Torch Song Trilogy
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Movie Reviews of Torch Song Trilogy
Movie Review: "A pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets cab fare"
Summary: 5 Stars
In 1988, the film version of the Tony Award-winning, landmark play "Torch Song Trilogy", which was written by the outspoken and very witty Harvey Fierstein, was released to theaters. Written originally as three separate one-act plays between 1978 and 1979 ("The International Stud", "Fugue in a Nursery" and "Widows and Children First"), Harvey Fierstein combined them into the more familiar three-act play "Torch Song Trilogy" in 1981 since each one-act play focused on the life of a gay man named Arnold (played by Harvey Fierstein), who is a gay drag-show entertainer. In the first act, Arnold meets a stranger at a bar named Ed (Brian Kerwin). A precarious relationship develops quickly between Ed and Arnold, but Ed also wants to marry a woman named Laurel (Karen Young). In the second act, Arnold meets a young man named Alan (Matthew Broderick) at the club where Arnold performs. A long-term relationship develops between Arnold and Alan until an unexpected tragedy occurs. The third act focuses on Arnold taking care of a teenaged son, David (Eddie Castrodad) that he & Alan had adopted, as well as Arnold's ongoing difficulties with his mother (Anne Bancroft).With excellent dialog, engaging personalities and superb acting, "Torch Song Trilogy" is a fantastic film, demonstrating not only the love that exists within gay couples, but also the very real difficulties that many gay men face in their daily lives, including the all-too-often difficulties with family members who cannot accept them for who they are. Harvey Fierstein's unique voice adds a special flare to his drag show performances, as well as to his arguments with his mother. Anne Bancroft's performance is superb and emotional. Matthew Broderick did a wonderful portraying Alan. Interestingly, he had played the teenaged son David when "Torch Song Trilogy" was being performed on stage as a play. Brian Kerwin and Karen Young also portray their roles well. Other significant characters in the film include Bertha Venation (Charles Pierce), Marina Del Rey (Alex Vera), the young Arnold (Benji Schulman) and Murray (Kevin Page). Overall, I rate "Torch Song Trilogy" with 5 out of 5 stars. It's especially great to be able to watch the film on widescreen DVD.
Movie Review: The No.1 Classic Gay Drama I have Ever Watched.
Summary: 5 Stars
Finally, I have seen a gay movie which is not merely about the misery of being dumped by a gay lover or trying to come out in a family. Torch Song Trilogy is a biographical work about the life of the protagonist drag queen, Arnold. The movie starts humourously with the mother's discovery of the son hiding in a closet and trying to beautifying himself with her make-up. The mother yelled, "What are you doing in the ---". Then the mother knew what was going on.
The movie can be basically divided into three parts (that's why it's titled trilogy) - his career as a professional drag queen (or politically correct - a female impersonator), during which he knew a bisexual man; his falling in love with a middle class boy who is still uncontaminated by the world. He, however, was sadly, killed by hateful discrimination. Finally, the movie has a touch of adopting a (gay) son and brings out the issue of gay parenting. The movie ends with a fight, not a reconciliation, between the mother and the gay son. Each part of the movie tells you the life and the bumpy road Arnold was living through at the moment. The movie does not depict it in a pitiful way, or else, it lets the plot bring out the emotio spontaneously to the audience. The dialogues are clever, symbolic and witty. The acting is professional and does not go over the top. The director deals with the fantastic scripts carefully and the final scene of Arnold holding the three most valuable things in his life in a chair is simply self-effacing.
Torch Song Trilogy is a gay classic drama. There is nothing pretentious. The movie does not ask for your pity for Arnold's tragic life, but your understanding of what he has been through.
Movie Review: "One of Hollywood's First Mainstream Gay Films"
Summary: 5 Stars
I love "Torch Song Trilogy". Based on the stage play of the same name and written by Harvey Fierstein, this was one of the first films to honestly portray homosexuals in a positive and honest light. Harvery plays Arnold, a drag queen, who meets a young, beautiful man, played to perfection by Matthew Broderick, and they eventually fall in love and "adopt" a young man. The jist of the story is between Arnold and his Jewish/Catholic mother, who doesn't approve of her son's homosexual lifestyle. The scenes between Harvey and Anne Bancroft, who plays his mother, are written to perfection, as these scenes are honest in their portrayal of a mother who wants her son to be straight and have a nice home, wife, and children, yet when the mother realizes this will never be, strong, confrontational encounters between mother and son erupt. Everything about the movie from the other characters and scenes are excellent, but its the chemistry between Bancroft and Fierstein that makes the movie work.
I first saw this movie while in college, and have waited years for its release on DVD, and it's finally here. We all should watch this movie, not just for sheer enjoyment, but for good, educational reasons as we discover all families have issues, and families with gay sons are no different. The message here is that gay people cannot change. The problem isn't with the person who's gay, but with the parent who doesn't accept their child's homosexuality.
There is also a fantastic commentary from Harvey on the making of the film, and the movie is in widescreen format, and is digitally remastered from the original studio print. I wish more films like this would be made today.
Movie Review: 'Torch Song' was definitely ahead of its time...
Summary: 5 Stars
It's somewhat ridiculous to think that the best movie to touch upon subjects and issues important today in the gay civil rights struggle was made over 20 years ago...but it's true.
In 'Torch Song Trilogy', Harvey Fierstein had the courage to not only tackle issues like homophobia and gay bashing, gay adoption and gay marriage but to tackle them through the eyes of a drag queen. I do not say that because I think drag queens should not be part of our movement but because there are people who feel they should be relegated to the background. It would have been easier for Mr. Fierstein then, and even now, to portray the character of Arnold as a "normal" guy (i.e. not in drag, and not flamboyant).
Mr. Fierstein's excellent writing and great performance, however, handled each of these subjects so well and gave his character so much pride and dignity and compassion that it would be hard for even the staunchest of gay conservatives to deny him and his movie a place at the top of gay-themed movies and performances.
'Torch Song Trilogy' was and still is ahead of its time...and I feel it has yet to be honored for the brilliant film that it is. The fact that this film from 1988 can still speak to us, especially today with the struggle for the recognition and respect of gay families, is reason enough to applaud the work of Mr. Fierstein.
It's been well over a decade since I first watched this film as a teenager and I remember thinking afterwards how no movie can ever touch on so much in such a great way ever again. Now, having reached my 30's, I still have that same thought.
Thank you Mr. Fierstein!
Movie Review: Such A Fine Movie
Summary: 5 Stars
Harvey Fierstein's play that won a Tony translates beautifully onto the screen. Even though the movie is only two hours long-- the play was about four-- he captures the essence of this groundbreaking play. Although we previously had had BOYS IN THE BAND, THE STAIRCASE and similar plays/movies about gay people in America, no writer before had said (that I can recall) that gays should adopt children, gays should be monogamous, gays should be honest with themselves, their families and everybody else, gays had nothing to be ashamed of, gays were good people. Fierstein says all that and more in this most seminal work. When the history of the gay movement in the late 20th Century is written, this play/movie will be remembered with the likes of ANGELS IN AMERICA as lasting art. I saw the play on broadway years ago. It was the shortest four hours of my life. Both the play and the movie will make you laugh; they will make you cry.
Of course Fierstein, who both wrote the screenplay and plays Arnold Beckoff a/k/a Virginia Ham, gets a tad dramatic at times and his addressing the audience works better on stage than in the film; and maybe the great actress Anne Bancroft overacts as his b----y mother. These are just table crumbs, however, from a magnificent visual feast.
All the actors to a person are superb, and the soundtrack is worth owning--Fierstein, who sings his songs live, has a voice no lower than Marlene Dietrich's and just as good.
Fierstein also does a commentary on the DVD of this film, offering interesting insights and tidbits about the making of TORCH SONG TRILOGY, a film you will want to see again and again.