that Porter's music is perfectly ripe for "interpretation." Think of the variety of treatments that a song like "Love for Sale" has had over the years, ranging from dark and slow to dance-rhythm bright. I do believe that this film offers a noble attempt in the handling of the music. Some folks won't like it and others will, perhaps including people who've never been exposed to this music before. My suggestion is that people judge the film on its own merits, and the soundtrack in the context of the film.
(To be clear, I am not saying that
De-Lovely is the greatest film ever made. Trust me, it has ample flaws. It does have its merits though, and, in my humble opinion, it is worth seeing.)
