Liza Minnelli's documentary shows how Judy Garland's daughter became a star in her own right

You may think you know everything about Liza Minnelli—the daughter of Judy Garland and Vincente Minnelli, who danced and sang on stages around the world—but you’ve only just scratched the surface.

While it was difficult living in the shadow of her legendary parents, that’s not the only chapter in Minnelli’s life. After her mother’s tragic death, the performer experienced her own awakening and became an icon in her own right, earning her a dazzling audience on stage and screen for five decades. Although there were low periods in her life, including her many marriages and her problems with substance abuse (she sought treatment at the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage in 1984), they all contributed to making Minnelli the immensely valued person that she was Today is.

Now the Oscar winner tells her story in her own words in the new documentary “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story.” The documentary not only features interviews with Minnelli and some of her closest friends, including Michael Feinstein, Mia Farrow, Ben Vereen, Joel Gray and the late Chita Rivera, but also never-before-seen behind-the-scenes footage of her being shot in the ’70s during her filmed a European tour.

The film will screen at the 36th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival Jan. 2-13 before opening in theaters Jan. 31 at Laemmle’s Royal in Los Angeles and the Town Center in Encino.

Director Bruce David Klein spoke to The Desert Sun ahead of the festival about working with the actress, her story and the lessons he thinks people could take from the film.

Liza Minnelli is “a real talent”

Klein clearly remembers his first memories of learning Minnelli’s work.

When he was young, he saw the poster for the 1972 film “Cabaret,” even though he wasn’t allowed to see it at the time. When he was old enough to watch movies himself, he saw Minnelli in Arthur and was blown away not only by her comedic acting, but also by the fact that she was the same actress who played Sally Bowles in the dark 1930s musical Germany played for years. When Klein finally saw the film that won her the Oscar for Best Actress, she realized she was “a real talent.”

But his true moment of greatness came when he attended her Liza’s at the Palace concert in 2008.

“There were a lot of questions about her at the time. She had just been through a wild marriage and had to undergo hip replacement surgery. Did she still have her voice? Would she be able to do that?” Klein explained. “I’ll never forget the curtain going up, her walking out, the spotlight falling on her and her doing a ‘Liza move’ and the audience losing their minds. I’ve seen (David) Bowie and (Paul) McCartney and The Rolling Stones, and I’ve never seen an artist’s effect on an audience… They stood on the Broadway plans and applauded.

It was clear to Klein at the time that Minnelli deserved a documentary about her life. What made the endeavor even more exciting was that their management team shared about 25 hours of never-before-seen footage from their tour in the 1970s.

“We were like, ‘Are you kidding?'” Klein said.

Liza Minnelli was “born on third base”

It’s clear from the first few minutes of the film that she’s a perfectionist – she dictates to the camera crew how high the camera should be placed and tells a makeup artist where she needs a touch-up. “I may be my mother’s daughter, but there’s a lot of my father in it,” she says.

From her parents — Garland, an acclaimed actress and singer known for “The Wizard of Oz” and “A Star is Born,” and Minnelli, the stage and film director of such productions as “An American in Paris” and “Gigi” — Minnelli inherited the best of her artistic genes. But it took a lot of work before she became a star in her own right.

“Liza was born at third base, without a doubt,” Klein said. “But when you look into it, you realize that in some ways she had an even harder time getting from third base to home base than some people who were circling the bases. The reason for this is the expectations you have at the start of a career.”

Minnelli and Garland had a complicated relationship – stemming from her mother’s drug abuse and some jealousy. Archival footage from a 1964 performance shows Garland frustrated as the crowd gets excited about Minnelli’s singing. But Minnelli “just melts” and is “in absolute awe of this talent” whenever her mother is raising her, Klein said.

At the same time, however, she was constantly compared to her mother and had such high demands placed on her.

“Will she ever sing as well as her mother?” Will she ever dance as well as her mother? “Does she have movie star looks?” said Klein. “The expectations and discussions around her were always from her mother’s point of view, and there was almost no way she could ever get out of that.”

Mentoring was key to Minnelli’s success after Judy Garland’s death

After her mother’s death, Minnelli sought extraordinary mentors in her life, including author and singer Kay Thompson, musical theater lyricist Fred Ebb, French singer Charles Aznavour, fashion designer Roy Halston, and director and dancer Bob Fosse. As a result, it changed her life and career.

Thompson, her quirky godmother, instilled in Minnelli the confidence to find herself and become larger than life, much like the author of the “Eloise” series. Aznavour, nicknamed the “French Frank Sinatra,” helped Minnelli connect with the audience on stage and discover her voice. And working with dance legend Fosse on “Cabaret,” which required strenuous choreography and rehearsals, won her an Oscar.

Minnelli has won an Emmy Award for her concert film “Liza with a Z,” two Tony Awards for Best Actress in a Musical for “Flora the Red Menace” and “The Act,” and the Grammy Living Legend Award. She is one of the few artists to have received the EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony).

“For me, the message of the film is the power of mentors to change us,” Klein said. “People, myself included, tend to be very distant from people who can sometimes help give us a new perspective and give us some help, and I think Liza’s life is really an example of how much power it has , to let these mentors and people in your life to help you get better and bring out your talent.

Minnelli knows how to make them laugh

It can be daunting to work and spend time with a living legend, but Klein said what makes Minnelli so special is her down-to-earth nature, kindness and approachability. It should also come as no surprise that her love of humor shines through.

“She likes you even more if you make her laugh, and it’s actually pretty easy to make her laugh,” he said.

What was surprising was how interested she was in learning about other people’s lives and making them feel like she was their friend. Many of the interviewees in the film say the same thing.

“It’s a very disarming thing because normally when you’re around people, let alone celebrities, it’s all about courting and trying to be nice to them,” Klein said. “It’s very disturbing when a star of her stature works really hard to get people to like her. She does this to almost everyone she meets, no matter, everyone on the crew.”

When you go

What: Screening of “Liza: A Truly Terrific Absolutely True Story” at the Palm Springs International Film Festival

When/Where: 8:15 p.m. Jan. 3 at Palm Springs High School, 2401 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs; 9:30 a.m. Jan. 6 at Festival Theaters, 789 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, Palm Springs; 7:30 p.m., Jan. 9 at the Palm Springs Cultural Center, 2300 E. Baristo Road, Palm Springs; 4:15 p.m., Jan. 10 at the Annenberg Theater, 101 N. Museum Drive, Palm Springs

Cost: $20

Further information:www.psfilmfest.org

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