I am writing this after having watched 'Angels in America' on HBO for perhaps the tenth or twelfth time since it was first aired earlier this year. Every time I watch it I see something new or understand a different aspect of the film than I did the last time. It is so rich with humor, pathos, deep thought, questioning, rage, understanding and generosity of spirit that it never ceases to take my breath away. I imagine I will still be watching it--frequently--years from now as a result of having the DVDs available to own. I would have bought them at any price, but to have them priced SO CHEAPLY by Amazon makes it impossible for me to imagine not owning them. I have been waiting since I first saw the film on HBO for the DVDs to be released.
I have always been a fan of Al Pacino and of Meryl Streep, but I don't think it's an exageration to say that nothing Pacino has ever done before prepares you for the intensity of his performance as Roy Cohn. It is beyond superb. I have to believe that every actor hopes to reach this level of performance one time in their lives, but very few are ever able to do so. I think it defines acting, as I have never been so moved by an evil character in my life. As for Meryl Streep, well, I have seen her in other roles which moved me profoundly, and I am never surprised that she astounds us with almost every performance. But her performances in this film are earth-shattering. Almost every actor in this film is astonishing. James Wright is so remarkable I cannot believe he is not better known outside the New York theater.
There is so much compassion in this film. Compassion for each and every one of the characters as well as for humanity in general, which means of course that Tony Kushner is not only a genius--but the heart and conscience of a generation. I am so impressed by this man's mind, his heart and his great loving soul that thinking about what kind of person he must be brings tears to my eyes.
The direction of this film gives me a level of respect for Mike Nichols that I never suspected. I have always enjoyed and admired his films, but this is so far beyond what I expect from him, that I want to go back and see all his other films again to know if I have been missing something, or if he has just surged with age to a place way beyond where he seemed to be.
There are problems both with the play and the production, as others have mentioned. These include places where things don't 'work' or just seem weaker than other parts. In a way they are more obvious because of the strength of the rest of the film. However, it seems worse than petty to dwell on these minor points or moments in a film of such quality. It's like dwelling on a mosquito bite on the body of a Goddess.
Which brings me to perhaps the most important aspect of this film. This country is so divided and hostile today that I find a work of art like 'Angels in America' has even more relevance than it did when it was written. It is exactly Kushner's compassionate view of both the worst of humanity and the best of humanity that distinguishes this work, along with his honest portrayal of flaws in the thinking and the behavior of both sides of the 'Great Divide'. [Being less compassionate than Kushner, only my most generous heart--and not any part of my mind--manages to include Roy Cohn in the 'human' category--and even then only because of Kushner's portrayal of him--before seeing this film I could think of Roy Cohn only as the devil himself]. This is not to misinterpret his politics and sympathies which are clearly liberal...but he chooses to humanize rather than demonize those with opposing views. And he has very sympathetic characters point out the flaws in the liberal 'mythology'. The piece has liberal politics but it is not a liberal tract by any means.
Kushner examines the aspects of his characters and of Americans in general, that unite them in their humanity. He also illustrates those aspects which demean and divide them--greed, fear, vindictiveness, hypocrisy, arrogance and self-absorption all make their appearance. Yet rather than demonize the characters, these weaknesses serve to show their shared complexity, their shared humanity. In his compassion, Kushner forgives even his most evil characters, and is hopeful even in despair. He portrays the complexity of human nature rather than playing to win his arguments by appealing to ignorance through simplifying the issues in question.
For those reviewers who say they did not understand this film, I find it hard to believe they really watched it. My husband's favorite movie is "Dumb and Dumber" and he watches inane reruns of situation comedies that were moronic the first time around. Yet he was the one who saw 'Angels in America' first and taped it for me and insisted nightly when I returned from a business trip that I stay up and watch this movie instead of doing what I would normally do on a 'work night' [which is NOT watch TV]. He then recommended it to all of our neighbors and friends and loaned his precious video to people who didn't have HBO. Usually VERY quiet, I saw him ask each person who returned the film what they thought about it. Since he is a deeply SECULAR man, I've never seen him proselytize for a movie before.
People say this is a film about AIDs and about homosexuality, and on some level it is that. But much more it is about love, compassion, tolerance and AMERICA. It is so much about the miracle of AMERICA in its theory, its myths, and its beautiful and awful reality. It is also a love song to New York, (a description usually used to refer to Woody Allen movies) but to the spiritual rather than the physical New York.
Lastly, 'Angels in America' is about faith and religion, and how one's faith and/or religious beliefs can enoble or limit the scope of one's life. It is about the spiritual vs. the religious and the places where these worlds come together, and how they also exist apart. It is a truly great film.
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Customer reviews
I loved this mini series when it first came out. It is loving, edgy, and funny. I wish I would have bought it years ago. I highly recommend it.
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L'Apocalisse prossima ventura.
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on January 15, 2020Amazon Kunde
Angels in America - ( Thema: HIV-AIDS eine Krankheit die sehr oft tödlich zu Ende geht)
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on August 10, 2019
Angels in America - ( Thema: HIV-AIDS eine Krankheit die sehr oft tödlich zu Ende geht)
Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on August 10, 2019
Missfallen hat mir gar nichts! Habe diesen Film vor vielen Jahren im TV gesehen und war zutiefst berührt.Reviewed in Germany 🇩🇪 on August 10, 2019
Damals konnte ich diesen Film nur auf die gute alte Videokassette aufnehmen, nach Recherchen im Internet
bin ich hier bei Amazon auf die DVD gestoßen, da habe ich direkt zugeschlagen.
Danke Amazon, kann diese DVD mit der höchsten Punktzahl empfehlen!
Natürlich nur denjenigen die sich für dieses Thema interessieren < AIDS >
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Un viaggio onirico, una serie imperdibile
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on October 20, 2020Amazzone
è triste ma bello e anche allegro e lirico
Reviewed in Italy 🇮🇹 on November 15, 2013
