Although the premise of gay men in New York in the '80s dying in the AIDS epidemic may not seem the most original of plotlines, this HBO special manages to be hilariously funny, heartbreaking and always unusual.
Based on the play of the same name by Tony Kushner, the 6 hour programme focuses on the lives of Louis and Prior whose 4 year relationship ends when Prior discovers he has AIDS and Louis deserts him because he cannot cope with ill people. There are also a number of other important characters including Roy Cohn, a well known right-wing lawyer who will never publicly admit that he is gay and orders his doctor to call his AIDS cancer, and a mormon couple, Harper and Joe Pitt. Harper is a lonely housewife and prescription pill addict whilst Joe is a repressed homosexual who has to deal with the consequences of this through the film. Joe's mother also focuses prominently in the second part of the programme.
Whilst Angels in America is compelling in dealing with the relationships of the main characters and the subtlities involved in human interaction, it also has a whole other level when Prior possibly sinks into insanity and believes he is visited by the 'Angel of America' and is given a mission to halt human progress which has driven God away from earth leaving only the angels. It is left to the viewer to decide whether the fantastical element is real or imagined but regardless each time the angel appears it adds to the understanding of the characters and raises important questions about the difficulties they are experiencing.
Angels in America won four Golden Globes for its acting and this is a case where they were certainly all well deserved. Meryl Streep manages to be convincing in her various roles particularly as Joe's mother Hannah where she shows the many levels that somebody can function on. Al Pacino is also outstanding as Roy Cohn. My personal favourite character was Prior, acted by Justin Kirk, who is outstanding both as a comedian and as a serious character descending into illness and possible insanity. The characters' dialogue is brilliant, witty and often beautiful to a level where it is not how people really talk to each other at an every day level, however, this fits in well with the mystical part of the film and is truely wonderful to hear.
Being a 6 hour piece in total (although broken into 2 halfs and 6 one hour chapters) the story of Angels in America is complex and in-depth. I watched the whole thing in one sitting and found that the time flew by-at no point did it drag or did I want it to hurry up and finish or get to the point. Every moment is beautifully shot and necessary to the whole. The issues raised range from religion to politics to the difficulties experienced within the gay community and delves beyond the obvious and common place into the finer points and, of course, the magical. Whilst it is set in the '80s (with the HBO version made in 2004) and much of the references are to events in that time this piece spans time and is just as interesting and relevant today.
This is a highly unusual piece that is extremely rare to find and a must-see for everyone interested in film.
Production Year: 1998 - Drama - Director: Carl Franklyn, Carl Franklin - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Meryl Streep, William Hurt, Renee Zellweger, Tom Everett Scott, Nicky Katt, Lauren Graham
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
Production Year: 2007 - Drama - Director: Mike Binder - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Adam Sandler, Don Cheadle, Jada Pinkett, Liv Tyler, Saffron Burrows, Donald Sutherland, Mike Binder
Tony Kushner's prize-winning playAngels in Americabecame the defining US theatrical event ... more
of the 1990s, an astonishing mix of philosophy, politics, and vibrant gay soap opera that summed up the Reagan era for an entire generation of theatre-goers. Post...
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Tony Kushner's prize-winning playAngels in Americabecame the defining US theatrical event ... more
of the 1990s, an astonishing mix of philosophy, politics, and vibrant gay soap opera that summed up the Reagan era for an entire generation of theatre-goers. Post...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
Academy Award-winners Al Pacino Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson lead an all-star cast in a ... more
6 hour HBO Films event written by Tony Kushner based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning play. The film tells the story of a gay man (Louis Ironson) struggling with ...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
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