Rent Fantabulosa!: The Kenneth Williams Story (2006)

dark days - Fantabulosa!: The Kenneth Williams Story review by CP Customer

i watched this mainly as i'm a big fan of michael sheen and true to form he puts in another great performance. however, the story is such a dark, depressing one that it is not an enjoyable watch. i know it's based on kw's diairies but i felt he needed more of an injection of (his) humour to make it more poignant.

A staggering & seismic performance by Sheen elevates this biopic, which is as sad as it is funny - Fantabulosa!: The Kenneth Williams Story review by TB

For the older generation, Kenneth Williams was a hysterical & brilliant performer, as well as an integral part of their entertainment/comedy viewing. Whether in radio plays, on television as a masterful raconteur & polemicist or in the wildly popular Carry On films, he was a true icon. But he was also, as revealed by his posthumously released diaries, an extremely unhappy & deeply troubled individual. This drama looks to peel back the layers so vociferously & fiercely guarded by Williams whilst he was alive, looking at his highly dysfunctional life as well as his genius.

Quite simply, you as the viewer will remember only 1 thing overall when you watch it, as well as when you think back to it at a later date, and that is Michael Sheen. Having made a huge impact & being thrust into the public consciousness as Tony Blair, here Sheen totally metamorphoses into Williams. Every single element, from the different voice & tonal changes through to the walking & way he tilts his head/purses his lips is as if you are watching the real man in front of you. It is a staggering performance, richly deserving of his BAFTA award.

But it is also important to state that this performance is emphatically not the "limp-wrist, screaming queen, stereotypically gay" representation it could so easily have become. The mannerisms are so accurately observed, plus the script-writing so nuanced, that we as the viewer are shown as close to reality as is possible.

And the biggest emotion I felt was sadness. There is no doubt in my mind that Williams was a genius, not only in terms of comic timing, but also as a thinker & debater. However, he was also gay in a time where it was at first illegal, but even after it was "legalised," to be openly gay was in many ways ruinous as well as dangerous. And Williams's self-hatred of who he was compounded & increased this extreme anxiety & revulsion towards himself.

The narrative follows his early life, through to his sudden & at times overwhelming fame, then to his later years where, once the successful & iconic roles had started to dry up, he became a bitter & miserable recluse. And this to me is the most important part of the programme: Williams became a household name, with success beyond pretty much anything he could have dreamt of. But because of his severe mental health difficulties, coupled with his sexuality, he was never far away from the misery & depression which dogged him his whole life.

Whilst this drama will make you laugh, it is equally a tragic look at the difficulties of genius & repression, wrapped up in overwhelming sadness & misery. And a huge part of the praise must be given to Sheen. A sensational & heart-breakingly moving performance.