Search - Angels in America [Widescreen] on DVD

MPAA Rating: NR Content Advisory: Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Sexual Situations Movie Release: 2003 DVD Release: 09/14/2004 Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV - Closed Captioned Audio Tracks: English, French, Spanish Subtitles: English, Spanish SwapaDVD Credits: 2 Number of Discs: 2 Run Time: 5 hrs 52 mins Studio: HBO Home Video Members Wishing: 1 Genres: Drama, Fantasy, Gay & Lesbian Films, Ensemble Film

The epic HBO miniseries Angels in America is directed by Mike Nichols and written by the play's author, Tony Kushner. This six-part drama is adapted from the two full-length award-winning plays (Part I: The Millennium Approaches and Part II: Perestroika) originally performed on Broadway in 1993. Set in New York City during the mid-'80s, the story follows the interconnected lives of several people affected by the AIDS crisis, intense spiritual experiences, and the Reagan Administration. Newcomer Justin Kirk plays Prior Walter, a young man dying of AIDS. Things are made worse when he's abandoned by his lover, Jewish court clerk Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman). Then he's visited by an Angel (Emma Thompson), who keeps crashing through his roof and insisting that he's a prophet.
Meanwhile, conservative power monger Roy Cohn (Al Pacino) is also dying of AIDS, but he's in serious denial about it. While in the hospital, he's continually visited by the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg (Meryl Streep), a woman he had sent to the electric chair. Roy's protégé is Mormon lawyer Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson), who also tries to deny his own homosexuality. Joe's estranged wife Harper (Mary-Louise Parker) suffers from a Valium addiction and has an acute sensitivity to the world around her. Joe leaves her to start up a relationship with Louis, who works in his building. Jeffrey Wright reprises his stage role of the trusty friend and nurse Belize. Angels in America first aired in two parts on HBO during December of 2003. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide

Al Pacino - Roy Cohn
Meryl Streep - Hannah Pitt
Emma Thompson - The Angel
Mary-Louise Parker - Harper Pitt
Jeffrey Wright - Belize
Justin Kirk - Prior Walter
Patrick Wilson - Joe Pitt
Ben Shenkman - Louis Ironson

Mike Nichols' award-winning adaptation of Tony Kushner's Pulitzer Prize-winning play Angels in America arrives on DVD with an anamorphic transfer that preserves the original broadcast aspect ratio. English soundtracks are rendered in Dolby Digital 5.1, while English, French, and Spanish soundtracks have been recorded in Dolby Digital Stereo. English and Spanish subtitles are accessible. There are no supplemental materials of any consequence, but considering that the film is regarded as one of television's finest made-for-cable movies, this disc is a must-own for anyone who enjoys great writing and great acting. ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide