The Premiere
By Todd Sussman
      On March 4, 2006, the night before the Oscars, For the Love of Dolly premiered at the Miami International Film Festival. South Beach and Lincoln Road were packed that night. The film’s director, Tai Uhlmann, some cast members, and the editor were on hand to answer questions after the film was shown. This writer asked Tai two questions:
Q: “Has Dolly seen the film?”
A: “I sent it to her to watch, but she has not responded yet.”
Q: “Will this be available on DVD?”
A: “I hope so, if we can find a distributor. Are there any distributors here tonight?” (This answer ignited many laughs.)
      Another audience member asked why there weren’t more Dolly songs in the film. Tai stated that the costs for using them were too high, and that she wanted this film to be viewed more through the fans’ eyes and their reactions to Dolly rather than focusing on Dolly’s work. That made sense. (An instrumental of “9 to 5” played at a Dollywood opening, the original vocal version of “9 to 5” and “Hello, God” were a few that did make the cut.)
      Two subjects in the movie, Harrell and Patric (a couple), were also present. I believe it was Harrell who made the incredibly detailed and beautiful Dolly dolls, which appear in the film. I complimented him on his work and creativity. Someone asked if the dolls could be purchased. Legally, he is not allowed to market them due to copyrights on all things Dolly. However, he is able to discuss individual, private sales. These dolls are works of art…and they clearly impressed Dolly (who got the chance to see them after the couple were the winning bidders for a Dolly “meet & greet,” as shown in the film).
      Overall, the audience seemed to love this movie. Some were Dolly fans that traveled far since this was the exclusive Florida showing. They applauded. They laughed. It was a fun experience just to be in the audience that night.
      I was impressed with how kind and considerate Dolly is to her fans, though not at all surprised. (I sat near Dolly once at an all-star benefit concert headlined by Barbra Streisand, and she was extremely friendly, even allowing a photo of us together which I will always cherish. That night, lesser stars were not as gracious.)
      I also loved that the film did not sugar coat Dolly or her fans. In the film, one fan recounted the story of disenchanted fans (wanting more and more Dolly) at a Dollywood fan club event in which Dolly would regularly appear and perform. During one appearance, an upset Dolly changed the lyrics, “We both know that I’m not what you need” (from “I Will Always Love You”) to, reportedly, “We both know that I’m not yours for keeps” (or something close, as I did not have a pen to write down the exact words). Clever on Dolly’s part…and the point was made.
      I noticed many people marking “5” (excellent, highest rating) on the Audience Award ballots handed out after the film.
      Before the Dolly film was shown, festival organizers added a surprise (bonus) film for the crowd, called Queen of Brazil – Mini. The “Mini” was added to the title since this documentary short was sent to festival promoters as a promo reel for the full-length film, targeted for next year’s film festival. The organizers liked the promo so much, they felt it functioned well as a short and decided to show it this year. The subject pertained to female impersonators competing in Brazil. There was much humor involved, too, and – as I reflect on both films -- the drag queens’ painstaking dedication to make themselves beautiful paralleled the Dolly fans’ passionate quest to meet and communicate with their idol. Another Dolly tie-in: One of the drag queens (off stage) was shown singing an excerpt from “I Will Always Love You,” trying to copy Whitney Houston’s version, and coming very close. What a coincidence that two completely different films would reference the same Dolly-penned song and be shown back-to-back on the same screen, a testament to how far reaching and global her appeal and impact on the world of music really is.
      All in all this was a wonderful Dolly-themed weekend for her fans in Florida, with the opening of the film, and then, the next night, the Oscar performance. She definitely outshone her two competitors for the Best Song award. The only sad note was that she didn’t win, which marks the second time Oscar missed the mark where Dolly is concerned.