Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
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71% of critics liked it
(17 reviews) -
89% of users liked it
(5,566 ratings)
Harvey Fierstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit was adapted for the screen by Fierstein himself. The playwright also repeats his stage role of female impersonator Arnold Beckoff, aka nightclub entertainer "Virginia Hamm." The three-part plotline, whittled down to accommodate the… More Harvey Fierstein's Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit was adapted for the screen by Fierstein himself. The playwright also repeats his stage role of female impersonator Arnold Beckoff, aka nightclub entertainer "Virginia Hamm." The three-part plotline, whittled down to accommodate the film's 117-minute running time, concerns Arnold's seriocomic efforts to find a lasting relationship. We first meet Arnold in 1971, when his heart is broken by his bisexual lover, Ed (Brian Kerwin). Next we find Arnold in 1973, enjoying short-lived happiness with his true love, Alan (Matthew Broderick). The final act takes place in 1980: Arnold, still grieving over Alan's sudden death and struggling to raise the young boy that the couple had adopted, has a long-anticipated showdown with his uncompromising mother, superbly played by Anne Bancroft. A witty film that is by turns touching and outrageous, Torch Song Trilogy works well despite its somewhat soft-pedaled approach to the material. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Directed By
- Paul Bogart
- Written By
- Harvey Fierstein
- Genres
- Drama, Comedy
R,
- In Theaters
- Dec 14, 1988 Limited
- Studio
- Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Critic Reviews
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Variety Staff, Variety
Bracing in its frank depiction of gay sex life, both promiscuous and committed.
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Geoff Andrew, Time Out
A straightforward, very funny love story which glows with fulfilment and promise.
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Janet Maslin, New York Times
Greatly shortened from Mr. Fierstein's long-running, Tony Award-winning play, the film version emphasizes the lovable at every turn, but the surprise is that it does this entertainingly and well.
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Rita Kempley, Washington Post
The themes are universal, and Arnold is an Everyperson who wants to be loved not for what others want him to be, but for what he really is -- "a person, a valuable person."
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Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times
I have not seen anyone quite like Fierstein in the movies, and the fact that he is a specific individual gives this material a charm and weight it might have lacked if an interchangeable actor had played the role.
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Cast
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Anne Bancroft
as Ma
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Matthew Broderick
as Alan
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Harvey Fierstein
as Arnold Beckoff
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Brian Kerwin
as Ed
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Karen Young
as Laurel
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Eddie Castrodad
as David
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Chuck Pierce
as Bertha Venation
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Ken Page
as Murray
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Axel Vera
as Marina Del Rey
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Tracy Bogart
as Secretary at School
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Michael Bond
as Bar Patron
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Alva Chinn
as Photographer
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Lorry Goldman
as Phil Beckoff
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Paul Joynt
as Heckler in Club
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Peter Mackenzie
as Young Man
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Robert Neary
as Chorus boy
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Peter Nevargic
as Young Man
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John Norman
as Basher
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John Beckman
as 1st Cab Driver
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John Branagan
as Teacher
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Bob Minor
as Gregory
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Michael Warga
as Bartender
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Catherine Blue
as Teacher
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Mitch David Carter
as Heckler in Club
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Kim Clark
as Female Bar Patron
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Byron Deen
as Roz
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Naill Gartlan
as Boy in Fight
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Gregory Gilbert
as Hustler
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Geoffrey Harding
as Man with Lighter
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Ted Hook
as Old Man
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Harriet C. Leider
as Maitre d'
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Nick Montgomery
as Chorus Boy
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Stephanie Penn
as Female Bar Patron
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Benji Schulman
as Young Arnold
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Phil Sky
as Man in Back Room
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Edgar Small
as Arnold's father
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Rabbi Elliott T. Spar
as Rabbi
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Mark Zeisler
as Basher
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Frits de Knegt
as 2nd Cab Driver
