To borrow a phrase from The Wizard of Oz, “We’re almost there, at last, at last!”
After more than a year of buzz, the trailer for the much-anticipated biopic of Judy Garland, Judy, has finally arrived. The trailer also touts the first in-depth look at Oscar-winner Renee Zellweger in the title role.
Related: EXCLUSIVE: Renee Zellweger’s new series ‘What/If’ explores insecurity and sex as commodity
Judy follows the final days of Judy Garland during a London concert run, deep in debt and struggling with her lifelong drug addiction. It also features several flashbacks to her early life as an MGM musical star in movies like The Wizard of Oz. Based upon the acclaimed stage play End of the Rainbow, the film also stars Rufus Sewell, Michael Gambon and Bella Ramsey.
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Directed by Rupert Goold, Judy lands in cinemas September 27.
PLAYS WELL WITH OTHERS
It’s a shame so few today realize what an incredible, amazing, unparalleled talent Judy was….
Far too many preyed upon her vulnerability taking advantage of her addiction to squeeze blood money out of her rather than assist her in getting help…
if you want to see how amazing incredibly talented she was use a search engine for her performance of The Battle hymn of the Republic on her TV show this was done as a tribute to JFK who was a personal friend of hers. when things were getting too much for him he would call her at night and she would sing somewhere Over the rainbow to him she said “this one is for you Jack” at the beginning of the performance but it was edited out.
The emotion and the intensity of what she puts into this epic performance will give one chills…
RIGay
I got goosebumps watching that clip. Amazing! Simply amazing!
socaliscorpio
seriously cannot wait! i feel this is Renee’s HUGE comeback! She nailed it
sfmike64
I’m in. This looks fabulous and of course sad because she’s no longer with us.
wolfman6
Seeing this clip, Renee just does not have the voice to play Judy, at least not the singing. Her singing voice is light and feathery whereas Judy’s was strong, thick and syrupy. I was surprised when I read Zellweger was cast. I thought maybe they would dub her voice, but this sounds like it is actually her, and it just is not Judy. She may act the part well, but singing is thumbs down.
OzJosh
No, Zellwegger does not have Garland’s voice. But, to be fair, Garland did not have Garland’s voice in the final few weeks of her life, which is where the movie is substantially set. Anyone who has seen or heard those last Garland performances from London and Denmark knows that, while she could still occasionally conjure some kind of stage magic, the voice was pretty much shot. She’d subjected herself to years of self-abuse (drinking, drugs, partying and all kinds of mental self-torture). Even years before during the sometimes remarkable performances for her ill-fated television series, her singing was as often slurred, raspy and strained as it was dynamic and exciting.
Virpilosus
I was crying before the trailer even ended…how would get through the entire movie???
Kangol2
Zellweger has the look but not the voice, so I’m surprised someone in Hollywood didn’t dub her singing as they used to do with stars who had less mellifluous singing voices like Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady (though she did sing at least one song in that film, I think). Judy Garland could sing and act; though she is rightly most famous for The Wizard of Oz, she gives unforgettable performances in a number of other films, including A Star Is Born and Meet Me In St. Louis. I wonder if the film includes reenacted snippets from both of those?
Dymension
Why can’t they just lipsynch? Yeesh!
Brian
If anyone is interested in diving deeper into her story, “Judy” by Gerold Frank is a fascinating, extremely thorough (almost 700 pages) biography.
Eldred
I’m interested. That sounds fantastic!
HankHarris
I feel this could be either a ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’ moment or ‘Mommie Dearest’…could go either way.
Brian
I’ll go with Coal Miners Daughter. Renee has never been a scenery chewer.