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Designing Behind The Candelabra

The HBO biopic "Behind the Candelabra" focuses on the tempestuous relationship between showman Libarace and his much younger chauffer, Scott Thorson. The screenplay takes us behind the candelabra, but what about the candelabra itself, as well as the cars, capes and jewelry that adorn Liberace's uber-glitzy world? The movie's designers tell us about creating and curating the visual elementsof the film.

 

GUESTS

Howard Cummings, Production Desinger, Behind the Candelabra

Ellen Mirojnick, Costume Designer, Behind the Candelabra

 

Photo: Liberace Foundation

Howard Cummings: “(The Liberace Foundation) archived a lot of his jewelry that Liberace wore, so we had a lot of documentation – we were able to get the original pieces and make molds of them. They were very valuable, so we had to recreate the jewelry and when Matt and Michael would put this incredible jewelry on every finger – you could just see their whole posture change.”

 

Production photos HBO.

“For the main setting in this house, which was his bedroom, which had elements of the Sistine Chapel on the ceiling with huge powder blue carpet on the floor, filigree wallpaper, Grecian tubs and self portraits of him everywhere. It was just completely over the top room and sort of the crown of what he called palatial kitsch as his decorating style.”

 

 

 

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