Prick Up Your Ears
by Stephen Frears
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DVD details
Actor: Alfred Molina, Frances Barber, Gary Oldman, Janet Dale, Vanessa RedgraveDirector: Stephen Frears
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Oliver Stapleton
Editor: Mick Audsley
Producer: Andrew Brown
Writer: Alan Bennett
Writer: John Lahr
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround
Format: Anamorphic, Color, Dolby, DVD, Full Screen, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 111 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-15
Audience Rating: R (Restricted)
Studio: MGM Home Entertainment
DVD Reviews of Prick Up Your Ears
DVD Review: Separating performance from film leaves me unsettled...
Summary: 3 Stars
There is an awful lot going for this film, but sadly, the way it is presented takes it down a notch or two for me. I just found the construction of this film to be somewhat of a mess, and while I wanted it to engage me, and at times it is, it failed to really rally me in the way I wanted it to. It is an effective piece that kind of falls short of truly grasping all that it could have been, beings that it carries with it some weighty subjects.
The life of playwright Joe Orton is an astonishing one.
Director Stephen Frears (and screenwriter John Lahr) really share all the blame in making this film less than brilliant, for the acting across the board is beyond stellar, and the crisp cinematography (from starlit skies to murky bathrooms to cramped and repressive apartments) is a true highlight. The script is just jumbled to me and it fails to really capitalize on what it has to work with. There are moments that really seem to float and give promise that this is going to really take off, and then it just falls flat once again. I particularly liked the way in which Joe's demise was handled, but it is really just a brief glimpse at Frears capabilities.
Frears is better than this.
The most important aspect of this film is the acting, for it is the most redeeming. Around many a cinematic circle, Gary Oldman is considered one of the most overdue actors for an Oscar nomination in who knows when. He is an astonishing actor who has proven himself time and time again, and this is one of his crowing achievements. He posseses a naughty sensuality that completely compliments the man that was Joe Orton and gives light to Orton's own artistic viewpoints. His self-centered theatrics are superbly handled without any clichéd manipulations. Alfred Molina is astonishing here. When I first saw the film I found him to be rather annoying and obnoxious and I felt he was forced; until the end when his character seemed to click. Upon rewatching the film I saw how his entire performance was really a stem of the inevitable, like a work reversed. If you watch the scenes from end to beginning you can see the progression of his character (or at least the full understanding of his character) and that made me absolutely adore his performance. The queen of the film is Vanessa Redgrave, who just oozes with absolute control as Peggy, Orton's agent. Her scenes were some of my favorite, such a superb supporting work; never taking away from the star but never allowing us to forget she is there.
Marvelous.
Like I said; the acting across the board is phenomenal and some of the best work of the 80's (I'd place Molina and Redgrave on my best supporting ballot for, like, EVER). I only wish that the remaining facets of the film met their grandeur. It was a nice idea, but the execution leaves one wondering how this could have gone so wrong.
Description of Prick Up Your Ears
Gary Oldman (Hannibal) and Alfred Molina (Spider-Man 2) star in this stunning true story about a long-term love affair that ends with a shocking murder-suicide. Told in "sizzling flashbacks and forwards" (Elle), this Golden Globe-nominated*, "sharp, pithy, exuberant and unflinching film" (The Hollywood Reporter) from director Stephen Frears (Dirty Pretty Things)and writer Alan Bennett (The Madness of King George) "mesmerizes you, holding you in its thrall" (Los Angeles) from first frame to last. Frustrated writers, co-conspirators, friends and lovers, Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell (Oldman and Molina) serve respectively as protégéand mentor in each other's life until Orton's breakout success heightens Halliwell's sense of his own failure. With the young playwright's every new achievement, Halliwell's diminishing role leads him to a desperate attempt to keep them as equals forever. *1987: Supporting Actress (VanessaRedgrave)Bestsellers in DVD
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