Just in time for, but not related to the release of the ‘Being The Ricardos’ feature film; ‘Lucy and Desi’ takes us behind-the-scenes of one of America’s all time power couples.
Director Amy Poehler‘s Documentary Debut brings us never before heard audio with Lucille Ball, and a whole new take on the ‘I Love Lucy’ family.
The Plot – Lucy And Desi
Nineteen years after releasing her first documentary on her famous parents, Producer Lucie Arnaz provides a fresh look at Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz with newly found audio tapes and fresh interviews with some of Lucy and Desi’s famous friends.
We start off with Lucy’s difficult childhood. She lost her father at just 3 years old, and lost her Grandfather’s house after a neighborhood boy was shot and paralyzed.
Lucy moved to New York City at 16 years old. After she found work as a model in 1928, Lucy joined the ‘Goldwyn Girls’ and moved to Los Angeles for the filming of ‘Roman Scandal.’
We see Desi’s childhood in Cuba. Young Desi moved to America when he was just 17 years old, and joined ‘The Siboney Septet’ which led to Los Angeles. There, Lucy met Desi, and 6 months later the two were married.
The Good – Lucy And Desi
The Storytelling
Director Amy Poehler covers the entire lifetimes of both Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in just an hour and forty three minutes.
The narration flows naturally from Lucy to Desi to them as a couple. We see the many storylines of their lives, without getting too bogged down in the details. We see their rise from nothing, their dedication to family when they became successful, their inability to find moderation in their lives, and the eventual end to their marriage.
Much of the narration comes from the new audio found on roughly 20 audio tapes found among Lucille Ball’s effects. Combined with home movies, Behind The Scenes footage, archive footage and photos, Lucy’s own voice tells much of her story.
We also see new interviews from Lucie Arnaz, Desi Arnaz, Jr., Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, Charo, and Norman Lear. Combined together, we see the recollections of many of the people still alive that Lucy and Desi had personal connections with all those years ago.
The Editing
Director Amy Poehler and Editor Robert A. Martinez pull from dozens of different media sources to make a surprisingly coherent and seamless film.
Robert A. Martinez in particular combines many of the video and still images into collages during the transitions between stories or eras in Lucy and Desi’s lives. The resulting collages look like something out of a scrapbook or family album one would flip through at a family reunion.
Additionally, the overall flow and feel of the editing makes jumps in time seem instantaneous, yet smooth. The focus instead follows the story arc’s of Desi and Lucy specifically and together. We feel the stress and work that it took for Lucy and Desi to achieve the level of their successes, as well as the frustrations that took a toll from their failures.
The Review – Lucy And Desi
Without having seen ‘Being The Ricardos‘ or Lucie Arnaz’s ‘The Desilu Story‘ documentary from 2003, I can’t quite say for certain which elements specifically are new to Lucy and Desi. But, what I can say for sure is that this documentary does give a well told look at two of the most important Hollywood figures of the 20th Century.
Amy Poehler tells a seamless story for her first time as a Documentary Director. You can feel her love of Comedy and respect for such a trailblazing female entertainer and a political refugee turned visionary business executive.
We also see what Desi and Lucy were able to accomplish together, including raising two children, and creating reruns and the three camera sitcom.
This was a fun look back at the people behind one of my favorite SitComs of all time, and is worth watching for anyone who was a fan of ‘I Love Lucy’, or even people too young to have seen the show.
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Director Amy Poehler uses never before heard Lucille Ball audio tapes in 'Lucy And Desi', the new Documentary about the 'I Love Lucy' stars.