Love! Showing all 1 items Jump to: Summaries (1) Summaries. Valour! This leads to the film's only (in my opinion) flaw...it's not the play. Who knew he could act? Mantello, who directed the play Off-Broadway and makes his film debut here, is more concerned with recording the performances than with visual innovation. The most successful film explorations of homosexuality so far have been about lesbians ("Passion Fish," "The Incredibly True Adventures Of Two Girls In Love"). is as old-fashioned as a 19th century three-act play. Of course, check. FAQ This film engages its audience not only through its loaded theatrical dialogue, where every line delivered is a subtle new insight into the character speaking it, but also because of the poignantly-treated themes designated by the title: Love! Did we overlook that a least one guy should be a for-hire boyfriend? Compassion!'' ." Refreshing given the fact that directors historically seem more willing to strip females naked but keep the fellas covered in bed sheets. premiered Off-Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club on October 11, 1994, running for 72 performances. Check. Valour! (1997) Plot. Not every movie has to be full of action and deep thinking to be good entertainment. - not about homosexuality, But about homosexuals! | Eight gay men spend Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day in a remote house near NYC. Also, it is another stereotypical view of gays, which is a disappointment. Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. A group of friends meets for a June weekend in a country house. I love this film!!! Like I said, mostly men would want to watch it. You don't have to be HIV+, a choreographer, a yuppie, a broadway queen, or even gay to see yourself in these characters. The singing of show tunes? Perhaps that's because women, as a gender, prefer to begin with a relationship and move on to sexuality, while men usually approach it the other way around. Valour! Like the equally detestable Jeffrey (1995), Love! The entire cast is good...even Jason Alexander. However, we allow ourselves a detachment when seeing it as a film that really doesn't mix with the story. That will not be the last of the mischief provoked by Ramon, although he is not a bad person, simply a young one more concerned with pleasure than commitment. The production transferred to Broadway to the Walter Kerr Theatre on February 14, 1995, and closed on September 17, 1995, after 248 performances and 28 previews. Well, this movie is really not about homosexuals (well maybe a little). . John has a new boyfriend along, named Ramon (Randy Becker), who is a darkly handsome hunk. Compassion! Directed by Joe Mantello. We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Although somewhat theatrical due to its origin as a stage play, Love! It's about the title of the movie - period. It also has its' share of full frontal male nudity. Please enter your email address and we will email you a new password. Compassion! In "Love! In content, too, the material is not original. It's almost impossible to play a dual role without falling into the "Parent Trap'' syndrome, in which the audience spends most of the movie trying to spot the secrets of the trick photography and camera angles, but Glover does it: Both of the Jeckyll brothers are so well acted that we believe in them as individuals, even when they have scenes together. . "Love! Plenty of mincing and prancing around? Valour! Film follows their friendships and relationships. This stage-bound "movie" tried to be too "Hollywood" in its sentimental and stereotypical treatment of a group of 8 gay men. The promiscuity? He allows himself small flashes of wit (one of the characters, packing his bag, throws in flannel shirts, Winstons and handcuffs). The best performances come from Alexander, Justin Kirk, John Glover and Randy Becker. Valour! The thing is, the piece is not primarily about the fact that the men are gay, or about how gay they are. In midsummer, they meet again. Love, Valour, Compassion is a tear-jerker. I saw this film when it "came out" in 1997 and as the credits rolled in the theater I wanted to crawl into a hole and pull the hole in after me. Valour! Valour! is a touching and perceptive film, about themes anyone can identify with: loneliness, jealousy, need, generosity. - Acting Edition (Acting Edition for Theater Productions). Terrence McNally brings his play to the silver screen. I would die to see the play. The fact that all of them are homosexual is simply a backdrop to everything else going on. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. I see what everyone is saying about not being able to get Seinfeld out of their heads, but I didn't have that problem. is a touching and perceptive film, about themes anyone can identify with: loneliness, jealousy, need, generosity. (1997) is an insult to its target audience, whom I presume were gay men and perhaps some enlightened heterosexuals. Compassion! Compassion! Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2018. Please try again. He also has one of the best lines of the movie. At summer's end, they meet a third time. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. Dialog is occasionally overly wordy and a bit contrived and most scenes play out in one place and from one angle. The production transferred to Broadway to the Walter Kerr Theatre on February 14, 1995, and closed on September 17, 1995, after 248 performances and 28 previews. Sign up here. Some are in relationships; some were. Sorry to take this personally... Often it is very tricky to adapt a play, especially one of a rather long length, to the screen and keep the story and characters intact. "I hope you appreciate the details,'' says the narrator, Gregory (Stephen Bogardus), taking us on a tour of his rambling Victorian lakeside home. He spoils the dynamic of the ensemble, not that the acting is wonderful anyway. Valour! I have to hold my end on this . The 1970 movie was the first frank big studio treatment of uncloseted gays, and much of the movie was preoccupied with how they "got'' to be gay, and how they felt about being gay, and how they "accepted'' their homosexuality, etc.--an encounter group with drinks served. (1997) Plot. Copyright © Fandango. Love! but a damned good one. John has spent a lifetime mired in resentment. Love! Valour! As a gay male, and ballet dancer myself, I cringe to think that people out there might see this vapid movie and think that my life in any way resembles it or any of it's pathetic inhabitants. Check. Valour! Compassion! And it's worth it. I've seen this movie maligned so much in these reviews, I have to chip in my two cents. Compassion! 5.0 out of 5 stars Love! Compassion!'' Jason Alexander, Saul Elkins, Stephen Spinella, Randy Becker, Stephen Bogardus, Previous page of related Sponsored Products. Valour! Maybe The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen was this bad. work, though its stage-like presentation leaves something to be desired. The characters are stock gay men, the kind that exist in other plays like THE BOYS IN THE BAND--only this time none of them are quite interesting enough to care about. Previous posters have complained about the lack of character development but remember...the original play ran 3 1/2 hours! This is a fine exhibition of love, lust, friendship, and life. Verified Purchase. I honestly haven't seen many films that bad in my life. Ramon of course is the equivalent of the loaded gun that, brought onstage in the first act, must eventually fire. This is perhaps the most inappropriately named movie ever! Rarely has the spirit of an award-winning play transferred to the screen so effortlessly. The theatre creates an intimacy that is perfect for the issues and performances in this piece. The use of the term "girlfriend" when referring to a gay man? IT IS A CHICK FLICK! It belongs on stage, or perhaps on HBO. Worth seeing...especially if you never saw the play. Top subscription boxes – right to your door, © 1996-2020, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Compassion! Excellent performances by John Glover, Jason Alexander and Steven Bogardus. the characters' sexuality is the air they breathe, the natures they were given; the point is not how they make love, but simply how they love, or fail to love. is a 1997 film directed by Joe Mantello and written by Terrence McNally, adapted from McNally's play of the same name. Valour! Other guests include Buzz (Jason Alexander), who has memorized countless Broadway musicals and quotes them compulsively, and Perry (Stephen Spinella) and Arthur (John Benjamin Hickey), who will celebrate their 14th anniversary this summer. In the first act the characters are introduced and their problems are established. Love, Valour, Compassion is a tear-jerker. Valour! What a giant pant load. The fact that it's basically the same team that produced this moving theater piece at New York's Manhattan Theater Club and later transferred to Broadway with basically the same cast, and with the same director, Joe Mantello, doesn't give the film viewer any idea of what "Love, Valor, Compassion" was so effective on the theater in comparison what one watches this version on the screen.