Les anges en Amérique

It was only a few months ago that I read the plays of "Angels in America". I was amazed that something so massive could be captured on the stage, but even more so to think that it could ever be caught on film.

Mike Nichols is one of my favorite directors and made one of my favorite films ever ("Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?"). With one of the greatest casts ever assembled, he has done justice to what is one of the greatest pieces of drama ever written.

Meryl Streep, Al Pacino, Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright, Justin Kirk, Ben Shenkman, and Patrick Wilson are the ensemble cast that tower along side ensembles like those of "Nashville" or "Short Cuts". Each and every one is brilliant, though Streep and Pacino both prove that with age they have become better than ever.

This is more than some made for TV movie. This is the movie of the year.

The second part of "Angels in America" shows tonight. I am confident that there is no reason to wait to post my comments because I'm certain it will be just as incredible.

The Emmys of 2003-2004 will have a theme: "Angels in America".

There was a statement that was going through my head while watching "Angels in America": I know what art is when I see it. Just like art, this ambitious miniseries dares the viewer to have an opinion on the various subjects brought up by screenwriter/playwright Tony Kuchner.

I saw the miniseries one chapter at a time, which may or may not have been a good idea to get the full impact of the point. At least it did motivate me to read both of Kuchner's "Angels" plays.

I found it to be both a frustrating and challenging miniseries. There were the great performances by Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Justin Kirk, and Jeffrey Wright and the good performances by Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Patrick Wright and, in a small role, James Cromwell.

I find it rather humorous that some people thought Al Pacino was miscast as Roy Cohn. Though this is Kuchner's fictional view of Cohn and having seen the real Roy Cohn in television interviews, I though Pacino was not too far from the essence of who Cohn was: an ambitious but very bitter gay man in denial who helped his notable clients but was always out for himself. Cohn was rabid dog without a leash. This was Pacino's first television role and I though he did a great job. (Correction: Pacino's only television acting role prior to "Angels in America" and not including the edited version of "The Godfather Saga" was the short-lived but critically-acclaimed ABC drama "N.Y.P.D." (1967-69).

I did have a few problems with the mini-series. The role played by Ben Shenkman (Louis) was incredibly annoying. I heard that role is Tony Kuchner's alter ego. Louis redeems himself at the end but I found him to be a whiny, cowardly man who had difficulty counting his blessings. I loved it when after Louis' typically long diatribes, Belize (Jeffrey Wright) verbally put him down with a just a few words.

In both plays, many of the actors played multiple roles. It seems more of a gimmick on the small screen, though I think Streep and Wright fared best.

The always dependable Thomas Newman has fashioned a haunting musical score. It was minimalistic and very memorable. The theme has been on my mind ever since I first heard the theme when the miniseries won various awards at the Golden Globes. (Update: The miniseries received 21 Emmy nominations and won a record (for miniseries) 11 Emmys. For some mysterious reason, Newman's brilliant score was overlooked.)

I don't see this play adapted for the big screen without chopping a lot of things out. Congratulations to Mike Nichols and the cast and crew for taking a chance adapting "Angels in America" to television.

Angels in America is definitely one of my favorites. I was a loyal viewer when it was on HBO, and rushed out to buy the DVD when it was released. I think this miniseries was very tastefully done. I was delighted to see such diversity in the movie. It was very refreshing to see Jews, Mormons, Protestants, Homosexuals, Heterosexuals, Republicans, and Democrats together. I think this movie was very real in it's portrayal of AIDS, and it really raised awareness for me, because it showed AIDS as a real disease, not just something we hear about on the news. I was very excited to see minorities presented like average, real people. I didn't see the play, so i can't compare. but i was thoroughly pleased with Mike Nichols direction, i think the cast was incredible, and brought life to each character in the best way possible. i think Mary-Louise Parker especially brought with her character, Harper Pitt, something to the play that was very difficult to do. Harper, other than her marriage to Joe, was irrelevant to the story; Parker was able to take the character, though, and make Harper one of the most insightful and endearing characters in the show. I especially like Justin Kirk in this movie. He did not have a particularly challenging part, but he really grabbed my heart in a subtle way. I have heard much criticism directed toward Al Pacino. However, i think Pacino did very well as is character. I have little knowledge of the real Cohn, but Pacinio was able to give Cohn an evil personality, while still keeping the audience aware of how human Cohn really is. It was very interesting. I was also very pleased with the characters of Belize and Mother Pitt. I found Angels in America very inspiring, and after seeing it for the first time, I seemed to see the world in a whole new light. I know that sounds cheesy, but it is true. For someone very passionate about equal rights, like me, this movie seemed to relay exactly what I stand for. If you are an easily offended Conservative, this movie may not be for you, but I recommend this to anyone with an open mind.

I wish I could put into words how deeply touched I was by this movie/ miniseries. It has haunted me since I first saw it in December. I taped it when it was shown all together on HBO Signature and purchased the playscript book. And I have the soundtrack which is so beautiful.

I loved this work. It made me think, it made me laugh, it made me mourn. The concept of God abandoning Heaven just made me weep. The utter resolve Prior displays before the Council was so uplifting...and then Hannah's desire to have them all bathe in the Fountain of Bethesda and be healed. So touching.

Each character was such an intrigal part of the delicate equation. The awards/nominations were/are all richly deserved. (SAGs are on 2/22.)

Patrick Wilson positively floored me. I'd never heard of him before and was slack jawed by his range, his depth and his delivery. His vocal inflections, modulations, etc are incredible. And, his "look" was perfect. As a straight, active (practicing) LDS woman , I can tell you that he could have been dropped into any Church meeting and he would have blended right in. Kudos to the wardrobe/hair & make-up department. Of course, though Joe's particular struggle is not representative of every man in the Church, all individuals have burdens we must handle. I could really relate to that.

The rest of the cast were equally fantastic. You know, even if the character was being despicable...you appreciated the talents and efforts of the person portraying them.

I could gush forever about this. Bravo to Tony Kushner, Mike Nichols, and the incredible cast.

I've written some pretty negative things about American TV and movies on this web site, so maybe it's time to give praise where due. I finally - many years late I'm ashamed to say - got around to watching this HBO mini series because my kids have just appeared in a school production of The Laramie Project, in which Angels in America is mentioned many times, and I felt abysmally ignorant at not having seen it. Thank you Netflix.

I've literally just finished watching the last part, and it's made a deep impression. Very moving, very imaginatively done, beautifully written and superbly acted. Looking back over several years of prior comments on this page, I am just astonished at people who can apparently force themselves to sit through six hours of something they hated! I mean, what part of the on/off switch can't they use? Six hours? Everyone occasionally finds themselves in the cinema sitting through a couple of hours of a film they aren't enjoying, but six hours on the TV at home? People, if you don't like it, or it offends, turn it off! Plenty of brain dead TV offends me. So I don't watch it. Ultimately, it's your free choice.

I'm just a boring, middle aged woman with a couple of teenage kids, probably not the target audience, but I found AinA life affirming, and thought provoking, and I loved the visual imagery and the portrayal of homosexual relationships as just as good/bad/complicated/simple/natural/valid/selfless/selfish as heterosexual relationships. I've always adored Meryl Streep, and she lived up to my expectations here, she's my role model of a talented woman growing older gracefully. Emma Thompson pulled off her role as American angel magnificently, Mary-Louise Parker was a revelation, I was appalled by Roy Cohn, so Al Pacino obviously did a great job, and all the other characters were perfectly cast (especially Jeffrey Wright and Justin Kirk.) I couldn't take my eyes off Jeffrey Wright when he was on screen. Utterly compelling in his portrayal of an upfront gay male nurse, dealing compassionately but practically with the cold reality of dying AIDS patients in his care.

This isn't a particularly easy six hours of TV to watch, but life shouldn't always be easy should it? It's good sometimes to have to struggle a bit to understand someone else's vision. There were many perfect speeches and I'm hoping for a revival of the stage play so I can catch up with those speeches in their original format. I'm still thinking about the line (paraphrased) "Life will be unbearable for a long time before it becomes impossible". Sounds very appropriate for what we are doing to the environment in the 21st century, doesn't it, as well as HIV in the 1980s? So this film is for all times, not just the 1980s.