Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

The Idolmaker Blu-ray Movie Review

Svengali.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 10, 2013

In the decades between the payola scandal of the fifties and the rise of shows like American Idol, there was actually a time when pure, unadulterated talent at least helped to determine whether or not a musical act would become successful with the public. Now there has always been a marketing aspect to the music industry, as with any other niche in show business, but these two bookending eras seem to more transparently display the artificiality behind much of the almost intentionally fake hoopla surrounding any given “overnight sensation”. I’ve previously commented about the “fame by lottery” aspect of competition shows like American Idol and The Voice, and the payola scandal might be thought of as another kind of betting syndicate, albeit one where an insider knows which number on the roulette wheel is rigged to be a winner, and is therefore able to place wagers appropriately. While there have been prefab artists by the score (no pun intended) from the sixties onward (The Monkees and Milli Vanilli spring instantly to mind), a cursory perusal of the huge variety of acts that rose to at least temporary prominence in the decades after payola was brought to light proves that more or less free market forces were able to divine a rather remarkable diversity of (at times transitory) “stars”. Rather interestingly, both the payola era and the American Idol epoch share one salient trait in common: they both offer(ed) disposal sensations. While payola is in fact only a tangential element in Taylor Hackford’s still fascinating 1980 drama The Idolmaker, it highlights the purely synthetic environment of the music industry, where the right “look” often outweighed any inherent musical ability, and where a little well placed bribery could at least help bring some additional attention to an act.

MTV famously kicked off its first broadcast with “Video Killed the Radio Star”, but truth be told, image had long been part of the music industry, first with motion picture appearances by major music artists and then more than ever once television took hold. It didn’t take long for marketing mavens to figure out that with the right look and attitude, at times at least the music became a secondary element to overall success. Such a person was one Bob Marcucci, a would be hit songwriter who found his greatest fame managing the careers of late fifties heartthrobs Fabian and Frankie Avalon. Marcucci’s career inspired The Idolmaker, though one has to wonder how pleased Marcucci was with certain elements of how the lead character in the film, now named Vincent Vacarri (Ray Sharkey), are portrayed.

Vincent actually wants to be a star himself, but he’s come to realize he doesn’t quite have the matinee idol looks to pull it off. He’s also just a bit of a mama’s boy, dealing with a well meaning but overbearing mother (played by Olympia Dukakis, pre- Moonstruck). Mrs. Vacarri only wants the best for Vincent, and she isn’t sure show business is the best choice for her son. But when Vincent drops by a local club and hears an amazing saxophonist, inspiration strikes and he realizes his true calling may be management rather than performing.

As portrayed by a rather remarkable Ray Sharkey (who won the Golden Globe for Best Actor Musical/Comedy that year), Vincent is a man on the make, but he’s also a man with a vision and in fact with some real talent, albeit it perhaps slightly misplaced. When he hears Tommy DeLorusso (Paul Land) play, he instantly recognizes some indefinable star power in the kid, and he’s positive he can shape Tommy into the fifties’ version of a rock god. If Vinnie doesn’t have the “look” himself, he does have the moves, and with his songwriting partner Gino Pilato (Joe Pantoliano) even the material, and he makes over Tommy in his own image, or at least the image he wishes he had. One of the film’s most fascinating sequences is when Tommy, now known as Tommy Dee, plays a school function and is initially a bit uncertain in his stagecraft. Vinnie stands off in the stage left wings and literally shows Vinnie how to move, and as they say, A Star is Born. It also doesn’t hurt that Vinnie is willing to grease the wheels of the marketplace by bribing a prominent DJ to get airplay.

Vinnie’s success with Tommy goes to his head and he become obsessed with making another local guy named Guido (Peter Gallagher in his film debut) into his next rock sensation. While things initially go much the same way as with Tommy, Guido (now recrowned Caesare) isn’t as malleable as Tommy was, and begins to fight back. In the meantime, Vinnie’s girlfriend Brenda (Tovah Feldshuh) is alarmed at the changes she’s seeing in Vinnie as he attempts to wrest control of Caesare’s life and career from Caesare himself.

While The Idolmaker may be based, at least in part, on Marcucci’s life, it retells the hoary George du Maurier tale Trilby in a slightly different guise. The difference here is that the putative Svengali, in this case Vinnie, isn’t out merely for control of some separate performing “object”, he’s projecting his own desires into that object and watching them manifest themselves, as if he is becoming the star, if only vicariously. That puts a somewhat more Freudian spin on the typical Svengali trope, and it works mostly very well in the film, especially due to the commanding performance, both ruthless and vulnerable, that Sharkey gives.

The Idolmaker hedges its bets just a bit in the film’s closing moments, as Vinnie “finds himself” and things move toward a more stable future. It’s a bit of a cop out, a “feel good” moment that slightly undercuts the slightly cynical nature of much of the rest of the film. Marcucci might have been pleased with this approach, but those who have weathered the roiling waters of the music industry might not be so easily swayed.

The Idolmaker Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Idolmaker is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Shout! Factory with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.84:1. While the elements utilized for this transfer are in really good shape, there's still the generally soft appearance in attendance here that has been apparent in previous home video releases of this title (I confess I never saw The Idolmaker theatrically, but my hunch is this is an accurate recreation of the original look). There are some nice upgrades here, notably in color saturation, which is really beautiful at times, as well as perhaps a bit more moderately in terms of fine detail, which rises to very good levels when Hackford indulges in extreme close-ups. Contrast is generally very strong, though the film seems a tad dark at times. My hunch is some DNR may also have been applied to this release; while fine grain is in evidence, this has a slightly smoother quality than I would have expected for a film from this era.

The Idolmaker Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Idolmaker reserves its repurposed DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix to beef up the great song score by Jeff Barry. While Hackford indicates he thinks of The Idolmaker as a traditional musical, others may depart, albeit however slightly, from that assessment, but the fact remains this film is filled with some great musical numbers, which now have the added benefit of a much more lively low end, as well as greater space in the soundfield to breathe. Dialogue remains very clean and clear and fidelity is excellent. Dynamic range get a significant boost during the musical numbers. The film's original mix is available in the similarly excellent if not quite so vivid DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 option.

The Idolmaker Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:21)


• Photo Gallery (1080p)


• Commentary by Director Taylor Hackford. Hackford is typically understated here, but delivers a really interesting commentary. He talks about his concept of The Idolmaker as a more or less traditional musical, rather than a drama with music added into the mix. There's quite a bit of information on the locations utilized as well as members of the cast.

The Idolmaker Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Idolmaker is a rather odd combination of ebullience and introspective angst. Vinnie is a remarkably shaded character, one whose overweening ambition is forced outward onto others, making him both proud and increasingly insecure. The film offers a really stunning showcase for Sharkey, an actor who had his share of personal troubles and who died at the sadly young age of 40 due to AIDS in 1993. The Idolmaker will probably prove to be Sharkey's lasting film legacy, and it is a remarkable achievement, one colored by near perfectly balanced aggressive energy and vulnerability. The supporting cast is fantastic, and Hackford stages the wonderful musical numbers very well. This Blu- ray offers generally very good video and outstanding audio and comes Recommended.