Category: Judy

(L to r) Judy Garland and Rene Zellweger.

JUDY

Film Review by Marlene Ardoin

The film “Judy” focuses on Judy Garland’s last years, which were her worst years.

I want to thank Rene Zellweger, because the woman that she portrays, Judy Garland, that woman was my mother, she was my cousin and she is many beautiful, innocent young women in our culture, who give everything they have to please others, then in the end, they discover that they were exploited, before being dumped in the garbage can of old age.

Rene Zellweger is showing us Garland’s own “A Star Is Born” life tragedy. Zellweger does a nice job of singing, but in this case, I feel that no one can duplicate Garland’s voice.

I thought of comparing “Judy” to Elton John’s recent biographical film, “Rocketman,” which depicts a similarly celebrated singer with self-esteem issues, accompanied by drinking and drug use.

But, if I am going to go there, what about Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Michael Jackson, Freddie Mercury, Billie Holliday, Janis Joplin and a very long list of other performing artists, who suffered through their career choice.

The lucky and tragic part of Garland’s career is that she was led into it by her survivalist mother and father, Ethel Marion Milne Gumm and Francis Avent “Frank” Gumm.

Judy was born in 1922 and grew up during the Depression, which was followed by WWII, which was when her career in film and singing flourished.

Judging from my research, a lot of gays were attracted to the entertainment industry at that time.

Judy’s own father was gay and so was her second husband, Vincente Minnelli.

If she had followed her own mother’s example, she would have stayed married to Minnelli.

And, from what I could see, he was actually the best of all five of her husbands, plus he gave her a daughter, Liza.

Vincente Minnelli had real talent and made Judy look fabulous. He directed her in “Meet Me in St. Louis,” when Judy was 21 years old.

Garland played her iconic role in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in 1939, when she was 16 years old.

They broke up after Judy came home unexpectedly to discover him with another man. I have to assume that he was bi-sexual.

Vincente Minnelli went on to marry other women after Garland, while enjoying a very celebrated directorial film career.

Had she negotiated that part of him effectively, she would not have had to do all the heavy lifting herself for the rest of her life,

Which is where the film, “Judy” begins.

Judy would chose three more husbands, who would flatter, then exploit her.

I am grateful to Judy Garland for being a female pioneer in demonstrating all her strengths and vulnerabilities for us to see in the spotlight and for being that fawn of innocence that we could love.

The scene in the hospital says it all. Judy’s third husband, Sidney Luft (Rufus Sewell), has cameras and wires hooked up to her after she just gave birth to their first child, then when she does not receive the Academy award for her performance in “A Star is Born, they very unceremoniously unhook everything and leave.

Luft was incapable of protecting her emotionally. Like most of her husbands, he seemed in it for the good times and the cash that she could generate.

If things went south, it was always her fault. She was to blame, all 4 feet 11 inches of her.

As I see it, Judy Garland was the victim of a culture without a conscience or moral values.

What is so heart breaking about it, was that all she really had were her three children and her voice, both were manipulated away from her in the end.

When that hope was taken away, so was her desire to live.

At a time when she desperately needed love and help, she was expected to work until she dropped, which she ultimately did in 1969.

Judy Garland died at the young age of 47, which was determined to be an accidental drug overdose.

In the culture at that time, after a woman reached the age of 40, she was regarded as no longer having any value.

In retrospect, had Judy not been hooked on uppers and downers, had she not suffered two abortions prior to marrying Minnelli, had she been given a proper education, had she learned how to read music, had she been given caring and protection as a young woman, things might have turned out differently for her.

For Judy Garland and many other creative individuals, they need love, security, protection and goodness.