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Torch Song Trilogy
Torch Song Trilogy
Actors: Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein, Brian Kerwin, Karen Young
Director: Paul Bogart
Genres: Comedy, Drama
R     2004     2hr 0min

An on-screen adaptation of the Tony- award-winning play about a Jewish homosexual who, except for a different sexual preference, goes through the same struggles of love, jealousy and self-doubt that affect us all.

     

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Movie Details

Actors: Anne Bancroft, Matthew Broderick, Harvey Fierstein, Brian Kerwin, Karen Young
Director: Paul Bogart
Creators: Harvey Fierstein, Mikael Salomon, Nicholas C. Smith, Howard Gottfried, Marie Cantin, Ronald K. Fierstein
Genres: Comedy, Drama
Sub-Genres: Romantic Comedies, Gay & Lesbian, Love & Romance
Studio: New Line Home Video
Format: DVD - Color - Closed-captioned
DVD Release Date: 05/04/2004
Original Release Date: 12/14/1988
Theatrical Release Date: 12/14/1988
Release Year: 2004
Run Time: 2hr 0min
Screens: Color
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 10
MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Languages: English, Hebrew

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Movie Reviews

Outstanding movie!
The Godfather | Urbana, IL USA | 03/01/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an classic. It will make you laugh, cry, get angry, and, if you have any compassion whatsoever, it will touch your heart. I am straight. I say that only in the hope that other straight men will give this movie a chance. Certainly the homophobes of the world would not consider watching this excellent film and that's their loss. The cast does a wonderful job. Harvey Fierstein is fantastic. His character is rich and deep and that's due in no small part to the fact that Harvey is rich and deep. Anne Bancroft does a great job as the mother trying to understand and cope. Matthew Broderick and Brian Kerwin play their roles with a great subtlety. It would have been easy to camp it up as stereotypical gays but they gave their characters more class and style. Certainly influenced by Harvey.Take an evening. Sit quietly. Eliminate distractions. Focus on the film. And enjoy. It would surprise me if you didn't agree that this is a superb movie."
Welcome to DVD Arnold. I've been waiting for you.
I. Henzel | Chicago, IL United States | 05/13/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was delighted to find that at long last, "Torch Song Trilogy" was finally on DVD. If you are not familiar with this film, it is a must see. A delightful, funny, gentle and moving film. For those not familiar, to put it in the context of time, it was one of the first movies with a positive image of gay characters.I go way back with Torch Song. In the 1970's I saw, "International Stud" in the Village (I believe it was a theatre on Bleecker St.) I also remember seeing it as an entire triology off off Broadway when it was presented by the Glines (I seem to remember that the ticket cost $5 with a coupon, or was it 2-for $10 with coupon?)Harvey Fierstien is to be applauded. We take for granted the more positive image we see of gays today (although apparently, we have progressed from the film images of where we kill ourselves, to the television images of where we are only acceptable if we are making straight people happy and so that they can marry each other, while we ourselves are not allowed to get married).Torch Song represents hope, love, and pride.A big plus on the DVD is the not to be missed commentary by Harvey. Thank you Harvey for writing this. Thank you for being a pioneer. Gez ... where is this review going? Somewhere in the background a drag queen is beginning to sing the "Battle Hymn of the Republic!""
Excellent makeover of the play into a movie!
Kerwin L. Schaefer | 08/02/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is an offbeat story of a gay female impersonator in his seach for love and a committed relationship. Primarily psychological drama with excellent insights and incisive dialog. Anne Bancroft is great as the Jewish mother, and Harvey Fierstein, who wrote the original play, brings so much angst and personality to his portrayal of the main character that I just couldn't help wishing I knew someone like that in real life. Highly recommended if you want to know more about a lifestyle most people have never seen."
You Don't Have To Be Gay To Love TORCH SONG TRILOGY
Gary F. Taylor | Biloxi, MS USA | 01/26/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)

"You don't have to be gay to love this surprising and unpretentious little movie, which should appeal to the hidden sense of "outsider" in most viewers. The story of an overweight, overly emotional, gravel-voiced and very unglamorous drag queen who seeks true love in a society that prizes appearance over values, TORCH SONG TRILOGY is a hilarious and often poignantly touching film with a break-out performance by Harvey Fierstein, who adapts his Tony-award winning stage script and performance for the screen with considerable aplomb.In addition to Fierstein's brilliantly honest script and self-depreciating performance, the film also offers knock-out performances by Anne Bancroft as Fierstein's Jewish-Mother-From-Hell and Matthew Broderick as his much younger and somewhat unlikely lover; although not in the same league with these three, supporting players Brian Kerwin strikes the right note as Fierstein's tepidly bisexual ex-lover and Karen Young is quite good as Kerwin's understandably neurotic wife. Although the film script does depart from the stage script, it remains faithful in spirit, and the film as a whole is reasonably--although not outstandingly--served by director Paul Bogart.The film abounds with quotable lines ("I'm the pretty one") that will keep you laughing, but although it concludes on a "hope for the future" note TORCH SONG TRILOGY is not all grins and giggles by a long shot: the dramatic underpinnings are deadly serious, and at least one or two scenes will leave most viewers as shocked, angered, and heart-broken as the characters it so vividly displays. While the film isn't BOYS IN THE BAND, I think it is the only gay-themed film to date that actually approaches the artistic and emotional impact of BOYS IN THE BAND; more over, most viewers will probably find it more accessible, and many will be surprised to by a realization of much TORCH has influenced cinema's portrayal of gay characters from the 1980s right up to the present. It deserves considerably more praise and attention than it has received. Strongly recommended."