It's a challenge to recapture the greatness and immediacy that made the theatrical production of Angels In America so incredible. This HBO presentation managed to do that and more. The script was nearly identical, the directing and performances were as good or better, and now HBO could bring in wonderful special effects where they were appropriate (the appearances of the Angel, Prior Walter's hallucinations and Harper's trip to Antarctica). This production of Angels earned its seven Emmy Awards, and could have had more. It's obvious that everyone who was part of this undertaking dedicated themselves to it wholeheartedly. There wasn't a single bad performance, and some scenes, most notably Louis' recitation of the Kaddish prayer with Ethel Rosenberg's assistance at Roy's bedside, made me laugh and cry simultaneously. Being Jewish and knowing the prayer and the culture around it certainly helped, but I'm confident the power of the scene worked no matter what faith or background the viewer came from.
Angels tackles profound and difficult issues such as AIDS, death, fear, persecution, bigotry and homophobia with a sensitive, unflinching seriousness (and more than a bit of humor) that people are often afraid to nowadays. Angels is every bit as relevant now as it was when it first premiered on stage. Tony Kushner's script is timeless, and I think one of the finest examples of writing, not just playwriting or screen writing, to have come along in the past 30 or 40 years. I think this version of Angels in America stands with Ken Burns' Civil War series as one of the highest quality and most important pieces of television programming ever created, by anyone, ever.
Don't just watch it once; buy the DVD and keep it, then watch it again. It's that good.
Angels tackles profound and difficult issues such as AIDS, death, fear, persecution, bigotry and homophobia with a sensitive, unflinching seriousness (and more than a bit of humor) that people are often afraid to nowadays. Angels is every bit as relevant now as it was when it first premiered on stage. Tony Kushner's script is timeless, and I think one of the finest examples of writing, not just playwriting or screen writing, to have come along in the past 30 or 40 years. I think this version of Angels in America stands with Ken Burns' Civil War series as one of the highest quality and most important pieces of television programming ever created, by anyone, ever.
Don't just watch it once; buy the DVD and keep it, then watch it again. It's that good.
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