Knight at HOME at the Movies
 | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
Four Retro Favorites Come to DVD
Two highly anticipated GLBT flicks and two dramas worth checking out in this edition of DVD Recommendations.
Two highly anticipated GLBT flicks and two dramas worth checking out in this edition of DVD Recommendations.
The Ritz – From Warner Home Video. I'll never forget standing in line in 1976 to see
Brian DePalma's Carrie which everyone was buzzing about. The buzz was so strong, in
fact, that apparently Carrie was sold out. A theatre employee shouted repeatedly into a
megaphone, "Carrie is sold out. There's still room at The Ritz. Carrie is sold out. There's
still room at The Ritz." That made us laugh though we didn't opt for The Ritz that night
and I didn't see the film until years later. What I saw was a microcosm of gay history - a
comic farce set in a bathhouse that was highlighted by the exuberant Rita Moreno as
Googie Gomez, the ratty, over the top entertainer who stole the film from stars Treat
Williams and Jack Weston. Moreno's rendition of "Everything's Comin' Up Roses" has
been a staple of gay video bars ever since and with good reason - it never fails to deliver
laughs. Though this frantic comedy from director Richard Lester isn't quite as funny as I
remembered, Moreno's performance is worth the price of admission as is the cast of bath
towel clad extras and the 70s era decor and sexual mores. A piece of gay movie history
worth checking out.
Personal Best – From Warner Home Video comes this eagerly anticipated DVD release.
Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn star in this 1982 classic from the
lesbian film canon. Writer-director Robert Towne made his directorial debut with this very
sexy story of a young runner (Hemingway) who falls in love with her mentor (Donnelly) as
the two compete for a spot at the Olympics. Things take a bad turn for the duo's
relationship when Hemingway's character falls under the spell of a coach (played by ultra
sexy Glenn). The early love scenes between the two women, sensual and very frank for
the time, were revelatory - though the about-face that Hemingway's character makes as
the film progresses is a little harder to believe - not to mention heartbreaking. A
heartbreaking love story finally on DVD!
Tell Me a Riddle – From Warner Home Video. This 1980 film was the feature debut of
actress Lee Grant who expertly guides Melvyn Douglas, Lila Kedrova and Brooke Adams in
a relationship drama. Douglas and Kedrova play an elderly couple whose marriage has
for years been off track. They decide to visit their granddaughter (Adams) in San
Francisco in the hopes that it will spark new life in their relationship and give it renewed
meaning. A bittersweet drama unfolds under Grant's direction. A beautiful example of
what used to be called a "little" film. Heartwarming and rewarding.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – From Warner Home Video. This 1968 delicate
drama is from southern writer Carson McCullers' first novel. It picks up on her favorite
theme of loneliness and alienation but her beautiful writing and the standout
performances of Alan Arkin as a kindly deaf-mute who befriends a young girl he meets in
a boarding house (Sondra Locke making her film debut) saves this from becoming
maudlin. Instead, we get a gallery of emotionally damaged souls who respond to Arkin's
innate empathy. Locke, who went on to become known for performances in Clint
Eastwood's films (and later went to court with him when their relationship soured), won
wide acclaim for her role as the tough but lonely teenager whose world is opened by the
worldly character Arkin plays. Cicely Tyson, among others, offer fine work in the
supporting cast. Arkin was Oscar nominated and won a great deal of recognition for his
wordless performance.
Brian DePalma's Carrie which everyone was buzzing about. The buzz was so strong, in
fact, that apparently Carrie was sold out. A theatre employee shouted repeatedly into a
megaphone, "Carrie is sold out. There's still room at The Ritz. Carrie is sold out. There's
still room at The Ritz." That made us laugh though we didn't opt for The Ritz that night
and I didn't see the film until years later. What I saw was a microcosm of gay history - a
comic farce set in a bathhouse that was highlighted by the exuberant Rita Moreno as
Googie Gomez, the ratty, over the top entertainer who stole the film from stars Treat
Williams and Jack Weston. Moreno's rendition of "Everything's Comin' Up Roses" has
been a staple of gay video bars ever since and with good reason - it never fails to deliver
laughs. Though this frantic comedy from director Richard Lester isn't quite as funny as I
remembered, Moreno's performance is worth the price of admission as is the cast of bath
towel clad extras and the 70s era decor and sexual mores. A piece of gay movie history
worth checking out.
Personal Best – From Warner Home Video comes this eagerly anticipated DVD release.
Mariel Hemingway, Patrice Donnelly and Scott Glenn star in this 1982 classic from the
lesbian film canon. Writer-director Robert Towne made his directorial debut with this very
sexy story of a young runner (Hemingway) who falls in love with her mentor (Donnelly) as
the two compete for a spot at the Olympics. Things take a bad turn for the duo's
relationship when Hemingway's character falls under the spell of a coach (played by ultra
sexy Glenn). The early love scenes between the two women, sensual and very frank for
the time, were revelatory - though the about-face that Hemingway's character makes as
the film progresses is a little harder to believe - not to mention heartbreaking. A
heartbreaking love story finally on DVD!
Tell Me a Riddle – From Warner Home Video. This 1980 film was the feature debut of
actress Lee Grant who expertly guides Melvyn Douglas, Lila Kedrova and Brooke Adams in
a relationship drama. Douglas and Kedrova play an elderly couple whose marriage has
for years been off track. They decide to visit their granddaughter (Adams) in San
Francisco in the hopes that it will spark new life in their relationship and give it renewed
meaning. A bittersweet drama unfolds under Grant's direction. A beautiful example of
what used to be called a "little" film. Heartwarming and rewarding.
The Heart is a Lonely Hunter – From Warner Home Video. This 1968 delicate
drama is from southern writer Carson McCullers' first novel. It picks up on her favorite
theme of loneliness and alienation but her beautiful writing and the standout
performances of Alan Arkin as a kindly deaf-mute who befriends a young girl he meets in
a boarding house (Sondra Locke making her film debut) saves this from becoming
maudlin. Instead, we get a gallery of emotionally damaged souls who respond to Arkin's
innate empathy. Locke, who went on to become known for performances in Clint
Eastwood's films (and later went to court with him when their relationship soured), won
wide acclaim for her role as the tough but lonely teenager whose world is opened by the
worldly character Arkin plays. Cicely Tyson, among others, offer fine work in the
supporting cast. Arkin was Oscar nominated and won a great deal of recognition for his
wordless performance.
