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126 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Time Heals Everything, July 31, 2008
I have been waiting for this film on DVD for years; apparently the people at the studio have no idea how important a piece of gay history this film really is.
There is no denying that Boys in the Band is controversial. Among gay men, it seems to provoke either fierce defense or intense outrage. Indeed, there seem to be just as many people who praise it for its honesty, humor and status as a ground-breaking film, as there are people who condemn it for its stereotypes and self-hating negative images. There seems to be no middle ground. Many people who know me well might be surprised to find that I am one of its defenders.
Although I was only 16 years old in 1970, I was already totally "out" as a gay person in most aspects of my life. As such, I had heard about this film (but couldn't get in to see it) almost as soon as it came out. But you can bet I acquired a copy of the play shortly thereafter, and what I found thrilled me. Yes, "thrilled" is the only way to describe my initial reaction to The Boys in the Band. I guess when you're used to being totally ignored, having your life acknowledged, even in a negative way, can be surprisingly positive.
First of all, BITB was the first mainstream Hollywood film whose main subject matter was homosexuality; that in itself was a giant step forward. In 1970, depictions of gay men in Hollywood movies were unheard of, unless we were presented as swishy stereotypes or evil predators. And yes, that's precisely what the controversy is about - back in 1970, as today, many gay men felt that Boys in the Band presented nothing more than a rehash of the same, tired stereotypes that Hollywood had been foisting on us for years. But I am not at all sure that I agree.
After a superficial look, you will find that The Boys in the Band contains several characters that do not fit the description of stereotypes or negative portrayals. In fact, if one overlooks the characters of Michael (self-hating, bitchy, self-destructive) and Emory (swishy, swishy, SWISHY) the characters in Boys in the Band are about as positive as one could expect for 1970. And for all his limp-wristed excess, the character of Emory is ultimately presented as forthright, honest and tough. For several years following the birth of gay liberation, a lot of gay men wanted to pretend that people like Emory didn't exist. Now we know - or should know, anyway, that some people (even some straight people) don't fit the mold of what society has come to expect from their born gender. Aren't we supposed to be enlightened enough to know that people have the right to be who they are? Yes, there are gay AND straight men who are every bit as effeminate as Emory. I have met quite a few of them in my day. So what?
As for the character of Michael, a lot of us seem to forget what it was like in those days. In the Pre-stonewall world of the 1960's when Boys in the Band was written, many gay men swallowed the heterosexual propaganda that gay people were mentally ill, unstable, and just plain weird. In fact, early homophile meetings were often consumed by debates on whether or not the psychiatric community was correct in labeling us as sick. It should therefore not be surprising that yes, some of the dialogue in Boys in the Band is certainly outdated; thank goodness gay men no longer waste time on endless analysis, absorbing psycho-babble about why we are "that way", and wasting even more time re-hashing and debating the same drivel with their friends in an efforts to justify our existence. But in 1970, we DID debate these things, and we DID think that way, because mainstream society spent so much time cramming us into closets and demonizing our very existence. But we had to start somewhere, and if nothing else, The Boys in the Band is a startling reminder of how far we've come. Up until the time the film was released (and to some extent, even today) much of the heterosexual world tried to convince us that we are deranged, child-molesting sociopaths, hell-bound and totally immoral. And guess what? Far too many of us listened to the lies, and a great many of us were damaged by it. These are the roots of internalized homophobia, and the characters in The Boys in the Band are, in a very real sense, accurate depictions of the results of decades (if not centuries) of society-sanctioned homophobia. At the time the play was written, there were a lot of gay men who did resemble the characters in it (I know; I was one of them). Rather than being embarrassed at the mess society wrought on some of our psyches, we should be proud that so many of us have been able to overcome decades of repression.
And the most important underlying theme in The Boys in the Band is frequently overlooked by its critics. Michael's closing speech in the play, "If only we could learn not to hate ourselves quite so much" is a powerful indictment and, dare I say, revolutionary rebuttal to the self-absorbed indifference that characterized much of the gay community prior to 1970. And the overall message (which I heard loud and clear in 1970) is that we (gay men) must realize that we are not the sickos that some portions of society wants us to think we are, and we must come to terms with exactly who we are without reservation before we can ever hope to make any progress.
In the end, I know this much - I saw the off-Broadway revival of the stage version of The Boys in the Band in 1996, and the audience was composed almost entirely of gay men. The laughter was loud and frequent, and the abundant applause made it clear that many in the modern gay audience recognized themselves or their friends among the characters presented, even if only as pieces of nostalgia. Self-hating? Yes, sometimes to a painful degree. But learning to love yourself in a world where so many people condemn your very existence is a life-long process, and Boys in the Band is nothing more or less than a reminder of where some of us came from, and how very far we've come.
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85 of 87 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
'I don't understand any of it... I never did' ... Michael, December 21, 1999
Mart Crowley's 'The Boys in the Band' is a minor masterpiece of American cinema that was also instrumental in thrusting gay life and issues into the American mainstream.Based upon the 1968 Off-Broadway play, this 1970 film adaption by William Friedkin retains all of the stage cast and most of the dialogue. The story is simple enough, Michael Connelly is throwing a party for his friend Harold when an old college roommate, who is presumably straight, arrives and throws the party into turmoil. Michael, who clearly has had a drinking problem, hits the bottle again as a result of the conflict. Kenneth Nelson gives a brilliant performance as Michael who is quickly unravelling with every drink and who begins to tear down his friends one by one. The party climaxes in a 'truth' game which proves oddly cathartic to everyone but Michael. Many issues have arisen over the years with 'The Boys in the Band'. Were these men mostly stereotypes? Is this work still relevant to gay life? What does it say about where we are in light of where we've been? Your answers to these questions may well depend on your age. For myself, when first viewing this as a 22 year old in 1987, I found it amusing but ultimately sad and upsetting. A dozen years later of being out in gay life, I have come to learn how masterful this work is and that while times have changed in many ways for the better, many of the issues that the 'boys' were dealing with back then are still being dealt with today. Issues of religious and societal intolerance and the attempt to forge a positive gay identity in an often hostile world are still very much with us today. I believe the reason 'The Boys in the Band' is so humorous is that the camp humor of that time was largely a coping mechanism of sorts. This is black humor at its best, showing us the brutal honesty of a situation while exposing the many absurdities in it at the same time. In the end Michael states 'I don't understand any of it, I never did.'... food for thought... Also: Pick up a copy of '3 Plays by Mart Crowley'. The story of Michael Connelly pre and post "Boys in the Band" is powerfully explored in these two additional plays. (Read the forward 1st!)
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59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A CLASSIC!!, March 2, 2005
WHERE IS THE DVD VERSION? This is such a wonderful classic gay movie that it upsets me "Wonderwoman" is out on DVD but this isn't! This is for those that like movies that have that "play" feeling. You get to know the characters and sympathize or relate to several of them. There is no need to go into the plot as the other reviewers have so eloquently done. No matter how old this is, the sentiments still ring true. The slutty guy, the "husband" material, the nelly one, the Catholic one..we all in the community know of guys like this. The sad part that still is pervasive however, that may explain why attitudes are the way they are for some in the community is the line, "if we just didn't hate ourselves so much". Which I think says it all for Michael and the rage he has inside. This movie is fun, deep, memorable, touching. A must! And if you want a lighter fun movie along the same time period in gay history, get "OUTRAGEOUS"!
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