The Lost Language of Cranes

I read the book way back in the 80s and I had heard it had been made into a movie. But it was only recently that I decided to look for it on the internet -- and voilà -- it was still there, just about alive. Yes, the film seems a little jaded after all these years, but I think it's a classic. Set in London in the 90s, it's about an intellectual middle class family (mother is a book editor, father a university teacher, son is (I think) a writer). The story was novel enough when the book came out. It was about a son coming out to his parents, thereby creating turmoil in the life of his father, who has been a closet gay all his life, furtively setting it off in porno theaters. The son's openly gay lifestyle is contrasted with the furtive lifestyle of the father. The best part of the movie and book, is the time the author and director gives to exploring the feelings of outrage of the mother. This is not a feel-good kind of movie but it will stay with you for a long time after you've seen it.

In an age before "Will and Grace" that few people born after 2000 will understand, the "Lost Language of the Cranes" deals with the decision whether or not to come out of the closet as gay, given the ramifications and potential hostility from family, friends and society as a whole. The film centers around a family, namely its patriarch, who from the very beginning is revealed as a closet homosexual. From the interactions with his wife and son, we see there is an underlying, unspoken tension between all the characters in typical British "stiff upper lip" fashion. When the son comes out to his parents, neither take the news particularly well. As the story progresses, his mother comes to a kind of detente, while his father eerily appears to attempt to relive his youth through his son. The brilliance of this story is the inter-working theme of communication throughout, and how sometimes someone is trying to tell you something important in every way possible...except verbally. I seriously don't understand why this has not become a cult classic, especially given the time in which it was produced, as even today it is miles ahead of most gay cinema around.

The less I say about this, the better. I will just say that it is powerful, touching and moved by two extremely powerful performances by Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins, that, had this been a feature film, probably would have easily taken the BAFTA and would have had a strong chance at the Oscars.

Don't expect safe filmmaking or themes, it's a hidden treasure. Whether you like it or not in the end, for sure it won't let you indifferent. One of my favorite TV-Movies of all time, and one that should have been released theatrically. Of noting, also, John Schlesinger making a cameo appearance (which hints how important the film themes are, so Schlesinger would get in front of the cameras for a small role, hopefully raising some extra attention to the film).

The Lost Language Of Cranes (Screen Two) (1991) -

Perhaps if I'd watched this as a horny teenager, secretly hidden away in my room, back in the early nineties I would have thought that it was the best thing ever. I certainly would have enjoyed the nudity and sex, which actually is still true.

However, the viewing audiences ideas of what is good have changed so much since this film was first made that actually some of the acting was not the best and some of the directorial and camera choices were slightly odd. The way they grouped together, a look or a behaviour that just felt forced or over the top for instance.

Even some of the better actors occasionally delivered their lines in a way that was a tad corny. I just thought that the same story revisited in 2025/6 would have a lot more heart to it, more genuine emotion and a clearer look at what it is to have to come out to your family and the hiding that had to happen beforehand. Of course things have changed so much that the story would still have to be set in the early 90's. The only problem being that we have had so many coming out stories since then that this one might get a tad lost despite its two tiered approach.

Philip's (Angus Macfadyen) outing was a bit lost in this version, because of his Dad Owen's (Brian Cox) secret life, but even that didn't feel as if it had enough coverage. I didn't seem that he was fighting to not be gay to save his marriage or that he might be trying to end things with his Wife because he needed to be who he was. Philip's was just a standard gay story as he fell for a narcissist who left him hanging in the leather clad, stereotypical gay bars whereas Owen's should have, in theory, been the more complex and devastating announcement.

I wasn't sure that the "Crane" reference was necessary or worked as part of this interpretation either. Perhaps it had more prominence or a clearer explanation in the source novel by David Leavitt. Maybe it was a metaphor for a gay secret language? But actually Cathy Tyson's character of Jerene who was studying the child abuse cases that raised any mention of cranes was actually quite irrelevant to the plot and her character wasn't even that necessary either.

I also felt that they didn't portray Rose's (Eileen Atkins) perspective very well. It was almost as if they were trying to make her out to be the villain. She may have been hypocritical, but her arguments were also not very genuine of impassioned and I think that a lot of LGBTQ stories do make the straight characters harder because they don't react kindly to the gays, which really isn't fair. It is a lot to expect them to understand what to them is a change immediately and have their ideas of Grandchildren and a white wedding so easily crushed, especially in the early 1990's where AIDS was still so prominent. Having lived all their lives told one thing by their own families and peers it must be hard to suddenly see that there is a new way. But that wasn't shown here and because Rose was so poe faced and miserable even before the news was broken it made it difficult to feel for her or see that her world had just been turned upside down too. None of the family were ever going to be the same again after Philip's announcement and even more so after Owen's. I'd like to think that I'd write straight characters in a better, fairer way and wouldn't always rely on them to react in a predictable way, but Rose was almost definitely written by someone who had faced problems with the heterosexuals and probably their own family.

I would have to say that Brian gave the best performance of the bunch, but I just needed more moments of him thinking or at least having a bit more guilt or something. I know you can't hear him thinking in a film but there are ways to show that they are emotionally going through something by a look or behaviour.

The ending was a bit abrupt too. I supposed that there wasn't much more to say, but it just felt a bit sudden as if there was still a bit more to say but we had to come back next week for the fallout in a second episode. I just felt that what had to come afterwards was what needed to be explained to show that even after such upset life still goes on and compromises are made to realise that it wouldn't totally change the love they'd had for each other.

Overall it wasn't that bad. I've probably made it sound weak, but I'm sure that at the time this would have been appreciated by the gays both in and out of the closet. It was just a shame that I came to it so many years later having seen so many other films with a similar plot that did it better for one reason of another.

643.23/1000.

Philip Benjamin is ready to come out to his parents, Owen and Rose, little knowing that his father is very much in the closet.

It's something of a groundbreaking drama, another hard hitting, thought provoking Screen Two installment, worth remembering that so called 'gay' storylines just weren't commonplace.

Initially, I thought it was going to be Philip's story, but it is as much Owen's story, it shifts when Philip comes out, it sparks something in his dad, it's a big moment.

The coming out scene was incredible, Cox's reaction was superbly played out, the acting was terrific all round, Eileen Atkins very much at the top of her game, and an excellent performance from Angus Macfadyen.

Times really have changed so much, Rose's reaction may appear frosty and bigoted, but I'm not sure if her vitriol is fully aimed at her son, I think some is aimed at her husband, because deep down, she knew something was off.

It's explicit at times, so expect some full frontal male nudity, but there's nothing gratuitous.

Some amazing music to keep a listen out for, The KLF!

Why does The BBC never show this, we have had several LGBTQ evenings and weekends, to my knowledge this hasn't been shown as part of it, which is a shame, it's a quality drama.

9/10.