 List Price: $29.98 
Amazon.com essential video: A sensitive yet humorous adaptation of the stage play, this 1970 film directed by William Friedkin (The French Connection, The Exorcist) is one of the first films to openly address gay issues in a matter-of-fact style that largely avoids stereotyping. Shot on one set and featuring a birthday party as the festive setting, a group of friends assemble to celebrate, reminisce, and discuss their lives and the travails of being gay, even as one friend insists he's straight. The night turns from a light celebration to a sometimes-vindictive ordeal of revelation and betrayal, as each man in turn must confess his true feelings. Performed by the original cast of the stage production, the film may feel dated to some, but it still manages to be truthful and entertaining as it explores a subject that to this day is not often addressed. --Robert Lane Customer Reviews: Rating: 
Date: 2008-05-16
Unfortunately, still true
I love this movie. It's right on, sad but true. I totally disagree with those who say this gives gay men a bad name. SOME of it is true, but more important, one has to realize that society played a MAJOR role in creating the hatred they/we feel for ourselves/themselves. Also, the acting is so incredible. For those who don't know, Cliff Gorman is actually straight. If you look closely, you'll see his remarkable performace when he's telling about his first crush on another man. His eyes go out of focus and you can see one solitary tear coming down his left eye. The rest of the cast is stellar and there aren't any holes in the plot.
What is sad is that most of the cast are now dead (AIDS) and that unfortunately, this movie doesn't "date" as much as you'd think it might. While things have certainly calmed down in some circles, the cruelty still happens.
The most interesting aspect of the movie deals with the straight man who comes to the party and his comment, "But you're married" to one of the "gay" men. It's amazing how often you'll still hear this today. This movie is, what, forty years old? Or at least the play is, and things STILL haven't changed that much.
There are so many great lines from this movie that it's impossible to quote a single one. Put simply one heck of a movie. Rating:
Date: 2008-04-23
Whoever Said Gay Means Happy?
Synopsis: A gay gathering at a birthday party turns into a sobering and insightful psychotherapy session when the guests dare to put aside persona and pretense to share the pivotal events of their past when they came to the realization that they were "different" from other people.
Critique: `Boys in the Band' from '70 was definitely a bold and daring film way ahead of its time. The thought of a movie examining the homosexual psyche in '70 was absolutely unheard of. The American public had enough of a problem just contemplating the thought of a gay lifestyle, let alone deal with a storyline that not only examined the prejudice found in the public-at-large but presented the viewer with a glimpse of the homosexual that showed us that at the end of the day they really aren't much different than we are. This is honest, thought provoking cinema at its best. This one really deserves to be released on DVD. Rating:
Date: 2008-03-17
Boys Will Be Boys
This is a true bit of Gay History. Been waiting on the DVD for years and can't wait for it to be released. I have had the Video since the 1980's and have watched it many, many times. I saw the play at Theatre 54 in NYC with the same cast and have loved this play and movie since. I also have the recorded LP of the play. I do not think it is outdated , sure the cloths etc. are from the 70's but we all know everyone of these men even today. It tops the list of gay movies of all time and broke ground for so many of today's films. Rating:
Date: 2008-01-24
If you haven't seen this movie
but you heard it mentioned, you'll like it. And, if you don't you have the emotional range of a spoon, see someone about that;) Rating:
Date: 2007-11-16
A Classic Piece for Gay Film Collectors
I have had friends pan Boys In The Band as that movie about "self-loathing queens". If that's all you got out of the film then you have missed the entire point. To understand this film you have to put it into historical context. The '60's were a time of great opression for anyone who wasn't white, male and straight. So this movie is a social experiment that gathers a group of gay repressed sterotypes into one room. When you have that much repressed desire with no where to go it's bound to explode and believe me it does. I was left with the question of where do we go from here and now what. Questions that we still deal with today. |
