Harvey Fierstein: Torch Song Trilogy

Harvey Fierstein ~ Torch Song Trilogy

I have talked before about gay men I look up to and respect for their writing. Harvey Fierstein is another one of those smart witty guys whose work I enjoy at least as far as this play/movie is concerned. I can’t believe I have not reviewed this film yet.

I have described in the blog here several gay movies I find informative, entertaining, and unique like…

Brokeback Mountain
Milk
Tales Of The City
The Sum Of Us
The Adventures Of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert

But if I wanted to discuss with you aspects of living as a gay man who grew up in the seventies there are the big three…

The Boys In The Band
Torch Song Trilogy
Angels In America

I think you would find all three interesting in their own way. I reviewed The Boys In The Band already due to what I like about it’s honest subject matter and import despite the movies age and dark tone and well talking about dark tones… Angels In America I will leave for another time since it is what I like to call the “everything but the kitchen sink” guide to AIDS.

The thing I just noticed recently is that all three of these were written as plays first. I think that says something about where I find honest discussion of at least my experiences of being gay in the movies. Something about writing and framing dialog for the stage seems to bring out that honesty and character portrayal I like to relate to in a film.

Torch Song Trilogy is about the life and loves of this tough as nails flaming drag queen entertainer named Arnold Beckoff. Harvey Fierstein packs into this play in three acts just about every, sometimes shocking, thing I could ever imagine wanting to discuss about being a gay man. It’s like a laundry list of the perils and pitfalls of modern gay life in my opinion. There are just tons of incredibly funny situations in this movie I can relate to that I don’t think you will ever find discussed in any straight film I have seen.

I love the one scene where Arnold breaks up with the closeted “bisexual” asshole boyfriend Ed Reese on his birthday and heads directly for a bar to get drunk off his ass and then wanders into the dark backroom where some anonymous man starts groping him and he looks at his beer can wondering “What the hell do I do with this?”

There are other parts just as interesting like when he travels to go meet the closeted “bisexual” asshole Ed with his current lover Alan Simon and Alan and Ed end up getting it on in the barn only to have Ed’s wife Laurel find out about it and complain to Arnold about the shock of finding out her husband still likes men. Arnold is more upset I think about not being warned by Alan and the drama of having Laurel show up crying on his shoulder over the whole thing. Not so much that it had happened or really changed his feeling towards Alan at all. Which again as a gay man I can relate to this discussion and it’s honesty about being a gay couple.

For a fictional play there is so much material here that it ends up creating an uplifting experience when I watch it despite some disturbing parts. Even though there is the horrible gay bashing death of Alan midway through the film it’s still something Harvey uses to show us more common issues I have experienced where your straight relatives almost refuse to understand the depth of tragedy you feel over the loss of your lover. The conversation between Arnold and his mother are probably the most scathing and angry but absolutely true gay commentary I have seen on film.

About the only really negative criticism I have ever heard regarding this movie was it did not cover the AIDS tragedy and frankly whoever said that is an idiot. I don’t need yet another film as reminder of AIDS or it’s devastation (We have Angels In America for that.) and I think the particular subject matter covered in Torch Song goes much further in focusing on just as important common underlying issues and concerns taking place in the gay experience long before AIDS happened on the scene.

A most excellent Grade A for this movie. Definitely if you have not seen this film go grab it and watch. It’s funny, honest and incredibly gay.