This is the second of the two movies that Garland shot in 1963, the last, as it turned out, she would ever make for though she lived another six years the only singing she did for a camera was for television. As much as anyone and perhaps more than most Judy Garland was one of those performers you either love or detest and if you love her you'll love this glorified soap in which she gets to sing some classy numbers, throw the odd tantrum and break a heart or two. There's a wonderful shot of her standing in the wings at the Palladium and visibly coming alive as the band plays her intro. Unfortunately Dirk Bogarde invites comparisons with the other English actor with whom she co-starred and it really wasn't wise of Bogarde - who actually wrote (sans credit) one of the big emotional scenes - to pit himself against James Mason. In some ways this movie is similar to the other one, A Child Is Waiting, she shot that same year; same raw emotion, same fine acting but only one had songs. Though often dismissed this is, in fact, superior to such titles as In The Good Old Summertime, which she made at MGM in 1949 and no real Garland fan, gay or straight, will want to miss it.
Review of I Could Go on Singing
