Rating: 
Summary: Brilliantly recreates the onset of AIDS....
Review: It is always a concern with me when viewing movies based around the 'AIDS crisis' that many seem to go overboard with the fake sentiments and they basically end up being nothing more than a 'movie of the week'. Luckily for me, Longtime Companion turned out to be a quality movie that deals with the subject matter in a sensitive and realisitic manner.We first encounter the characters in Longtime Companion during the 'gay heyday' of the early 80's. Fun was seemingly had by all, and the acceptance of gay men was at an all time high. Then we see news filtering out through the newspapers about a 'gay cancer'.The rest of the plot is obvious - the 'crisis' gets worse and people die. Longtime Companion seemingly recreates those first few years in accurate detail, which is of particular interest to those of us who were too young to experience it. But one theme that this movie really hons in on is the uncertainty of that time and the fear resulting from that uncertainty. No one really knew where all this was heading- so called experts constantly giving false claims as to what was causing the 'gay cancer' certainly didn't help. We take it for granted that at the time of writing this, a huge amount of information is readily available to us concerning HIV and AIDS. Gay men in the early 80's were not that lucky and had to experience the onset of AIDS, with not only the health and mortality concerns, but also the associated negative stigma. This is what Longtime Companion deals with in a wonderfully sensitive and emotive way. Once you see the final scene - a truely emotive experience, you will realise how wonderful this movie really is. The performance of the cast is simply breathtaking. There are no stereotypical characterisations of the gay man - the characters have been well flushed out and we get an eclectic, three dimensional group of gay men. The DVD itself has the movie with excellent picture quality, a trailer and nothing else. It is a shame that no extras were included - even static screens of texts with additional information would have been welcome. But we have such a wonderful movie available to us on our favourite media, and that is something to be thankful for. Longtime Companion is a sad movie, but one that is very important in the history of homosexuality. You will feel sad and need a box of tissues handy, but you will also get to see how these brave men came face to face with something that would turn out to be so devastating to our community. The gay men of the AIDS era as is depicted in Longtime Companion need to be historically acknowledged and I have yet to see a movie that does this as well as Longtime Companion. A brilliant piece of film.......
Rating:
Summary: Superb
Review: Longtime Companion is a brilliantly realised film that can't fail to touch the hardest of heart's. I think the main reason the film works so well is because it doesn't preach about the subject matter. And the cast, particulary Bruce Davison, give deeply felt, flawless performances. The fantasy reunion scene at the beach at the end is still incredibly moving and I would recommend this film unreservedly.
Rating: 
Summary: Terrific Story
Review: Longtime Companion is an excellent film! Compelling story line and definitely creates an accurate reflection of gay life when Aids first broke in the US.
Rating:
Summary: Amazing Film - Second Rate DVD
Review: Longtime Companion is one of the most powerful films about the AIDS crisis. It depicts how a group of friends are affected, and the profound losses they suffer. The film ought to be seen by anyone who feels unaffected by the crisis, and everyone who unfortunately has. MGM did not anamorphically enhance this DVD, but did provide a widescreen transfer. The image is second rate. Also, there are no extra bonus features to speak of.
Rating:
Summary: It Shouldn't Have Happened - But It Did!
Review: Longtime Companion is the depiction of a group of friends as they live through the AIDS crisis. For anyone that has had a friend or loved one die of AIDS, this is a movie that will help you cope. Everyone will identify with one character or another. The only thing that I have to say about this movie, other than it is absolutely fabulous, was that gay enough?, is that the ending will make you cry when you realize that: It shouldn't have happened but what if....... It doesn't matter what your sexual orientation is, this movie is a must see because it tells us what happened, not only with emotions, but with love and understanding.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent
Review: One of the best gay themed movies ever made.
Rating:
Summary: PAINFUL AND HUMAN
Review: The first time I saw this excellent film (on PBS actually) I cried... shamelessly and a lot. It was a moving and touching story that illustrated the onset of the AIDS epidemic, and how it hit particularly the gay community. What is most illustrative and important about this film is that it enlightens one's awareness of the gay community. Real, enduring, and loving relationships are shown between people here, and there is nothing of the sensationalized or stereotypical drama one finds in many films of this kind. I found it to be a deeply emotional picture, and of particular note, the performances by Bruce Davison and Campbell Scott. It has been a few years since I last saw this film, so I have no idea if the story stands the "test of time". I do know that it had a profound impact on me when I was relatively young. I felt that, if nothing else, it helped to prevent me from stereotyping a group of people when society would dictate that stereotyping and discrimination were the only courses of action.
Rating:
Summary: Dark and Light
Review: This drama is filled with possitive messages but has a darkness to it that will make you angry, in a productive way.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent movie about the ravages of the Aids epidemic
Review: This DVD is of excellent quality. It starts just as news starts coming out about a new "gay" disease. It shows the ravages on people's lives, the deaths, the prejudice and the government's complete indifference to the plague. Eventually, they start doing something but as 'And the Band Plays On' shows, it is too little, too late. These people become real to you and their suffering is painful to watch.
Rating:
Summary: Very moving and (thankfully) Somewhat Dated
Review: This film is a wonder for many reasons: beautiful performances, sharp writing and directing, and SAD. When I first saw this - the sobbing in the theater was so intense that I thought I'd have to build an ark to get home. Now, Longtime Companion is still all of those things but a little dated. Advances in medicine haved moved us to a point where AIDS is not an immediate death sentence. Watching this film years later it does play a bit like "And Then There Were None" - but it still works. Watch it and remember if you lived through that era, watch it and be greatful if you did not.
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