Prick Up Your Ears

Rating:
Summary: WOW
Review: The spirit of Britian's bad-boy-playwright of the 1960s is alive and well in this blackly funny biography that follows the life of sexually outrageous and verbally vicious Joe Orton from street-level nobody to unexpected fame as London's most celebrated "mod" writer. Gary Oldman gives the performance of a lifetime as Joe, and Alfred Molina is equally effective as the prissy lover who cannot accept that he is slowly but surely being left behind. The direction, cinematography, script, and supporting cast are extraordinary, and PRICK UP YOUR EARS is as funny, shocking, and perverse as Joe Orton himself.

Rating:
Summary: All The Right Ingredients, But ...
Review: This is one of those unusual films that, despite excellent acting, interesting themes and a good script (here, one by Alan Bennett), seems to add up to less than the sum of its parts. Gary Oldman, perfectly cast as the ill-fated playwright Joe Orton, captures precisely the spirit of what Orton and his work seem to have been about--macabre playfulness, unflappable hedonism, and an acute sense of life's absurdity. Alfred Molina also delivers as Kenneth Halliwell, Orton's frustrated lover and literary mentor. Vanessa Redgrave is delightful as Orton's potty-mouthed agent, one among the many courageous roles that epitomize this remarkable actress's career.

Alan Bennett is, however, a verbal writer, which makes it crucial that we be allowed to hear his text. Unfortunately, sound is an area in which this film (and many other British films of its period) fail to excel. Visually, the film should have been good; the sets (especially Orton and Halliwell's claustrophobic one-room apartment) are a perfect fit with the story. But the lighting is a little too understated, a little too monotonously dim. The resultant mood is less like film noir than seasonal affective disorder, and instead of being drawn into the action and atmosphere, you want to go to sleep.



Rating:
Summary: A small gem for fans of modern English culture
Review: This little-known movie has a great cast (actors who are quite famous now), and tells the story of gay playwrite Joe Orton. It's interesting in the details of gay life in less liberal times, and the quirkyness of its characters. Orton is a self-destructive enfant-terrible of British arts in the 60's, and we are often fascinated to see how someone like this tears through the lives of those who care about him, while creating great, or at least popular, art with apparently little effort. Somewhat like Jim Morrison or Jackson Pollock.

Rating:
Summary: A short life story of Joe Orton
Review: This was an entertaining film with suprizes. The production quality was good and the acting solid. I had no idea what to expect when I got this film and viewed it with an open mind. It is the life story of Joe Orton, Playwrite and all around character. A some what more modern Quentin Crisp although Mr. Crisp was bold and respectful and Mr. Orton was bold and much less concerned with being respectful. For his short life he was an Out, in your face sort. Gary Oldman did a masterful job of not only capturing the bold and harsh aspect of Orton but also did an outstanding job of letting us see the soft, tender and even semi-romantic feeling Orton had for his lover of ten years, Kennith. Just when your sure that Orton is cruel and cold, he shows you a loving act that that renews your hope.
The acting made this film a great investment and the story is excellant. You will most likely want to add this to your collection as I did. It was an impressive film.

Rating:
Summary: comedy?
Review: who in their right mind could consider this film as a comedy?