White Diamond: A Personal Portrait of Kylie Minogue | |
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![]() Official release cover | |
Directed by | William Baker |
Produced by | Tom Colbourne |
Starring | Kylie Minogue Dannii Minogue William Baker Oliver Martinez Bono |
Cinematography | Justin Murphy |
Edited by | Reg Wrench Dan Swimer |
Music by | Steve Anderson |
Distributed by | EMI Records Ltd. |
Release dates |
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Running time | 118 minutes |
Countries | United Kingdom Australia |
Language | English |
White Diamond: A Personal Portrait of Kylie Minogue is a 2007 documentary film directed and produced by William Baker and chronicling the life of Australian singer Kylie Minogue during her concert tour Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. It was filmed between August 2006 and March 2007 in both Australia and the United Kingdom.
Intended as an account of Minogue's return to the stage following her recovery from cancer, the film features on-stage and back-stage footage and interviews with several of Minogue's tour crew, including the director, William Baker. Kylie's sister Dannii and U2 lead singer Bono are also featured.
The film had a one-night premiere in each country, starting in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2007 and ending on 16 November 2007 in New Zealand. It was later released on DVD in two editions: the European/United Kingdom edition and the Australian/New Zealand edition. These were later followed by a two-disc edition; the second disc contained a concert that was filmed during Kylie's Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in Melbourne, Australia.
The title White Diamond was taken from one of Kylie's songs (written by Scissor Sisters). This song is the sole new song performed by her during Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. The film opens with a reworked ballad version of it.
Two new songs, "I'm Hip" and "You Are There", are on the movie's soundtrack. Also on the soundtrack is "Alone Again", a previously unrecorded 2002 song that was co-written by Madonna and Rick Nowels.
At the beginning of White Diamond, the director, William Baker, says: "For most people, Neighbours , 'I Should Be So Lucky,' Michael Hutchence, gold hot pants, 'Can't Get You Out of My Head,' and cancer equals Kylie. I want to rip that surface away." [1]
On 17 May 2005, Kylie Minogue was forced to cancel the Australian leg of her Showgirl tour after being diagnosed with breast cancer. This is the story of her homecoming. (Introductory pre-credits text from White Diamond.)
White Diamond started out when Kylie's creative director and close friend William Baker was filming her for a personal record that was to be used as backstage bonus footage for the Showgirl: Homecoming Tour DVD. They had so much footage by the end of the tour, that they decided it would be better suited to a feature-length documentary format.
The original plan was to release it directly to DVD, but it was eventually given a single-day cinema release in some territories.
The film focuses on Kylie during her Australian and European tour, Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour. But during that tour, it was announced on 17 May 2005 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. This led to the postponement of the remainder of that tour and to her withdrawal from the Glastonbury Festival. [2] After having had surgery on 21 May 2005, her tour later resumed in November 2006 in Australia, under the name Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour. Yet, while on this tour, Kylie was diagnosed with a respiratory tract infection. The tour was then postponed to January 2007. [3] [4]
Kylie stated that White Diamond was "a good way to thank the fans for their support and see where all their good wishes went. This started as quite a humble little project, and in many ways it still is." [5] She had written on her website earlier in 2007: "I have to admit I was a little nervous to work on such a revealing project and I did pull the plug several times, but due to Willie's persistence it is now almost finished. It gives a great insight into the world of touring and the touring family." [6]
A portion of White Diamond was shot in August 2006 in London, England, where Kylie had been living for 20 years. Kylie had travelled to Sadler's Wells studios for her dancing and choreography preparation for the Showgirl: Homecoming Tour. After that, the group went to Ealing, London, for musical rehearsals and to hold a promotional photo shoot.
Ruary McPhie filmed the England portion of the film (as noted in the end credits) because William Baker, the director, could not film there. While at Sadler's Wells, Baker said (in the film) that the tour would become a "bumpy ride" and would be emotional for everyone.
The group then went to Milan, Italy, for the designing of Kylie's outfits and costumes. While there, Kylie visited the fashion design company Dolce & Gabbana, who designed a cat-suit for her with gloves featuring "KM" on each glove.
Kylie also visited Chanel. They had travelled to Paris to get her custom-made Chanel Red Disc Dress. She had also had been invited to Paris Fashion Week. Kylie commented in the film that she was "blown away" and that she "loved it."
In November 2006, the group travelled to Sydney, Australia. While in Sydney, Kylie launched her perfume Darling. Later she performed in Brisbane, Australia, where she visited the Cancer Council. She said that the people there had "looked up to me and have been thinking about what I had been through," and that all of them had been "very brave" while fighting cancer.
After leaving Brisbane, she travelled to Byron Bay for a two-day break. She commented that her stay there was "freedom at last."
Kylie then travelled back to London and to the Wembley Arena for New Year's Eve. She celebrated there with the crew and the audience.
The last filming location was in Acapulco, Mexico, where Kylie did a commercial shoot and said that she would take a holiday there.
Most of the songs in the film were performed by Kylie Minogue; however, the soundtrack also featured the English duo Pet Shop Boys, singing their song "Being Boring."
The Cure was also featured in the credits of the film for their song "Lovesong."
Liza Minnelli also had two songs featured in the film: "Rent" and "Losing My Mind."
"Kids" was sung with Dannii Minogue and Bono. The Bono version is on the tour's album, Showgirl: Homecoming Live, while the version with Dannii is a bonus feature on the movie DVD.
Kylie covered the songs "Vogue," "Try Your Wings," "You Are There," and "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend."
All songs were published by EMI Ltd.
Most critics compared the film to Madonna's 1991 film Truth or Dare (also entitled In Bed with Madonna).
Kathy McCabe of The Daily Telegraph gave it a positive review, saying "Kylie Minogue reveals her hopes and fears but few tears in White Diamond." She also described the film as "sparkling." [7]
The Evening Times gave the film 2 out of 5 stars. They said that Baker was too close to the subject of the film and that, "We never see Minogue cry, shout, bitch, get tipsy or mauldin."
Fans have said that Baker, the director and a close friend of Kylie's, put too much of himself into the film relative to Kylie's actual screen time. Caitlin Moran of The Times said that the documentary was made by "a very discreet friend" and that it runs "an arse-fatiguing two hours." Before adding that it "leaves you in no doubt that Kylie is a charming, merry, adorable, disco mouse with a fabulous collection of shoes." [8]
White Diamond premiered in the United Kingdom on 16 October 2007 at all Vue Cinema locations across the country in a one-night-only event. Kylie attended this premiere at the Leicester Square Vue Cinema. She arrived in a diamond-studded dress, wearing over $1,000,000 worth of jewellery. [9] She was accompanied by her sister, Dannii, and actor Rupert Everett. [5]
Similarly, in Australia there was a one-night-only premiere of the film at Village Cinemas on 19 October 2007 and in New Zealand at Skycity Cinemas on 16 November 2007. Everyone in New Zealand who attended the screening at the Skycity Cinemas received a free copy of Kylie's then-new single "2 Hearts." [10]
Song | Performer | Songwriter |
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"White Diamond" (Film version) | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, Babydaddy and Jake Shears |
"Jump" | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, and Rob Dougan |
"Finer Feelings" | Kylie Minogue | Mike Stock and Pete Waterman |
"Sometime Samurai" | Towa Tei and Kylie Minogue | Towa Tei and Kylie Minogue |
"Tears" | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk – Lyrics: Kylie Minogue |
"I Believe in You" | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, Babydaddy and Jake Shears |
"Burning Up" | Kylie Minogue | Greg Fitzgerald and Tom Nicholls |
"Vogue" | Kylie Minogue | Madonna and Shep Pettibone |
"Being Boring" | Pet Shop Boys | Tennant and Lowe |
"Rent" | Liza Minnelli | Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe |
"Lovesong" | The Cure | Smith, Gallup, Thomson, Williams, Tolhurst and O'Donnell |
"Made in Heaven" (Film version) | Kylie Minogue | Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman |
"Kids" | Kylie Minogue and Bono | Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers |
"Losing My Mind" | Liza Minnelli | Stephen Sondheim |
"Try Your Wings" | Kylie Minogue | Michael Barr and Dion McGregor |
"Je t'aime... moi non plus" | Kylie Minogue | Serge Gainsbourg |
"Dreams" | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, Steve Anderson and David Seaman – Lyrics: Kylie Minogue |
"Can't Get You Out of My Head" | Kylie Minogue and José González | Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis |
"You Are There" | Kylie Minogue and Steve Anderson | Dave Frishberg and Johnny Mandel |
"Somewhere Over the Rainbow" | Kylie Minogue | Harold Arlen and E.Y. Harburg |
"Come into My World" | Kylie Minogue | Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis |
"Alone Again" | Kylie Minogue | Madonna and Rick Nowels |
"Light Years" | Kylie Minogue | Kylie Minogue, Julian Gallagher and Richard Stannard |
"Turn It into Love" | Kylie Minogue | Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman |
"Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" | Kylie Minogue | Leo Robin and Jule Styne |
White Diamond: A Personal Portrait of Kylie Minogue | ||||
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Video by | ||||
Released | 10 December 2007 (Region 2) 28 April 2008 (Region 1) | |||
Recorded | 11 December 2006 in Melbourne, Australia | |||
Genre | Pop music | |||
Length | 270:52 | |||
Label | EMI | |||
Director | William Baker | |||
Producer | Tom Colburne, Kylie Minogue | |||
Kylie Minogue chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
BBC News | link |
The Daily Telegraph | link |
IMDb | 7.8/10 [11] |
The Times Online | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The documentary movie was released on DVD with a 15 rating on 10 December 2007. It was filmed in HD and released to cinemas in HD. No Blu-ray release has been planned.
In the United Kingdom, it was released in a two-disc package. The second disc contains a concert (Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour) that was filmed in Kylie's hometown of Melbourne, Australia, on 11 December 2006. [12] The concert is two hours and twenty minutes long.
The DVD also features bonus footage of Kylie and Dannii Minogue performing "Kids" in Melbourne's Rod Laver Arena on 16 December 2006, and five extra songs filmed in London's Earls Court on 6 May 2005. [13] The respective DVD menus also reveal excerpts from the tour backdrops and photoshoots, where viewers can navigate songs or extra features. Both DVDs are available in three audio formats: Dolby Digital Stereo; Dolby Digital 5.1 and DTS 5.1. However, the bonus footages are only available in Dolby Digital Stereo format.
White Diamond was shown on United Kingdom television on 25 November 2006 prior to its release on DVD. The DVD reached number three on the Mexican Top 10 Music DVD Chart when it was released in Mexico in February 2008.
It was released on DVD in New Zealand on 16 March 2009 by Shock Records. It was rated "General" by the OFLC of New Zealand. [14]
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "I'm a Diamond for You" | 4:30 |
2. | "First Day of School" | 4:36 |
3. | "I Couldn't Go Back There" | 2:08 |
4. | "People I Work With... Become My Family" | 4:46 |
5. | "Every Aspect of What I Do Involves Artistry" | 2:39 |
6. | "I Have Loved Dressing Up and Fashion Since I Was Little" | 4:23 |
7. | "Bring On Australia" | 4:22 |
8. | "The World Stopped Spinning" | 8:13 |
9. | "That's Chanel Couture You're Snipping" | 11:04 |
10. | "A Friend is Coming to Sing with Me Tonight" | 6:17 |
11. | "What is It About Goodie Bags?" | 3:25 |
12. | "I'm Going Into My Other World" | 7:04 |
13. | "It's Groundhog Day" | 9:20 |
14. | "My Body Was a Battleground" | 5:54 |
15. | "You Are There" | 9:37 |
16. | "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" | 6:58 |
17. | "I'm Really Proud of This Year" | 4:59 |
18. | "I Hate to Let You All Down" | 5:59 |
19. | "I Don't See Why I Should Stop Now" | 9:38 |
20. | "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend / Credits" | 2:59 |
Total length: | 118:52 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Kids" (featuring Dannii Minogue) | 5:24 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Overture" | 2:24 |
2. | "Better the Devil You Know" | 3:58 |
3. | "In Your Eyes" | 4:52 |
4. | "White Diamond" | 3:44 |
5. | "On a Night Like This" | 4:30 |
6. | "Shocked / What Do I Have to Do?" | 6:20 |
7. | "Spinning Around" | 3:07 |
8. | "Confide in Me" | 7:27 |
9. | "Cowboy Style / Finer Feelings" | 4:48 |
10. | "Too Far" | 4:37 |
11. | "Butterfly" | 3:09 |
12. | "Red Blooded Woman / Where the Wild Roses Grow" | 4:46 |
13. | "Slow" | 4:30 |
14. | "Kids" (featuring Bono) | 5:28 |
15. | "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" | 3:54 |
16. | "Come into My World" | 3:03 |
17. | "Chocolate" | 3:05 |
18. | "I Believe in You" | 3:28 |
19. | "Dreams (Impossible Princess)" | 3:53 |
20. | "Burning Up / Vogue" | 3:22 |
21. | "The Locomotion" | 4:41 |
22. | "I Should Be So Lucky" | 3:36 |
23. | "Hand on Your Heart" | 4:14 |
24. | "Can't Get You Out of My Head" | 5:50 |
25. | "Light Years / Turn It into Love" | 9:37 |
26. | "Especially for You" | 7:23 |
27. | "Love at First Sight" | 5:46 |
28. | "Credits" | 1:20 |
Total length: | 125:29 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "In Denial" | 2:47 |
2. | "Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi" | 3:09 |
3. | "Confide in Me" | 5:16 |
4. | "Please Stay" | 5:01 |
5. | "Your Disco Needs You" | 4:54 |
Total length: | 21:07 |
No. | Title | Length |
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1. | "Weblinks" | |
2. | "Screensaver" | |
3. | "Wallpapers" | |
4. | "Photo gallery" |
Notes
Kylie Ann Minogue is an Australian singer and actress. She is the highest-selling female recording artist from Australia, having sold over 80 million records worldwide. Referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has been recognised for reinventing herself in music and fashion as a style icon. Her accolades include two Grammy Awards, four Brit Awards and eighteen ARIA Music Awards. In 2024, Time named her one of the most influential people in the world.
Dannii Minogue is an Australian singer, television personality, and actress. She first gained recognition for her appearances on the television talent show Young Talent Time (1982–1988) and for her role as Emma Jackson on the soap opera Home and Away (1989–1990). Minogue began her music career in the early 1990s, achieving early success with her debut studio album, Love and Kisses (1991), which was certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and included the hit singles "Love and Kisses", "Jump to the Beat" and "Success". Following the release of her second studio album, Get into You (1993), Minogue's popularity as a singer had declined, leading her to make a name for herself with award-winning performances in theatre productions.
Intimate and Live is the debut live album by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue. It was released on 30 November 1998 as a double CD set, and on 23 July 2002 as a DVD through BMG, Mushroom Records and Warner Vision. The concert was filmed at Capitol Theatre on 1 July 1998 from the Intimate and Live concert tour. Produced by David Wilson and directed by Mark Adamson and Michael Williams, both the album and DVD features twenty-one songs from the concert and spawned a promotional single, "Dancing Queen".
Ultimate Kylie is the second major greatest hits album by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, and her first greatest hits released under her contract with Parlophone, her record company between 1999–2015. The compilation was released in many different formats including a two-disc edition and a deluxe double disc with a bonus DVD. A separate compilation DVD with the same name, was released to accompany the audio versions. The album includes two new tracks; its lead single, "I Believe in You", and the second single, "Giving You Up". A third track, "Made of Glass", was recorded for the album but not used; it was included on the physical releases of "Giving You Up".
"Come into My World" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). Written and produced by Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis, "Come into My World" is a dance-pop song in which the singer pleads to her lover to come into her world. "Come into My World" was released as the fourth and final single from Fever on 4 November 2002.
"Love at First Sight" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her eighth studio album, Fever (2001). It was released as the third single from Fever on 3 June 2002. The song, which was written by Minogue, Richard Stannard, Julian Gallagher, Ash Howes and Martin Harrington, is unrelated to the song of the same name from Minogue's debut studio album, Kylie (1988). Musically, "Love at First Sight" is a dance-pop and nu-disco song which, lyrically, describes the singer falling and believing in love at first sight.
"On a Night Like This" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue. It was released on 11 September 2000 by Parlophone and Mushroom Records as the second single for her seventh studio album, Light Years (2000), and was distributed in various formats. The track was originally recorded by Swedish singer Pandora and written by Steve Torch, Brian Rawling, Graham Stack, and Mark Taylor, while production was handled by the latter two, it was handed to Minogue to record. Musically, "On a Night Like This" is a Europop, dance-pop and house song that also incorporates elements of disco. Its lyrical content delves into experiencing unique, possibly sexual experiences during the night.
"Confide in Me" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her self-titled fifth studio album (1994). It was released as the album's lead single on 29 August 1994 by Deconstruction, Imago, and Mushroom Records. The track was written by Steve Anderson, Dave Seaman, and Owain Barton, whilst production was handled by British trio Brothers in Rhythm. It was recorded in London, United Kingdom at DMC and Sarm West Studios. Musically, it is a pop song that incorporates elements of indie music, dance-pop, and Middle Eastern instrumentation such as strings and percussion, whilst the lyrical content talks about Minogue's earnest of seduction and manipulating people to confide into her.
"Giving You Up" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her third greatest hits album Ultimate Kylie (2004). The song was first released as the album's second and final single on 28 March 2005. It was written by Miranda Cooper, Brian Higgins, Tim Powell, Lisa Cowling, Paul Woods, Nick Coler, and Minogue, while production was by Higgins and Xenomania. The song is a dance-pop track, which features instrumentation of synthesizers and keyboards. The track was her last solo single before she was diagnosed with breast cancer two months later; her next single was "2 Hearts" in 2007.
"Chocolate" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, taken from her ninth studio album Body Language (2003). It was written and produced by Johnny Douglas, with additional writing by Karen Poole. The song is a ballad that uses a chocolate simile to describe Minogue's obsession with love. It is a quiet storm song that contains elements of disco and funk and employs breathy and whispery vocals. It was released as the third and final single from the album on 28 June 2004 by Festival Mushroom Records and Parlophone.
"Red Blooded Woman" is a song recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her ninth studio album, Body Language (2003). Written by Johnny Douglas and Karen Poole and produced by the former, it is a hip hop and synth-pop track containing a vocoded "Boy! Boy!" hook and backing vocals from a choir, and was released by Parlophone as the second single from the album on 1 March 2004.
"Cowboy Style" is a song recorded by Australian singer and songwriter Kylie Minogue, for her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997). The song was released as the fourth and final single on 5 October 1998 through Mushroom Records. Minogue wrote the track with Steve Anderson and Dave Seaman while Brothers in Rhythm produced it. Backed by guitars, synthesisers and drum instruments, "Cowboy Style" is a Celtic pop track in which Minogue sings about her relationship with her then-boyfriend, French director Stephane Sednaoui. Critical response to "Cowboy Style" was positive, with praise driven to Minogue's songwriting and the song's composition; some critics highlighted it as a career stand-out track. Released in Australia and New Zealand, the song charted at number 39 on the Australian Singles Chart.
Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour was the eighth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue. It was launched in support of her second major greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie (2004) and visited Europe. It began on 19 March 2005 in Glasgow, Scotland at SECC Concert Hall 4 and concluded on 7 May 2005 in London, England at the Earls Court Exhibition Centre. The tour was announced on 24 October 2004, promoted by 3A Entertainment in Europe and Frontier Touring in Asia and Australia. Showgirl: The Greatest Hits Tour was intended to be a celebration of both Minogue's career and long-term relationship with her audience.
"Step Back in Time" is a song by Australian singer Kylie Minogue from her third studio album, Rhythm of Love (1990). It was released as the album's second single on 22 October 1990, and distributed by PWL and Mushroom as a CD single, cassette tape and 12-inch and 7-inch singles. The track was written, arranged, and produced by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken, Pete Waterman, who are collectively known as Stock Aitken and Waterman, and was recorded in London, United Kingdom. Musically, it is a disco song that lyrically pays tribute to 1970s' culture.
Intimate and Live was the fifth concert tour by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, in support of her sixth studio album, Impossible Princess (1997). The tour marked a return to touring for Minogue, with her previous tour Let's Get to It Tour (1991) taking place seven years prior.
Showgirl: Homecoming Tour was the ninth concert tour by Australian singer Kylie Minogue, in support of her second major greatest hits compilation, Ultimate Kylie (2004). The tour began on 11 November 2006 in Sydney, Australia at the Sydney Entertainment Centre and concluded on 23 January 2007 in London, England at Wembley Arena, consisting of 20 shows in Australia and 14 shows in England.
Showgirl: Homecoming Live is the fourth live album by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue. It was first released on 8 January 2007 as a double CD set, by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, before an international release took place in the following months. Produced by Steve Anderson, the album was recorded on 12 November 2006, during one of Minogue's concerts of her Showgirl: The Homecoming Tour in Sydney, Australia at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. The concert features U2's vocalist Bono as a featured artist on the song "Kids".
"Two Hearts", alternatively titled "2 Hearts", is a song first recorded by British electronic duo Kish Mauve, written for their 2005 self-titled extended play and later re-recorded by Australian singer Kylie Minogue for her tenth studio album, X (2007). Both versions were written and produced by Jim Eliot and Mima Stilwell. Minogue's version was released on 9 November 2007 by Parlophone as the album's lead single. The song was Minogue's first commercial single since "Giving You Up" (2005), as she was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005. After the announcement, Minogue took a hiatus between of two years to recover from her illness.
"Too Far" is a song by Australian recording artist Kylie Minogue, taken from her sixth studio album Impossible Princess (1997). It was written and produced by Minogue, with additional production credits to Brothers in Rhythm. The song is a drum and bass song where Minogue describes her anger and frustration through its lyrics. It contains elements of club music and breakbeat music, and employs spoken word techniques.
"100 Degrees" is a song recorded by Australian singer-songwriter Kylie Minogue, with her sister Dannii Minogue. The track was the second single from Kylie's album Kylie Christmas (2015). It was released on 7 December 2015 by Parlophone and Warner Bros. Records. A disco-influenced Christmas song, the track was written by Kylie, Ash Howes, Richard Stannard and Steve Anderson, with Howes, Stannard and Anderson handling production. An alternate version of the song was later released on 1 April 2016, "100 Degrees ", omitting all references to Christmas in its lyrics.