Milestone gay film "The Boys in the Band" to be released on DVD November 11

I'm really glad this is finally being released. I watched this in an LGBT studies class and it was really interesting because my professor in his late 40s basically presented it as this horrifying portrayal of gays as monsters. But my friends and I simply saw it as a brutally honest film about being gay in the 70s. The characters seemed so real and diverse. We could even identify with the cattiness and self-loathing parts to a degree, but saw how enhanced they were back then. I'll even admit that some nights with my friends in college have devolved into some brutal mind games similar to what happens in the film.

I think my professor saw this film as a very young gay man and it scared the crap out of him, so much so that he couldn't see the film from the point of view of my generation. This is def a must-see though for anyone interested in gay cinema. Even today it holds up as one of the better gay films (as far as acting, writing, story, realism) in my opinion.

Yes, it makes you squirm -- most of these characters take "extreme self-loathing" to a new level.  But, even now as many closet-cases, ex-gays, and Senators can attest, extreme self-loathing has not gone away!  And there is a positive couple depicted, though not major charactors.  

But -- F&CK, IT'S FUNNY!  The movie is slower than the play, but the script is spectacularly well-written.  The sheer bitchery of the whip-smart lines will keep anyone in stitches.  

One line we still use in our house, having seen it maybe 10 years ago in a rep theatre, to any lisping guy trying to "pass" as straight -- "How many s's are there in Chrissstmass?" A must-see.

There were 2 movies that I saw in 1970 when I was 18 that really helped me come out.  One was "The Boys in the Band"...I remember going into Boston with a straight friend to see this film.  I loved it. He was a bit uncomfortable.  I have seen it a couple of times again when it was played at a theatre in Harvard Square that shows classic films.  It always draws a large audience, both gay and straight.  It's really an iconic film of that era.

The other film was "Women in Love". 

The film upset many gay men who saw it and grew up in that era because they worried that this is what it meant to be gay.  That to be gay meant being self-loathing, to be mean and bitchy, to live a double life, and wish for death.  I think that for many gay men who saw this film as a high school or college student in 1970, it may have reinforced the prejudices and stereotypes of the general society.

Young gay men (who came of age in the 1980s+) can probably look at the film more objectively and put it into a broader historical context of 'history of gays in film'.  I have only seen little clips of it and the work by gay film historian V.R. Frankly, at least "Victim" (1961) was willing to support the repeal of the anti-gay criminal laws along with the dated stereotypes. 

Yet, that film (Victim) was a remake of a 1919 German film "Different from the Others".  They probably did not know it at the time, as few people were aware in 1961 of the early German gay rights movement, but the storyline and political message is very similar. 

Is this film ever going to come out on DVD? It is probably one of the first 'gay rights' themed films around.  I had heard that a copy had once been found somewhere in then Eastern Europe and was being restored.  Does anyone know about it?

 

http://www.geocities.com/edwardtjbrown

Future epitaph: "It seemed like a good idea at the time."

For the time and place, "Boys" is an accurate depiction of many gay men's lives, and the demons with which they wrestle.  One can argue that the film is too cynical and brutal, and the setup melodramatic and manipulative, but the emotions and the characters are very real.   And the acting is stellar.

In Vito Russo's book "The Celluloid Closet," he had a picture of Hank and Larry (Larry?) snuggling together in Michael's room after they disappear from the movie, so at least a couple characters come to a hard-earned happy ending.  And I like the way the men support each other at the end, guiding each other home.  Michael goes to church, but I don't think any of the other characters are left alone--they all have a friend, a lover, or a trick for the night.  Compared to the truly gloomy & despairing "Some Of My Best Friends Are..." "Boys" plays rough but fair.

When the play was first performed back in 1968 it took off like a rocket, for it was dealing with gay men's lives with a considerable degree of honesty and as Pauline Kael said allowed "the actors to behave onstage they way they did off."

Back in the pre-Stonewall day (just think, Sonewall was only a year away in 1969!) you discovered you were gay, took off for the big city and -- if you were lucky -- got in with a crowd of other gay men for protection. And face it -- many of us still do.

 The Boys in the Band is a depiction of such a "gay family" -- one that Mart Crowley (a very dear man) knew quite well. Interestingly for straights in '68 the character of Michael (Kenneth Nelson) -- the only true self-loather of the bunch -- was the lead. They didn't know what to do with Harold (the great Leonard Frey). Years ago at a leather bar next to The Eagle under the West Side highway ( I think it was called The Spike, but what what leather bar isn't?) they had films on Sundays. I saw Hello Dolly there. And one Sunday they showed The Boys in the Band. it was a totally different film with a  gay audience. Harold -- not Michael -- was the hero. When you get the DVD (and you should) be sure to invite a bunch of friends over to watch it with you.

 

Then report back here as to what they said.

 

Extra Gay Jeopardy Bonus Points: The film was produced by Dominick Dunne. He was an old friend of Mart's AND the inspiration for one of the major characters in the play.

 Guess which one.

It should be locked in a time capsule, yes, and then the time capsule should be blown up.  It's a loathesome, disgusting film about self-hating stereotypes.  There is nothing whatever redeeming about it in my opinion.  Blech.  Not even a special edition double-DVD release of NORMAN, IS THAT YOU? would be worse.

"Boys in the Band" was a film I wanted to see for a long time; I'd read various articles about it and understood its importance to gay cinematic history.

But, here's an admission: when I finally saw the film, it bored me to tears.  Not because of the subject matter; I really tried to engage with the issues other posters have addressed very well in their messages on this thread.  But to me, any controversy or issues about gay men in the 70s was overwhelmed by one glaring problem: this, like pretty much every other film William Freidkin has ever made, is a lousy movie.  The performances aren't bad (in some cases), but the pacing (again, like pretty much every other Freidkin film) is deadly; the imagery and cinematography are unmemorable, and what sounds like good ideas on paper come off as really flat to me when I actually see it on screen.

I've had the exact same experiences with Freidkin films like The Exorcist and The French Connection which I know a lot of people love.  I went to see The Exorcist thinking from what I'd heard about it that it would be scary and memorable, but, man, it was all I could do to keep my eyes from drooping the whole time; that movie is sloooooooow,  even for subtle "psychological" horror, which I usually like. Same goes for The French Connection-- maybe I just don't get it (and I'm a huge Gene Hackman fan), but this movie seemed as bland as bathtub calk.

Frankly, Cruising is about the only Freidkin film I've seen with any real pulse, and that's only because of its risibility; if you take away that film's boneheaded controversy, you'd just have a disjointed mess of a detective yarn. Checking out Freidkin's bio on IMDB, I notice in the last decade or so, he's been gravitating more toward directing t.v. movies and episodic detective procedural shows.  That seems about right to me, for his talents.

"The Boys in the Band" definitely has its place as an interesting historic artifact.  I just wish it was a better movie, helmed by a better director that the ham-handed and over-rated William Freidkin. I definitely recommend that everybody see it.  But buy it? Probably not, unless you're a hardcore scholar of GLBT history. 

but the same can be said for most of the works of O'Neill and all the Jacobean dramatists, and Jonson and Marlowe (save Dr. Faustus) and and and.

Most people -- even savvy theatre-goers -- have a tendancy to elevate those dramatic works that FEEL like they have significant contemporary resonance. (I emphasize FEEL because although Shakespeare is considered eternally significant, the plays have loads in them that producers cut, alter, or gloss over because it simply doesn't not jive with contemporary views on personality, power, sexuality, relationships, gender, and so on.)

But theatrical "museum pieces" -- those plays that feel extremely bound to a historical moment -- deserve rediscovery and re-introduction to subsequent generations.

And I don't know that I'm ready to label BITB as a museum piece just yet considering that I had dinner with a modern-day Michael just two weekends ago and was shocked and saddened by his brutal honesty that (to me anyway) felt like it came from a place of self-loathing rather than a love of unvarnished truth.

I am very glad to hear that BITB is finally being released on DVD -- with some very intriguing extras, to boot. I needed to watch the film for an online theatre course I took in 2005 and I could not find a copy of the VHS tape anywhere in my town of 400,000. I eventually requested a dusty, worn copy via interlibrary loan -- which is harder than I've worked to get hold any piece of media in this age of online content and NetFlix.

I think BITB is a totally watchable movie. Shockingly dated at a few points, disgustingly mean-spirited in others. But I also found it surprisingly funny and insightful. And as other posters have noted, two characters do come to a sort of agreement to make their relationship an honest, loving, long-term commitment. Not too shabby for 1968 -- or today!

If you're uncomfortable with BITB -- or any bit of media really -- I believe it's worth pondering WHY you're uncomfortable. You don't have to love something or even agree with it to get something out of the experience...   

Especially the first half--before the straight world invades.  I think before Alan arrives and Michael starts drinking it's really funny and shows a wonderful camaraderie among the quite diverse group of gay men.  It's only when Alan--the straight world, Michael's past shows up and ignites his self loathing, causing him to fall off the wagon that things get bad.  I think it's as much about addiction as homosexuality.

I also think that the reason it was so controversial is that it was the only representation out there and the characters weren't perfect.

As to the supposed dated quality of the film and play, I think it still remains pretty true to certain quarters of gay society (or just society in general).  I've been to some gay parties in Laguna that could have been put right up on stage as a revival of "Boys" and to some straight dinner parties that were pretty much the same--or like "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolfe".

Obviously we've overcome gay self-loathing. Just look at all those Out and Proud gay Republicans.

And that' snot to mention all those ever-so-helpful Democrats, like Barack Obama -- ready to throw us under the bus at the first sign of a "Focus Group."

Yes this is all such a relic of a bygone era -- tha tbygone era known as today.

And yes, "Alan" is Dominick Dunne. 

I'm happy to say that my review of "The Boys in the Band" has been the main review on Amazon.com for the past 9 years. Here it is again:

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. Yet, a dozen years later of being out in gay life, I have come to learn how masterful this work really is. 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!)

> I would now add that the sequel to "The Boys in the Band" - entitled "The Men From the Boys" is now in print and is coupled with the original play. It is set once again in Michael's apartment after Larry's death and it explores the relationships between the older and younger generations of gay men briliantly.

 

Chris

 

Theatre buffs will love this incredible package!

Bid now for a once in a lifetime opportunity to enjoy lunch with Mart Crowley, writer of Boys in the Band, as well as receive fabulous memorabilia including an official program, photograph, autographed paperback copy of the play, and an autographed photo of the original cast!

Newly added: You will also receive a 40th Anniversary DVD of BOYS IN THE BAND signed by Mart Crowly!

Mart Crowley wrote the screenplay for the show, which began off-broadway before eventually becoming a feature film in 1970.

The Boys in the Band was considered groundbreaking for its frank and honest portrayal of gay men.  The play’s challenging and enduring themes served as an inspiration to many future gay playwrights.

The ensemble cast, all of whom also played the roles in the play's initial stage run in New York City, includes Kenneth Nelson as Michael, Peter White as Alan, Leonard Frey as Harold, Cliff Gorman as Emory, Frederick Combs as Donald, Laurence Luckinbill as Hank, Keith Prentice as Larry, Robert La Tourneaux as Cowboy, and Reuben Greene as Bernard.

The film is set in an Upper East Side apartment in New York City in the late 1960s. Michael, a lapsed Roman Catholic and recovering alcoholic, is preparing to host a birthday party for his friend Harold. His other friend Donald, a self-described underachiever who has moved from the city, arrives and helps Michael prepare. Alan, an old and presumably straight college chum of Michael's, calls with an urgent need to see Michael. Michael reluctantly agrees and invites him to his home.

Among Harold's presents is "Cowboy", since Harold may have trouble finding a cute young man on his own now that he's getting older. As the party progresses the self-deprecating humor of the group takes a nasty turn as the men become drunker. Climaxed by a cruel telephone "game" where each man must call someone and tell him (or her?) of his love for them.

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