"Judy" Judy Garland and Renée Zellweger. two souls that resonate

What brings Garland and Zellweger together

The majority of the film is set in the London nightclub "Talk of The Town" sequence. Garland, 46, has been addicted to drugs since she was a child actress, and has also had alcoholism, so she is unable to perform on stage until the last minute. With the dedicated support of her agent, she finally begins to sing. Renee Zellweger plays her with all her might.

Zellweger spent a whole year preparing for the role. She studied under vocal coach Eric Vetro, who also trained Emma Stone in " La La Land " (2016) and Emily Blunt in " Mary Poppins Returns " (2018). Zellweger's slightly husky voice is far from Garland's distinctive high-pitched voice, but it's a good reproduction of her singing voice in her later years.

“Judy” (c) PATHÉ PRODUCTIONS LIMITED AND BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION 2019

What's amazing is the process in which, even though she was wobbly on stage due to the side effects of various medications, she gradually regained her star energy as the songs progressed. The moment when her singing voice awakened her body and drew the entire small audience in was the result of the efforts of both director Rupert Goold, who was once artistic director of the Royal Shakespeare Company, and Zellweger, who had mastered the characteristics of Garland's movements before going on stage.

This was also possible because Zellweger's personality as an actress resonated with Garland's, not her appearance, which was not very similar no matter how much she imitated Garland's distinctive short hair and eye makeup. What the two have in common is their friendliness and warmth, which they never lost even when they were on the verge of being forgotten. Perhaps this was the result of her being possessed by the real Renee Zellweger, who she played, from her days as a child actress through Garland in London, which led to her winning the Academy Award for Best Actress this time.

“Judy” (c) PATHÉ PRODUCTIONS LIMITED AND BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION 2019

Renee Zellweger got her big break in " Bridget Jones's Diary " (2001), came close to winning an Oscar in the following " Chicago " (2002), and finally won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in " Cold Mountain " (2003). Although she had a good start to the 2000s, she has been going through a period of decline for the past decade or so.

It is deeply moving that she has returned to the awards race, playing the powerful role of a superstar who reigned over Hollywood's Golden Age and tries to climb out of the depths of despair. There must have been a deep empathy behind her passionate performance.

Text: Kiyoto Kiyoto

Transitioned from the apparel industry to a movie writer. He regularly writes reviews for Eiga.com, Pia, J.COM Magazine, Tokyo Walker, Yahoo! News personal "Kiyoto Seito's Cinema Gym", etc. She has written books such as ``Learn from Audrey's Stylish Practice Book'' (published by Kindai Eigasha), which utilizes her knowledge of fashion. Currently in charge of commentary on BS10 Star Channel's movie information program "More Movies."

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"Judy"

Original title: JUDY/2019/UK/Color/cinesco/5.1ch digital/118 minutes/Subtitles: Yuri Inada

Distribution: Gaga

(c) PATHÉ PRODUCTIONS LIMITED AND BRITISH BROADCASTING CORPORATION 2019