Making Love
by Arthur Hiller
List Price:
Our Price: $4.31
You Save: $5.67 (57%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $3.97 (click here)
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Buy this DVD movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Arthur Hill, Harry Hamlin, Kate Jackson, Michael Ontkean, Wendy HillerDirector: Arthur Hiller
Brand: Fox
Cinematographer: David M. Walsh
Producer: Alan J. Adler
Producer: Barry Sandler
Writer: Barry Sandler
Producer: Daniel Melnick
Producer: Dorothy Wilde
Writer: A. Scott Berg
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); English (Original Language)
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 113 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2006-02-07
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Movie Reviews of Making Love
Movie Review: Historic Gay Drama Finally Coming to DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
This was the first mainstream film in which gay men got to see themselves portrayed in a positive light, and probably the first American film to portray gay people without resorting to stereotypes.
When I bought my VHS copy in the early 90's, it was already out-of-print, and I paid more for it then any other VHS film I ever bought in my life (over $60, if I recall). Even so, to this day, I don't regret a penny of it. Now that Fox Studios, who owns the rights to this gay classic has finally conceded to release it on DVD, I am optimistic that The Boys in the Band and the Lost Language of Cranes, two other classic gay dramas which Fox also owns, may follow.
Let's hope so.
The film may seem quaint and quite mild by today's standards, but in 1982, positive images of gay men in Hollywood films simply did not exist. Prior to Making Love, gay men in American movies were either suicidal sissies or vicious villains. The best we could hope for was that some sympathetic director might tone down the images of gays as sick and evil, a rendering that was more or less dictated by the censorship codes that were in force for much of the first hundred years of Hollywood history. Indeed, the negative but harmless 1930s classic "sissy," eventually gave way to darker portrayals of gay people as inhabitants of a shadowy world of villains and degenerates. Hollywood's version of gay people was as unrealistic and damaging as any propaganda ever wielded against any minority, anywhere. Therefore, the film Making Love can be seen as nothing less than a radical departure from the standard Hollywood negative portrayal of gays. The producers and production team of Making Love went out of their way to make the gay characters as likeable and attractive as possible, and, at the time, I don't remember any of my friends who saw the film who weren't grateful for that alone.
Many people have dismissed this film as a "soap opera" and claim that the basic plot is unbelievable. Interestingly enough, a lesbian friend of mine had the greatest identification of anyone I knew with the character played by Michael Ontkean - she said that when she was coming out as a lesbian, and married at the time, her marriage was exactly like the couple in this movie. The lies, the sneaking around, the nervous confrontation with her spouse - she lived it all, and she felt that the film very accurately portrayed her real life situation. So don't let anyone tell you that this "soap opera" is totally unbelievable, for I know someone who lived it.
Enough cannot be said about Kate Jackson's wonderful performance. This is possibly the best role she ever tackled, and almost definitely the best acting she ever did. Arthur Hiller's direction is perfect, and he is also assigned a small supporting role as Zack's father. Wendy Hiller, as a compassionate friend of the married couple, gives an excellent supporting performance, as she does in every role she undertakes.
Harry Hamlin and Michael Ontkean as the two leads (both of whom are straight and were very nervous and also very brave about taking these parts) are cute enough to make the romantic in my soul enjoy this film even for the wrong reasons. Buy it for the right reasons - it's a piece of gay history, and one of the first American films to deal with homosexuality in a positive light.
Summary of Making Love
No Description Available.Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 12-JUN-2007
Media Type: DVD
The studio marketed Making Love as "one of the most honest and controversial films we have ever released," adding that "it may be too strong for some people." That was then, and what once seemed shocking now seems tame. Still, it's hard to imagine the more sexually explicit Brokeback Mountain without it. On the surface, Beverly Hills physician Zack (Michael Ontkean, Twin Peaks) and his TV producer wife, Claire (Kate Jackson, Charlie's Angels), are the ideal couple. A smartly-dressed Gilbert and Sullivan fan, Zack appears to have little in common with denim-clad, openly-gay novelist Bart (Harry Hamlin, L.A. Law). They meet when Bart makes an appointment for a check-up, and the two hit it off. Turns out they share a love of "corny old movies." Afterwards, Zack can't stop thinking about his vain, if affectionate patient. Lunch leads to dinner, which leads to physical intimacy (sex is suggested rather than shown). Zack is falling in love, but Bart has no interest in commitment, and Claire suspects another woman. Making Love is narrated by Claire and Bart, who speak directly to the camera. It's unclear whether Arthur Hiller, best known for Love Story, is going for documentary-style realism or foreign film-style sophistication, but the technique does differentiate Making Love from your average soap opera (story credit goes to Pulitzer Prize-winning author A. Scott Berg). Though Hamlin has maintained the highest profile since, it?s the sensitive performances of Ontkean and Jackson that anchor this no longer groundbreaking, but still relevant romantic drama. --Kathleen C. Fennessy
Similar DVD Movies
Latter Days (Unrated Edition)TLA Releasing; Release date: 2004-09-07; Published: 2004-09-01; DVD
Best price: $10.95
Price in other shops:
Angels in AmericaPACINO,AL; Release date: 2004-09-14; DVD
Best price: $9.80
Price in other shops:
JeffreyTWENTIETH CENTURY FOX HOME ENT; Release date: 2003-06-03; DVD
Best price: $13.98
Price in other shops:
Prayers for BobbyA&E; Release date: 2010-12-14; DVD
Best price: $8.49
Price in other shops:
Staying TogetherASTIN,SEAN; Release date: 2005-04-12; DVD
Best price: $0.77
Price in other shops:
The Matthew Shepard StoryEcho; Release date: 2010-06-01; DVD
Best price: $2.76
Price in other shops:
Cruising (Deluxe Edition)Warner Brothers; Release date: 2007-09-18; DVD
Best price: $7.95
Price in other shops:
Torch Song TrilogyNEW Line Home Video; Release date: 2004-05-04; Published: 2004-05-01; DVD
Best price: $11.99
Price in other shops:
The Boys in the BandPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2008-11-11; DVD
Best price: $14.99
Price in other shops:
Longtime CompanionSony; Release date: 2001-01-23; DVD
Best price: $6.89
Price in other shops: