An interesting enough documentary about a fascinating, unconventionally, beautiful character. I was a fan of hers during her lifetime, though she didn't have one particular skill set - she dabbled in several things, not always successfully. She had a lot of fans, and that's where this documentary falls down slightly. She was not a victim. Yes, the tabloids did what the tabloids do (and the broadsheets joined in), but she was a popular, admired and envied girl. Some of the footage here does her no favours - her crude, childish double entendres in interviews, especially during the execrable bed interviews on the Big Breakfast, are simply embarrassing and depict her as the airhead the tabloids would have us believe she was. She made a deal with the devil, as anybody with any kind of fame does with the tabloids. Mainly, it's the men in this documentary who come off best - a glaring exception, being the holier than thou, Ian Hislop and Paul Merton on Have I Got News for You who humiliate her in a way that would be unthinkable nowadays, especially for those two self-righteous wokesters.
Robbie Williams speaks sincerely and humbly, The journalist interviewing her on the tapes that form the backbone of the documentary is sympathetic and interesting, Terry Wogan seems to have real chemistry with her, and is genuinely affectionate, and also highly amused by her. Nicky Clark makes a very dignified contribution, and the former Terence Trent D'Arby also speaks well, if slightly eccentrically. Of the women that feature, I honestly don't remember Vanessa Feltz or Grace Dent making such a staunch defence of Paula during her lifetime as they do here, nearly 23 years after her death. The message they seem to want to send is that men, and male journalists, drove Paula to her death whilst the sisterhood tried to rally around her. Dent and Feltz have never been reluctant to stick the knife into celebrities and we know that nobody tears down a woman like another woman. The lady described as a friend of Paula's, who features throughout may well have been a confidante, but seems to me like a dedicated hanger-on. So, a fascinating look at a fascinating and tragic character, and a well made document with plenty of talking points.
Robbie Williams speaks sincerely and humbly, The journalist interviewing her on the tapes that form the backbone of the documentary is sympathetic and interesting, Terry Wogan seems to have real chemistry with her, and is genuinely affectionate, and also highly amused by her. Nicky Clark makes a very dignified contribution, and the former Terence Trent D'Arby also speaks well, if slightly eccentrically. Of the women that feature, I honestly don't remember Vanessa Feltz or Grace Dent making such a staunch defence of Paula during her lifetime as they do here, nearly 23 years after her death. The message they seem to want to send is that men, and male journalists, drove Paula to her death whilst the sisterhood tried to rally around her. Dent and Feltz have never been reluctant to stick the knife into celebrities and we know that nobody tears down a woman like another woman. The lady described as a friend of Paula's, who features throughout may well have been a confidante, but seems to me like a dedicated hanger-on. So, a fascinating look at a fascinating and tragic character, and a well made document with plenty of talking points.