Beautiful Darling Screens At "New Directors/New Films" Series!

The one film not to miss at the New Directors/New Films series, held at both Lincoln Center and the MoMA (March 24-April 4), is Beautiful Darling. This mesmerizing documentary by James Rasin is about the short, sweet life and strange times of Candy Darling, the glamorous Andy Warhol transvestite superstar who channeled Kim Novak but with a decidedly ironic twist. Lovingly produced by Candy's longtime friend Jeremiah Newton, what's fascinating is how close this shy pretty boy -- born James Slattery from a crushingly suburban New York home -- came to achieving his crackpot moviestar dreams. The film features sparkling commentary from key players like Holly Woodlawn, who costarred with Darling in Andy Warhol's hilarious Women In Revolt; director Paul Morrissey; author Fran Lebowitz; actress Helen Hanft. That's not to mention amazing home movies and diary entries (read by Chloe Sevigny). Viewers are left with a tender, funny and achingly moving portrait of Candy's rise through New York's underground to superstar fame in the 1970s thanks to a starring role on stage in Tennessee William's Small Craft Warnings before her tragic death from Leukemia at age 29.