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Angels in America, Part 1

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Angels in America, Part 1

Old 10-06-03, 11:34 AM
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Angels in America

HBO has been playing promos for this the past several weeks. When I first saw the ads, I though the whole thing looked a bit silly, and couldn't understand why HBO would do a show about angels. Last night though, I finally read a bit about the show (it's actually a 6 hour mini-series), found out what it's really about, and now I'm pretty excited about seeing it. Has anyone here seen the play it's based on, or read the book? All the reviews I went through at Amazon were really positive, except for 2 that hated it. I though I read somewhere that this will be Al Pacino's first TV role?

Brian
Old 10-06-03, 11:49 AM
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This is actually based on "two" Tony award winning plays by Tony Kushner - Angels in America - Part One: The Millenium Approaches and Part Two: Perestrokia.

The work is truly inspiring and amazing. It is no surpise that such a star-studded cast is jumping up to do this series. Every part is juicy, juicy, juicy! Mike Nichols is bound to do this justice and everyone else - well they're just gravy! Can't wait until December - "Let the great work begin!"

Last edited by rfduncan; 10-06-03 at 11:52 AM.
Old 10-06-03, 11:55 AM
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The play is something else. This could be quite good.
Old 10-06-03, 01:18 PM
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I was fortunate enough to see this on Broadway in a day of total immersion - the first part in the afternoon, the second part in the evening.

Quite simply - one of the most important, staggering and emotional theatrical experiences I have ever had ( and I've seen a LOT of theater).

HBO as taken its time preparing this, and obviously has mustered a dream cast to participate, along with a great director, so my hopes are high that now a lot more people will be able to share this experience.
Old 11-18-03, 03:32 PM
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I can't wait to see how this turns out.

A good article from Sunday's New York Times about the political issues involved:

http://www.nytimes.com/2003/11/16/arts/16RICH.html
Old 11-18-03, 04:01 PM
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I played the Pacino role in a student production nearly ten years ago...

It's a brilliant play (2 Tonys & a Pulitzer) but it's very liberal, very critical of the Reagan era and traditional religion... (Blasphemous, in fact, according to many...) so I expect that some folks may hate it for that...

According to Frank Rich (from the NYT link above) it's "the most powerful screen adaptation of a major American play since Elia Kazan's "Streetcar Named Desire" more than a half-century ago."

I'm drooling...

Last edited by adamblast; 11-18-03 at 04:06 PM.
Old 11-18-03, 04:24 PM
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I'm eager to check it out as well. Great talent involved, that's for sure.
Old 11-18-03, 06:15 PM
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As far as on a literary level this (both part one and two) is one of the top American plays ever written. It is up there with Death of a Salesman and Long Days Journey Into Night.

As far as impact on American theater Tony Kushner is one of the leading playwrights in the world.

This series has a LOT to live up to. Part of what's amazing about this play is that it is a play where the magical moments appear more magical. I'm worried that TV production could ruin some of the parts.
Old 11-18-03, 06:16 PM
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Originally posted by adamblast

It's a brilliant play (2 Tonys & a Pulitzer) but it's very liberal, very critical of the Reagan era and traditional religion... (Blasphemous, in fact, according to many...) so I expect that some folks may hate it for that...
But you forgot that it also attacks lawyers! I'm sure 21st century conservatives will enjoy that.
Old 11-18-03, 09:24 PM
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Originally posted by Alyoshka
As far as on a literary level this (both part one and two) is one of the top American plays ever written. It is up there with Death of a Salesman and Long Days Journey Into Night.

As far as impact on American theater Tony Kushner is one of the leading playwrights in the world.

This series has a LOT to live up to. Part of what's amazing about this play is that it is a play where the magical moments appear more magical. I'm worried that TV production could ruin some of the parts.
this is hbo, and not some cheap ass made for tv movie. They have the money to make this great. I thought that this would be a made for hbo movie, not a miniseries. Is it going to be 6 1 hour episodes or 3 2 hour episodes?
Old 11-18-03, 10:08 PM
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Originally posted by Rypro 525
this is hbo, and not some cheap ass made for tv movie. They have the money to make this great. I thought that this would be a made for hbo movie, not a miniseries. Is it going to be 6 1 hour episodes or 3 2 hour episodes?
Eh it's more of an "I think that A Streetcar Named Desire on stage is better than a Streetcar Named Desire on screen" feeling.
Old 12-06-03, 11:46 AM
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My partner and I will be watching it! We'll probably buy the inevitable DVD too.

Rob
Old 12-06-03, 06:09 PM
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I'll be tuning in for sure. If it's HBO and if it's Sunday night - I watch (pretty much regardless of what's on).
Old 12-06-03, 08:42 PM
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Adrian, isn't your sig a bit longer then 5 lines?
Old 12-07-03, 07:42 PM
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the first hour wasnt so good. not any interesting people tome.

i hope it gets better. boring so far.
Old 12-07-03, 09:16 PM
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Been watching it and am not all that impressed. Have it on in the background now and not paying it much attention.
Old 12-07-03, 10:07 PM
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I just finished watching it (I love having HBO East) and I have to say, I wasn't overly impressed either. It's certainly not bad, but in my opinion, it's not nearly as great as all the reviews and hype have made it out to be. But with that said, I'll definitely be watching the conclusion next week... and hoping it gets better.

Rob
Old 12-07-03, 10:27 PM
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Glad I wasn't the only one who felt this way. After all the hype, I was really expecting to see something special. It was given 5 stars in USAToday & EW magazine gave it an "A" or "A+".

They obviously were watching something else. Man it was slow & dull. I hate to say it but I believe the film was given the press it got because of "liberal hype" due to the subject matter.
Old 12-07-03, 11:06 PM
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I got in late and missed the first 90-120 minutes of it.

What I saw, I found the whole thing to be a bit too smug to enjoy. It's the kind of production where I can just see the writer patting himself on the back every time he churns out a half clever line. Self-congradulatory, self-important, solipistic. (Pretty much the reason I don't like theater.)

The only parts I can actually say I cared for was the Roy Cohn plotline. The others just sort of fell flat.
Old 12-08-03, 12:17 AM
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It was very play-like, I believe the playwright adapted the screenplay, so that's not a huge surprise. For a movie it was very non-traditional structurally and stylistically, but it fits right in as a play. The adaptation seems almost direct, I've never seen or read the play, but I have seen and read excerpts and monologues from it in classes, and almost every single one was in the movie verbatim. Some were intercut with other scenes but it generally stayed very faithful.

I think the acting performances were great almost universally, but I couldn't help thinking while I watched "I'd like to see this on a stage instead". It's just that type of story.

(...and Meryl Steep was the rabbi in the beginning? Damn!)
Old 12-08-03, 01:22 AM
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Originally posted by BabiG
For a movie it was very non-traditional structurally and stylistically, but it fits right in as a play.
Agreed. There were quite a few scenes where I would start thinking of how something would have worked as a play.

Overall I enjoyed it. Stunning? No. Thought I could see how it could be when done live in a theatre.

But incredibly well done and acted. I was not bored, nor did I think it was too slow.

I am looking forward to next week.
Old 12-08-03, 07:34 AM
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I also loved it. I've never seen the play, nor did I know much about it. I was really involved with the characters, and I loved the "hallucinations", especially when the two characters shared one and revealed major things about each other.

I thought Al Pacino was really good too. Emma Thompson is one of my favorite actresses and she doesn't disappoint in this either. I can't wait for next week. Mike Nichols has finally done something good, his most recent stuff hasn't been all that.
Old 12-08-03, 03:05 PM
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I loved it, too and can't wait for next week.

I read the books two weeks ago [quick reads since they're plays] and thought they were very good, but it was hard to really grasp what it would be like on stage or film. What's NIchols has done here is amazing, and only complemented by his completely amazing cast.

Interesting how they end the first half. If I'd hav eseen this in a theater, and not known that the next segment was coming in a week, i'd be like, "wtf?"

Kushner won the pulitzer and the tony all in the same year, right? This is boudn to sweep the awards it's up for.
Old 12-08-03, 07:20 PM
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Well, I absolutely hated it. The acting (and writing) was just too theatrical and way over the top for me. Save for Meryl Streep when she was playing the mother. And, of course, Emma Thompson. Did anyone else NOT know that was Meryl Steep as the Rabbi the moment he first appeared!?
Old 12-08-03, 08:49 PM
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Re: Angels in America

Originally posted by bdshort
HBO has been playing promos for this the past several weeks. When I first saw the ads, I though the whole thing looked a bit silly, and couldn't understand why HBO would do a show about angels. Last night though, I finally read a bit about the show (it's actually a 6 hour mini-series), found out what it's really about, and now I'm pretty excited about seeing it. Has anyone here seen the play it's based on, or read the book? All the reviews I went through at Amazon were really positive, except for 2 that hated it. I though I read somewhere that this will be Al Pacino's first TV role?

Brian
Someone needs to re-label this thread as (PART 1) so part 2 can have its own thread for those who will be taping and seeing at different time.

thanks

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