Before BROKEBACK, there was MAKING LOVE (Coming to DVD at last!!!)

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 12:44pm

Exciting news!!! The groundbreaking film MAKING LOVE is finally coming to DVD on February 7!!!

For those of you too young to remember, 1982's Making Love was the first MAJOR HOLLYWOOD STUDIO gay movie. By gay movie, I mean that it was the first studio (=20th Century Fox) film to center around a gay man's coming out, exploring gay life, and finding love. It even had a happy ending, for goodness sake!

It starred lovely Kate Jackson, of Charlie's Angels, in one of her few non-TV roles and gorgeous Michael Ontkean as her husband, whose realization that he is attracted to men, sends him into the arms of hunky Harry Hamlin (four years before L.A. Law).

Looking back at this film, it was truly ahead of its time, with a frankness that no major studio film has approached until this year's Brokeback Mountain.

The film was considered a flop. It made only $12 million at the box office. But taking inflation into consideration, this translates into more than $26 million 2006 dollars, making it the 5th most successful (pre-Brokeback) gay themed movie, following The Birdcage, Philadelphia, In & Out, and To Wong Foo..., none of which centered around a romantic same gender love story, and none of which had a romantic man to man kiss. So in retrospect it was not only daring but surprisingly successful.

Of course, by its release AIDS was already beginning to decimate the gay community, lending a sadly ironic note to Making Love's upbeat ending.

If you haven't seen Making Love, the soon to be released DVD is a must rent/buy. Many now find it a much better film than it was considered when it was first released. Ontkean's exploration of his sexuality and of the gay milieu remains a fascinating look at what gay life was like at a time when an impending plague of illness and death caused by sex were all but unimaginable.

Your cheapest source for the DVD is probably DeepDiscountDVD (just $10.33, with free shipping).




MAKING LOVE AT DEEP DISCOUNT DVD Updated On: 1/4/06 at 12:44 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 12:54pm

Thanks Steven. I had never heard of this movie before today and I will definitely check it out!

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:01pm

Now I really feel old!!! At the same time, it's exciting to be able to introduce this movie to someone born the year it came out!!!

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:44pm

for an old guy, you look very young

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 1:47pm

Both are true. :)

[bdwaygirl]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:25pm

I remember this movie. DG will be so thrilled about this!

[mominator]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:30pm

I also saw this movie w/ a friend who had just came out. really quite good.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:33pm

Michael Ontkean in 1973 at age 26, when he was in all the teen magazines because of his starring role opposite Kate Jackson in the TV series the Rookies.



Updated On: 1/4/06 at 02:33 PM

[cheezedoodle]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:34pm

Very painful film to watch. I wonder too why they waited so long to release it on DVD. I find it ironic that now - Brokeback is opening the doors for it's release when Making Love was the groundbreaker between the two.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:37pm

One More...
Wasn't he a cutie! Updated On: 1/4/06 at 02:37 PM

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:40pm

MICHAEL TODAY...STILL VERY GOOD LOOKING...
AND HE TURNS 60 ON JANUARY 24!
Michael Ontkean continues to appear in films and TV series. He starred in Mrs. Ashboro's Cat in 2003 and he also made guest appearances in the TV series North Shore in 2004. A poetry lover and writer, Ontkean has published more than five collections of poems.

[spiderdj82]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:41pm

Is it just me, or does Heath Ledger (sp?) resemble him a lot?

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:50pm

The last picture especially, I agree, their smiles are very similar!
Updated On: 1/4/06 at 02:50 PM

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:54pm

very cute...the older Michael is more my type though

[pattifan2]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:54pm

I thought they worked hard on this film to make both Ontkean's relationships with Jackson and Hamlin truthful. It's a while since I saw this but I thought the marriage was played out really well (I seem to remember there being a mutual love of Gilbert and Sullivan). I also remember being impressed with Jackson's portrayal of a woman attempting to come to terms with the situation she finds herself in and she and Ontkean have a particularly good scene towards the end of the film


*SPOILER*

when the couple meet up again (after going their separate ways) at the funeral of an old friend. Definitely worth visiting this film again.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:56pm

It's nice to know someone likes older men! :)

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 2:58pm

So you've extended it to 60 now, Trace? Jesus. You must have been *real* desperate last spring. Either that, or I really need to bust out the Olay.

[WithoutATrace]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:00pm

believe me, 60 is way past my limit...the young michael is definitely not my type though.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:01pm

He-he-he.

Jaily as "Daddy."

[JailyardGuy]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:01pm

He'd have done nicely with a bit of a trim...love the face, though.

I actually saw this YEARS ago with my Mom...good to know it's out on DVD now.

[eslgr8]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:04pm

I won't ask what happened last spring, although... Hmmmm... (Scratches head wonderingly.)
Anyway, back to the movie. The exciting thing for me about the DVD is that I can finally see it with decent picture picture quality and in wide screen!!! And I will be very interested in hearing (next month) the reactions of younger people seeing it for the first time.

Updated On: 1/4/06 at 03:04 PM

[badreligion]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:26pm

You are comparing "Making Love" to "Brokeback"? Making Love was an awful awful awful film and set back the gay movement light years. DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME WITH THIS GARBAGE!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:29pm

Wow, those two DO look alike. l'sigh... Heath.

[cheezedoodle]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 3:29pm

You have to admit that even though it was like watching a re-run of Dynasty it was a groundbreaker for it's time. No one had aproached the subject matter at all.

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 1/4/06 at 4:02pm

You two need to get a room! May/December:Making Love II.