Torch Song Trilogy

Rating:
Summary: Hooray for Harvey!!!
Review: I remember this movie when I was struggling with my sexuality. The funny thing is that I use this movie whenever a friend of mine is in conflict and it is the first time I have actually been exposed to gay life in a positive light. Fierstein is witty, charming and just fabulous. Brian Kerwin and Matthew Broderick were great in their respective parts while Anne Bancroft just steals the scene everytime she is on screen. I would recommend this to anyone who has not yet seen a gay-themed movie because other gay movies are much more out there while this is just sensibly and tastefully done. Hooray for Harvey!!

Rating:
Summary: An old favorite I just had to own
Review: I saw this movie when it first came out. At the time I had just come out myself a couple of years earlier, and this movie helped me find pride and hope. I shared it with my queer friends, and every time we helped mentor another person who was discovering themselves, we sat them down and had them watch this movie. There are so many more movies now, but this one has definitely earned its place as a classic in my book. It deserves a place in any collection.

Rating:
Summary: Welcome to DVD Arnold. I've been waiting for you.
Review: I was delighted to find that at long last, "Torch Song Trilogy" was finally on DVD. If you are not familiar with this film, it is a must see. A delightful, funny, gentle and moving film. For those not familiar, to put it in the context of time, it was one of the first movies with a positive image of gay characters.

I go way back with Torch Song. In the 1970's I saw, "International Stud" in the Village (I believe it was a theatre on Bleecker St.) I also remember seeing it as an entire triology off off Broadway when it was presented by the Glines (I seem to remember that the ticket cost $5 with a coupon, or was it 2-for $10 with coupon?)

Harvey Fierstien is to be applauded. We take for granted the more positive image we see of gays today (although apparently, we have progressed from the film images of where we kill ourselves, to the television images of where we are only acceptable if we are making straight people happy and so that they can marry each other, while we ourselves are not allowed to get married).

Torch Song represents hope, love, and pride.

A big plus on the DVD is the not to be missed commentary by Harvey.

Thank you Harvey for writing this. Thank you for being a pioneer. Gez ... where is this review going? Somewhere in the background a drag queen is beginning to sing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic!"

Rating:
Summary: FAAABULOUS! (With 1 Minor Flaw)
Review: I watched this movie at least 20 times on VHS. It was the very first gay-themed movie I'd seen and could not have been presented to me at a more important time in my life. I was 20 (I'm 32 now) and only a few weeks before I'd come out to my mother as Gay. Dealing with my mother's fears and still unable to tell my five older brothers or my father, I joined a Gay student group at my university. I was terrified because though I knew what was going on in my life, I had not yet met or knew anyone who was Gay. My first night with the student organization we got together at a young lesbian couple's home and watched "Harold And Maude" (a classic!) and "Torch Song Trilogy." The next day while describing Torch Song to my mother I burst into uncontrollable sobs. This was the first time my mother had seen me cry in years and she knew she had to watch this movie with me. I rented it and we watched it and my mother and I cried together - she knew what I was going through in a way I could never explain to her. This movie is an absolute MUST SEE. BTW, the minor flaw is that there is a very annoying buzzing during the initial monologue with Arnold and also during the conversation and monologue with Ed and Arnold in Arnold's dressing room. Otherwise the rest of the movie is a gem. Also, contrary to what another reviewer stated, I did NOT find a single scene edited from the DVD version that was in the original VHS version - the DVD copy is identical to the orginal down to the second - 121 minutes.

Rating:
Summary: "A pretty person who goes after a ugly person gets cab fare"
Review: 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.

Rating:
Summary: Humanity shown in all it's facets
Review: My all time favourite movie. It was the first gay movie I managed to get my mother to watch. I remember saying to her about Arnold "Do you understand me better now" to which she replied, "Yes, do you understand me better too?". I am not a drag queen, but many of the conversations Arnold has with his mother I have had with mine. We love each other, but it's often difficult. I think this is one of those movies that can help people understand. It is a gay movie, but by the end the only thing you understand is that they are all human and the sexuality issue becomes unimportant. Even straight men should be rooting for a happy end after watching it. Not often that a movie is perfect, but this comes close.

Rating:
Summary: FANTASTIC, BUT SAD
Review: Okay, I have a lot of gay movies, and male-gay movies are about AIDS, death, gay related beatings, and AIDS.

Again, this film deals with hope, death and life. It's good, but it gets really sad. I wasn't sure if I was going to cry or scream or laugh. I did all three, and most call me Liza Minelli.

Seriously, when will there be a postive gay movie about happiness and normalcy?

This one has it, but it goes the whole "violent" way towards gay men.

It's good, so get it.

michael

Rating:
Summary: Funny, heartbreaking, powerful...
Review: Somewhat of a black comedy, this dramatic adaptation of a truly wonderful play has a permanent place in my heart and on my video shelves. Fierstein is at his campy best, and captivates with his heartfelt portrayal of an aging drag queen searching for love before it's too late. I forgot to breathe during the cemetery scene, where Arnold's strained relationship with his mother reaches critical mass. The film's only unfortunate detraction is that Matthew Broderick is a little too pretty opposite Fierstein, and isn't quite convincing as a gay man. Have the Kleenex handy though -- the story's honest scrutiny of human emotions is tough on the soul. A must-see for everyone!

Rating:
Summary: Its All About Relationships
Review: The beauty of the "Torchsong Trilogy" is that it focuses on THE one thing all gay people have. RELATIONSHIPS. It works well because we get a glimse of our own relationships with family, lovers, ex-lovers, children, etc. I remember watching it when I was about 15, and belive me, its an eye-opener.

Rating:
Summary: Why???
Review: The one-star rating given does not reflect my opinion of this wonderful film, for which many people have waited a long, long time to see in the DVD format. HOWEVER this film has been released in a cropped, pan-and-scan version, not the original widescreen version anyone in their right mind would expect at this point in the format's evolution.
New Line, shame shame SHAME on you. Buyers beware, this is not the version of this film you saw (and loved) in theatres.
And for any studios who PERSIST in releasing films in this format, c'mon, join the rest of us in the 21st century. And by all means do not expect us to actually BUY this format-edited junk.