Beautiful Darling

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Audience Member Loved all the archival footage of Candy in her heyday!!! I loved the fact that it focused on happy times in her life and not the hardships and setbacks during an era of a close minded society!!! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/20/19 Full Review jimi l great footage with the first pop/rock/punk transgender icon, Jayne County Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member This is a documentary about the drag queen/transsexual performer Candy Darling, who was one of Andy Warhol's Superstars. Most of the film is relayed through interviews conducted by her friend Jeremiah Newton, who takes up almost all of the film as he mugs for the camera. I don't believe his sentiments are untrue to the spirit of Candy, but the film shouldn't have featured him so heavily. The film also provides a lot of footage of Candy in various films, backstage at comedy clubs, and there are voice overs (Sevigny) that read from her diaries. From the many interviews there's a decent enough picture of who she really was and what she wanted, but there wasn't a lot of context, historically speaking. For someone unaware of Warhol's oeuvre, this film is not very informational. There's no link between Warhol and Candy, except for when those interviewed express Candy's dependency on the icon for her continued fame. Otherwise it's unclear how Candy became Candy other than from the words of Newton. We don't know how she made it to New York, how she transformed herself, or what her relationship with Warhol was like. While these aspects of her story may not be what's important to understand her as a person, they need to be shown to the audience so we understand the film's narrative. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member A poignant look at Candy Darling (one of my favourite personalities from the Warhol/Morrisey films) - Darling was audacious and tragic, manipulative and dazzlingly charismatic. The filmmaker uses drawings, photos and sketches to great effect, to bring out the high and low points of Darling's too short life. This is also a compelling portrait of a fascinating era full of prodigious creative output. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review Audience Member A documentary most-likely for pop culture enthusiasts only as this film is about female impersonator Candy Darling -- a frequent inhabitant of Andy Warhol's The Factory who also featured prominently in some of his "film" work with her most notable work being in two Paul Morrissey-directed films (Warhol-produced), Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971). Always dreaming of being a larger-than-life star, Candy Darling wanted to be an acclaimed actress and aspired to find the right role in a mysterious noir film in which Candy's true talent would be recognized and not marginalized as "that cross-dressing actor" many in the mainstream still joked about. We are so busy judging others based on who we think they should be we oftentimes forget those we chide are also human beings trying to find meaning and understanding themselves. Candy is a sad human being -- not because of who she was -- but because of how others believed it was their right to belittle her as they didn't want to understand her. Playwright Tennessee Williams wrote a piece for her off-Broadway that brought her some of the success she had so desired and craved; but it was short-lived -- as was she. Darling was diagnosed and died from lymphoma at the age of 29 -- a tragic star was a role to die for! This is an interesting piece as Warhol's celebrity circle prided itself on being different and unusual. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member A fascinating documentary about one of Warhol's "chicks with dicks" Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Beautiful Darling

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