Sid & Judy

I read an anecdote once about Sid Luft and Judy Garland sitting at a restaraunt bar when she said something and he belted her in reaction, knocking her off of the stool. No one reacted as she meekly got up off the floor, and crawled back onto the stool next to him. Some years after her death, an acquaintance ran into Luft tooling around in a Mercedes: he had bagged the rights to Garland's work, and was now living large. In 2002, he was ordered to pay The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences $60,000 for attempting to sell the juvenile Oscar awarded to Garland for "The Wizard of Oz" and its replacement. Yet up until his death, Luft insisted that he was the only person who ever cared truly for Garland and had her best interests at heart.

Though "Sid & Judy" tries mightily to make Luft The Knight In Shining Armor to Garland's Damsel In Distress, it ends the charade when we are introduced to the vipers who became her managers. It then wants you to see Luft as this hapless schmo whom Freddie Fields and David Begelman push out their charge's life when, in fact, the three formed an Unholy Trinity; to protect himself, Luft recorded the telephone conversations he had with Fields, Begelman, and most everyone else in Garland's orbit without their consent.

For those with even a cursory knowledge of Garland's life, nothing in "Sid & Judy" will come as a revelation, although learning that she aborted Luft's child, as both were married (she to director Vincente Minnelli; he to actress Lynn Bari), and he being a total cad about the whole thing, was a shock. It also made me wonder why she decided to not only stay with him, but marry him.

While the focus is understandably on Garland, we don't learn anything about Luft, as if he just popped up out of absolute nowhere. I had to do some research to learn that he had been a test pilot for Douglas (now McDonnell Douglas), and was in the Royal Canadian Air Force. I also learned that while married to Garland, he lost the custody battle for his son with Bari, the judge ruling that the Luft household "was an improper place in which to rear the boy." Ouch!

Not omitted is the perfunctory exploration of Garland's addictions, which I sympathize with, yet never understood. Like Garland, Mickey Rooney was the product of show business parents who found himself a cog in the MGM soul-sucking machine before he hit puberty. The demands made on him by his overlords were just as punishing as the demands they made on her. And his private life was an even-bigger train wreck than hers, if that's at all possible. Yet Rooney didn't fall into the abyss, shuffling off his mortal coil at the ripe old age of 93, 44 years after Garland died!

The last 15 minutes are rushed, as if director Stephen Kijak had grown bored with his subjects. He jettisons Garland and Luft from their own documentary, ultimately, in favor of someone who calls himself "Miss Major Griffin-Gracy". A "trans woman activist", he prattles on about Garland being an icon for people who suffer from gender and/or sexual identity issues as we watch him and his confederates descend upon her resting place like the Army storming Normandy; "cringe-worthy" doesn't begin to describe it.

Judy Garland and - dare I say it - Sid Luft deserve better.

Let's face it, there is no denying the woman's talent, I had goosebumps just listening to a fraction of a song. I could only wish I have a voice even a third as good as hers.

However, what a tortured and horrific life this poor woman had to lead? It does seem that she might have been a bit of a bug@er too, but probably more as a result of the abuses she had faced and from a lack of control over her own life, than out of nature.

This film focuses on Sid Luft's experiences with Judy and takes excerpts from his memoirs, along with recorded phone conversations and snippets of other elements, played over clips and photos in such a clever way that allows you to easily get a look at the legends life during that time and understand what went wrong and how.

It's not often that I watch documentaries, but having recently watched Renee Zellweger in 'Judy' I found that I wanted to know more about Miss Garland and see how much of the biopic was true. I definitely preferred this interpretation of her time, even though it wasn't a story as such. There was just something about it that gave great clarity.

I wonder if she would have been the icon she is today if she hadn't been forced to do all those horrible things. Did they make her the star she is that way or would she have been just as magnificent if she had been able to diet sensibly and was at ease to drink more carefully? We will never know and that's a great shame, because we lost something amazing when she went and there aren't many that even come close to her talent today.

I always thought Judy was a more powerful, engaging, enigmatic vocalist compared to the mega perfect pipes of Ms. Streisand. However, the clip of their duet was most educational. Barbra was clearly more technical with stronger range and clearer vocals than Judy. I was trying to assess why I felt the opposite. Well, when you have such a tragic life it really shines through in your interpretation of any form of words and music. Judy died so very young in obvious trauma seeped life events. Meanwhile her counterpart lives on in infamy with near perfect health. How can that be felt through the air waves? I am unable to conclusively state how but the difference is palpable. Just an observation that surprised me. Judy's final song portrayed such incredible depth and energy despite severe health issues and represents one of the most amazing talents in history. Wait till you hear how long she holds that final note, almost super human. The rest of the film concerns Luft's diary notes and provides some insight to her many career struggles as well as her affable, warm nature. The rumors of his pilfering her bank accounts were white washed and assume we may never know who stole what from whom. She didn't seem to care and guess neither do I. High recommend for her fans but certainly as a unique talent that rarely manages to touch those sentimental heartstrings. What a force!

This is an alternately heartbreaking and fascinating account of the life and times of the immensely gifted Judy Garland - in her own words, on tapes destined to be made into a book which were all but forgotten until recently. And also portrayed by actress, Jennifer Jason Leigh in voiceovers, who for some odd reason affects an awful mid-Atlantic accent - what?! Did she think she was still portraying Dorothy Parker? To agree with another reviewer, it's the only downside to the documentary. At first I thought it was Bobby Cannevale as Sid Luft, but Jon Hamm acquits himself exceptionally. Well-researched with archival footage and interviews.

The title of this documentary grated on me, with Luft taking first billing, but I stuck with it as a huge fan of Judy. What can't be disputed is Luft, in a way, did reignite Judy's career. She received her first Oscar nomination, and played to millions live. However, Judy was born with a God given talent ,which even when she duets with Barbra Streisand, who went on to star in an inferior version of A Star is Born, it is Judy you are drawn to. What I learned was how funny Judy was. When she describes the media frenzy when she is nominated for Star at her hospital bedside it is genuinely hilarious! I also learned Luft was a two faced chancer who promised to look after and not hurt Judy, but like most in her life, milked her for funds and kept her on pills to perform. Judy couldn't respond to how Luft rewrote her history but it is she who will be remembered forever. Watch this for Judy and take Luft with a giant pinch of salt. Best thing about him is he was voiced well by Jon Hamm.