Angels in America...- Page 3
Angels in America...
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: re: Angels in America...#50
Posted: 12/14/03 at 10:17pmmy only comments on this series is...the acting is incredible. I wonder how they all prepared for these strong roles. It's amazing to see Patrick Wilson on a whole new level.
re: re: re: Angels in America...#51
Posted: 12/14/03 at 10:24pm
Ditto! Meryl Streep is one of my all-time favorite actresses.
I believe in angels...
"I broke the boundaries. It wasn't cool to be in plays- especially if you were in sports & I was in both." - Ashton Kutcher
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#52
Posted: 12/14/03 at 10:33pmwow, we do have something in common hehe... i love meryl streep so much. She is brilliant and can do anything with whatever she is given.
re: re: Angels in America...#53
Posted: 12/14/03 at 11:08pmjust got done watching the second half. What an amazing piece of work. Whew...wow. something like that inspires...wow. I must admit Justin Kirk was phenomonal. What a performance. Meryl was perfection...no surprise there. I particularly enjoyed her performance of Ethel. I just thoroughly enjoyed the whole thing.
Broadway Star Joined: 10/26/03
re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#54
Posted: 12/14/03 at 11:11pm
I found Part 2 to resemble an afternoon on Christmas Day. The anticipation and excitement toned down after the surprise is revealed. Some of it, I found distasteful. Other parts, I found very moving. I can see why the reviewers liked "Millenium Approaches" over it. The Epilogue was very good except I would have liked to see what happened to Joe and Harper. The whole idea of Heaven, "stop moving", and sexual Messenger was very disturbing. I find humor in giving Heaven, God, and the Messenger very human qualities but I also find it to be "different". I don't want to say tacky because it's only a new idea I've never come across. We're brought up to believe God loves us and wants what's best for us, but what if he really abandoned us? I've come out of AIA with the message to simply live and embrace the pain and suffering.
I don't understand the point in having Hannah and the Angel kiss. Could someone please explain? And alongside that, why do the Angel and Prior have sex again?
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#55
Posted: 12/14/03 at 11:51pm
But when all is said and done, after all the protracted angelic business, most of which does not work at all and is downright embarassing at times, Prior's realization boils down to "I want to live." Well, It's a Wonderful Life (An infuence on Angels? Don't forget Clarence.) gets to the same conclusion in half the time in a much more moving, compelling and universal way.
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#56
Posted: 12/15/03 at 8:17am
Uh-HUH.
ANYWAY, I thought Perestroika was an even stronger film than Millennium.
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#57
Posted: 12/15/03 at 8:17amIf "I want to live" is the only message you pulled from Angels in America you must have been sleeping through it.
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#58
Posted: 12/15/03 at 9:51amConcerning Prior, the message was not "I want to live", but "I can live". Remember, it was the dawn of AIDS and knowledge of the disease was in short supply. Prior never tried to kill himself or even wished to die. He simply thought there was no other choice because, at the time, death was the only option.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#59
Posted: 12/15/03 at 10:16am
OK...so...I really liked it an all.
BUT I COULDN'T STAND BEN SHENKMAN!!! AT ALL. HE DROVE ME NUTS.
Louis is my favorite role in the piece because of his complexity. He does callous, cruel things, but he shouldn't be played as a callous, cruel person. It makes me say 'So f*cking what' about the character!
I missed Mantello and Futterman...both of whom moved me and made me laugh and generally made me connect with myself...both the good and the bad.
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#60
Posted: 12/15/03 at 11:52am
I too loved Mantello and Futterman. Having said that, I think Shenkman nailed the "have you no decency?" speech. Nailed it.
Matt, Angels takes place five years into the epidemic. There was copious knowledge of the disease in the gay community.
Broadway Legend Joined: 10/13/03
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#61
Posted: 12/15/03 at 12:10pm
Yes, Shenkman delivered big when he had to, so even though earlier a lot of Robbie's POV was mine, I was moved by him, ultimately. The beach scene with Wilson was wonderful.
I remain a big fan of the play as a whole, and Perestroika worked far better on film than in the theater. And what I debated here a month ago -- Kushner abandoning Joe in the denouement -- I didn't feel at all, curiously. The final cross between Wilson/Streep on the NY street was satisfying. I do still feel the 2nd Angel visit, and some of the celestial, Shavian discourse detracts from Perestroika's strongest, character-driven moments, which make indelible impressions (the Cohn/Belize material -- which is some of the finest writing in the theater ever; Harper's and Hannah's individual catharses,as both women emerges as a heartbreaking characters we care deeply about.)
Perhaps it's inevitable that in a 6-7 hour story, we all have subjective spates of impatience. The people we are most interested in we want to get to, and quickly. That varies from viewer to viewer. Me, I can't shake the Cohn death sequence from my head this a.m., and will never forget how I was freshly surprised by the turns in the scene, even knowing the outcome. (I knew what was up Roy's sleeve, but when he says "mama?" to Ethel, my heart was still in my throat. This is a Shakespearean character!)
To my surprise, the moment that made me weep last night was after Wright's Belize brought in Louis for the Kadish, and then took the politically-acquired AZT from Roy's mini-bar in his room. It's a moment of expediency, quiet, personal defiance to help drug-less Prior -- call it pragmatic revolution -- that says as much about the 80s as anything.
Angels in America...#62
Posted: 12/15/03 at 3:08pmI also enjoyed part II even more than part I. The one scence I keep thinking about today is the scene between Parker and Joe on the Brooklyn rooftop. The sight of the Twin Towers in the distance was the most effective use of special effects in the movie. Such an ominous and haunting scene...
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
re: Angels in America...#63
Posted: 12/15/03 at 3:46pm
Here goes...
I actually was disappointed with part two for one simple reason: the relationship between Harper and Prior that existed in the play is no longer a part of the story. Their scenes (in the diorama and in heaven) were absolutely beautiful and connected these two sick, desperate people so intensely. Losing Harper's 'I finally figured out the secret to all that Mormon energy' speech not only is one of Kushner's best pieces of writing, but also sets up her leaving Joe as taking control, for once, of her existence.
I also missed a lot of the humor from the play.
re: re: Angels in America...#64
Posted: 12/15/03 at 10:06pm
Overall, I found the production to be admirable. I was saddened about some of the cuts, like the scene in the diarama, but found much of the rest of the production to be beautifully played and produced.
It was interesting be able to understand what the angel was saying. On Broadway Ellen McLaughlin was, at the performances I saw, completely unintelligible. I'm not sure I quite understand all of the business with the angels, and the stuff about God's gone away was interesting but left me rather cold. I was much more taken with the earthbound scenes.
I'm still reeling from the comment about how It's A Wonderful Life does it all in less than half the time. Easily the silliest comment I've yet read about the show.
re: re: re: Angels in America...#65
Posted: 12/15/03 at 11:14pmFrom easily the silliest (and not in a good way) member of these boards! And that's saying something.
re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#66
Posted: 12/15/03 at 11:15pm
i wonder what the ratings will be like... 
PED
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in America...#67
Posted: 12/16/03 at 7:04pmHere's a stupid question that I hope someone can answer. I missed part 2 this past Sunday. I checked the listings and saw that it was being repaeted tonight. It's only listed as being an hour long. Is part 2 being aired in one hour segments?
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in A#68
Posted: 12/16/03 at 7:17pm
orion59 - Yes. It is being broken into 3 1-hour chapters
Namo - 5 years into the epidemic AIDS was still synonymous with death. Prior had an abundance of knowledge because he was stricken with the disease himself and did his homework, but the knowledge he had of the disease and of AZT was not common. Researchers will still trying to find a way just to slow it down and as shown in the film, only the elite were able to acquire AZT at all.
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in A#69
Posted: 12/16/03 at 8:34pm
orion- hbo is also expected to air AIA in one six-hour marathon
Parts I & II:
HBO Signature will play the entire six chapters in order January 3, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
also, each individual chapter is being repeated on HBO:
Hour 1 - Dec. 22 (11PM/10C)
Hour 2 - Dec. 22 (12:10AM)
Hour 3 - Dec. 23 (11PM/10C)
Hour 4 - Dec. 15 (8PM/7C), Dec. 18 (10PM/9C) and Dec. 29 (11PM/10C)
Hour 5 - Dec. 16 (8PM/9C), Dec. 19 (10PM/9C) and Dec. 29 (midnight)
Hour 6 - Dec. 17 (8PM/7C), Dec. 20 (10PM/9C) and Dec. 30 (11PM/10C)
PED
re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in A#70
Posted: 12/17/03 at 12:42amIf you have digital cable and you're an HBO subscriber, get this. You can watch either part whenever you want by using the On Demand feature. And there is no extra charge. I didn't even know I had this until I accidentally turned off my vcr while recording the last full broadcast of Millennium and botched everything up. It's a miracle, and for once, I understand why I pay so much for digital cable.
re: re: re: Angels in A#71
Posted: 12/17/03 at 1:04pm
Thanks for the info guys.
I always forget to use my In Demand feature
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
re: re: re: re: Angels in A#72
Posted: 12/19/03 at 2:53am
MisterMatt, if Prior's line before the council is a realization that he no longer wants to die because he has "more options" (medicinally?), than this so-called VIP (Very Important Play) is no better than a problem drama worthy of the HALLMARK network. If the wrestling-with-the-angel scenes and the prophecy business are to have a point at all and a greater resonance, it would necessitate Prior, back from his hero's journey, relaying the universal message that suffering is man's inevitable burden and that we must joyfully embrace the sorrows of the world (like the first tenet of Buddhism and that of most mythologies and world religions, BillFinn), perfectly captured in the profound It's-A-Wonderful-Life affirmation of life: "I want to live (despite the pain of it all)." And since the council scene is the structural, if unconvincing, emotional climax of the play and our hero's struggles, exactly WHAT is more profound that THAT sentiment, EricJ? This I would buy because this is what would make AIA universal and meaningful. But, unfortunately, the angel-wrestling scenes (which potentially should have gone a long way in dramatizing this theme) are nothing but thoroughly confused, confusing, and poorly-written, inscrutable gobbledygook. If these scenes are projections of Prior's personal struggle and (arguably) fantasies of his fevered brain, than why drag Hannah into it in the final encounter (as you rightly questioned, BillFinn) except to get in some cheap, stupid, and throughly unnecessary girl-on-girl action? It didn't work on stage or the film, makes little sense and totally vitiates whatever point Kushner is trying to make.
I've now seen the play twice, read it once and seen the movie. Nothing has dissuaded me from my original opinion that it is essentially an ambitious, but ultimately unsatifying play that does not persuade, does not fulfill its premise and settles for a poorly dramatized resolution to it conflict. It was lionized for its liberal and simplistic cheap shots (I mean, Roy Cohn and Ronald Reagan, for Christ's sake!) and its politically correct, gay-friendly agenda. None of the characters can compare to fully-realized creations such as Blanche DuBois and Willy Loman and the play is already dated in its sexual politics. As I wrote elsewhere, queer politics have been replaced by the far more urgent and global ideologies of Islamic fundamentalism and terrorism.
Finally, to comment on an earlier poster who wrote that "everyone" (apparently not subscribers to HBO) is talking about AIA, remember this---people talked about the Emperor's New Clothes as well.
'Nuff said.
Updated On: 12/19/03 at 02:53 AM
re: re: re: re: re: Angels in A#73
Posted: 12/19/03 at 9:22am
Nuff said....says who?
Doesn't Prior communicate the message pretty clearly at the end of the film? Doesn't him coming back and choosing life communicate the message? And you're focusing on Prior, as if he were the only character in the film. What about the lessons learned from the other characters in the film?
The "It's a Wondeful Life" comparison is really quite embarassing for you.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/20/03
re: re: re: re: re: re: Angels in A#74
Posted: 12/19/03 at 10:21am
MusicMan,
I have gone on the record with my disappointment with the film version of Perestroika...namely because of cuts in the text of the play.
One cut is the monologue Prior has in heaven. It states EXACTLY what you're talking about...in no uncertain terms. I used to have this piece of writing memorized...alas no longer. After speaking about the habit of living, he recognizes that 'we live past hope...it's so much not enough, but bless me anyway.'
This is not Bedford Falls and this is not Susan Hayward being sent to the gas chamber.
It speaks clearly to what you're saying. I'm not sure what you're missing.
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