Longtime Companion [1990]

Amazon.co.uk Review

The late director Norman Rene and writer Craig Lucas made a pretty fine creative team on the stage and in the movies, and this 1990 drama about the evolving impact of AIDS on gay New Yorkers is their best cinematic achievement. The ensemble story follows the lives of nine or so characters as word of the so-called "gay cancer" eventually becomes a real force, killing several of them as the years go by. The film works well on a number of levels, not least of which is the enviable closeness of the characters, the script's wit, the bittersweet experience of loss, and a celebratory attitude at the end mixing wisdom with defiance. --Tom Keogh

Customer Reviews:

Beautiful, moving film.......2007-12-15

This is a low budget film, ($1.5 million), that has a strong and moving story line played by a great cast. This is a film that will make you cry. The story is set against the backdrop of America at the time when HIV and Aids started to become noticed. We follow a group of friends and lovers through the next decade or so and watch with heartache as several of them succumb to HIV and Aids. This film is so much more than what I can put into words here. If your looking for a film that will move you, then this is it.

Longtime Companion [1990] (REGION 1) (NTSC)

Average customer rating:

A landmark gay film ... a must see!
A piece of gay history.
A piece of gay history.

Longtime Companion [1990] (REGION 1) (NTSC)
Starring: Campbell Scott , Patrick Cassidy , John Dossett , Mary-Louise Parker , and Stephen Caffrey
Director: Norman René
Manufacturer: MGM
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

All Drama | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video

Historical | Drama | Categories | DVD | Video

All Gay & Lesbian | Gay & Lesbian | Categories | DVD | Video

Region 1 | Special Features | DVD | Video

DVD | Format (binding_browse-bin) | Refinements | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B000053VAW
Release Date: 2001-01-23

Customer Reviews:

A landmark gay film ... a must see!.......2003-11-13

This was the first gay-themed film that I saw and what a great film it is too. It follows the life and times of a group of gay friends from when AIDS first comes to prominence, where it is seen by many as being a 'gay cancer' and then you see the reactions of these people as the disease begins to take hold and how it affects each character.

Bruce Davison's acting is first-rate and him along with the others, take the usual one-dimensional and atypical gay character and bring them to life, with all the accompanying thoughts, feelings and fears that they have as time progresses. This is a landmark gay film and a must see for anyone wanting a more full and rounded version of events than that which is most often portrayed by Hollywood. Great stuff!

A piece of gay history........2003-02-01

Longtime Companion was one of the first mainstream films to follow the devastating effects of AIDS on the gay community in the 1980s. The plot follows a number of gay characters, happily getting on with their (sometimes hedonistic) lives, until they hear of other gay men succumbing, one by one, to a deadly disease termed as 'gay cancer' by the press.
The film continues over the years in a soap opera/documentary style, and deals with each issue so subtly and delicately, you are faced with a series of truly heartbreaking, realistically emotional scenes.
Bruce Davidson was nominated for an Academy Award for his portrayal of an actor living with AIDS and the film was panned by some critics because it only focused on white 'middle class' men - ironically, exactly what it was supposed to do, in an attempt to shatter the 'it will never happen to us' syndrome.
Longtime Companion is a fantastic film that struck so many chords with me growing up as a gay teenager in what were terrifying and uncertain times. It highlighted the sensationalist, knee-jerk reaction of the media and brought home that this was not a gay disease, but a worldwide threat to everyone.
More than that, it also depicts how the fear and prejudice of society was turned around and challenged, leading to an empowered gay community who stood up for itself and refused to be ignored.
This film is a piece of gay history.

A piece of gay history........2003-02-01

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