Kylie Minogue - White Diamond/Showgirl Homecoming

  by Anthony Strutt

published: 11 / 1 / 2008

intro

Kylie Minogue's new double DVD comprises of both a biography, 'White Diamond', about her return to the stage after her recent battle against cancer, and 'Showgirl Homecoming', a live concert film. Anthony Strutt finds that they will both appeal to Kylie and non-Kylie fans alike

Released in time for Christmas and also shown on TV at that time, 'White Diamond' is a film that traces Kylie's fight back to health from cancer and onto the world's biggest stages. Lasting a massive 123 minutes in total, it starts off with Kylie coming across as somewhat Diva-ish, but by the end even non Kylie fans will have fallen in love with her for her energy and her forward way of looking at things. The film is a look into how she ticks and it is the first time that she has let the cameras get that close to her. It covers everything a fan wants to know, beginning by showing her being dressed by the world's top designers for free and at the start of her world tour rehearsals. She does bang on a lot about this being the 'Homecoming' rather than the 'Showgirl' tour, the latter tour of which she quit due to her recent health scare. We are, however, introduced to her friends, the majority of whom are dancers rather than the musicians she works with every night, who are not shown at all. Most of them are gay, and she also introduces us to her gay husband, her closest friend on tour. Several brief concert clips are shown during 'White Diamonds'. There is, however, a complete version of 'Kids', which is sung with U2's Bono live in Australia. Another version of this song which features Kylie this time with her sister Danni is included in its full form as an extra. Filmed over a period of 18 months, it also shows a clip of her covering 'Vogue', the Madonna song. If you know the tour film, 'In Bed with Madonna', then you will find that 'White Diamond' covers a very similar sort of ground. There's enough here to keep you interested even if you are not a massive fan of Kylie. If you are not prepared to pay the £55 price tag to see her in concert then the second DVD, 'Showgirl Homecoming', which was recorded in Melbourne on December 2006 will give you the Kylie live experience without you leaving the comfort of your home.