AmosL
12-27-2007, 10:17 AM
“Wrestling with Angels”
Meeting Tony Kushner
Amos Lassen
Tony Kushner is an amazing man. Having come from the small town of Lake Charles, Louisiana he managed to become a cause celebre with the production of his monumental play “Angels in America” on Broadway. Kushner went on to win major awards as well as the Pulitzer Prize. He politically leans to the left and his saga about AIDS during the Reagan administration brought him instant fame,
Frieda Lee Mock takes an in depth look at Tony Kushner in her documentary, “Wrestling with Angels”. The film shows what went on during the filming of “Angels in America” for HBO TV. There are interviews with several of the actors including Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson and director Mike Nichols.
This documentary is made up of three parts. The first part looks at Kushner as a political activist and discusses those issues that are important to him. Part two is about Kushner’s sexuality and looks at his coming out in a small town and as a Jew as well as his involvement in the gay rights movement. We learn that Kushner knew he was gay when he was only six years old. Included in this part of the film is an interview with Kushner’s father who has accepted his son’s homosexuality. Part three deals with Kushner’s overcoming injustice and looks at his Jewish background and shows scenes from a play that he wrote about Jewish immigration. Especially beautiful is seeing Kushner working with Maurice Sendak, his collaborator on an adaptation of “Brundibar”, a musical which was once performed by children in Nazi concentration camps. I also found the footage of Kushner’s wedding to Mark Harris to be compelling and it left me with a really warm feeling.
“Wrestling with Angels” looks at Kushner and where he fits in the world of American theater. Kushner comes across as a young intellectual who is determined to stir the world to social action. As wonderful as this film is, there seems to be something missing. We barely skim the surface of the man and someone like him who has done so much good, deserves more of an in depth study. This movie may just be the beginning and the best is yet to come.
Meeting Tony Kushner
Amos Lassen
Tony Kushner is an amazing man. Having come from the small town of Lake Charles, Louisiana he managed to become a cause celebre with the production of his monumental play “Angels in America” on Broadway. Kushner went on to win major awards as well as the Pulitzer Prize. He politically leans to the left and his saga about AIDS during the Reagan administration brought him instant fame,
Frieda Lee Mock takes an in depth look at Tony Kushner in her documentary, “Wrestling with Angels”. The film shows what went on during the filming of “Angels in America” for HBO TV. There are interviews with several of the actors including Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson and director Mike Nichols.
This documentary is made up of three parts. The first part looks at Kushner as a political activist and discusses those issues that are important to him. Part two is about Kushner’s sexuality and looks at his coming out in a small town and as a Jew as well as his involvement in the gay rights movement. We learn that Kushner knew he was gay when he was only six years old. Included in this part of the film is an interview with Kushner’s father who has accepted his son’s homosexuality. Part three deals with Kushner’s overcoming injustice and looks at his Jewish background and shows scenes from a play that he wrote about Jewish immigration. Especially beautiful is seeing Kushner working with Maurice Sendak, his collaborator on an adaptation of “Brundibar”, a musical which was once performed by children in Nazi concentration camps. I also found the footage of Kushner’s wedding to Mark Harris to be compelling and it left me with a really warm feeling.
“Wrestling with Angels” looks at Kushner and where he fits in the world of American theater. Kushner comes across as a young intellectual who is determined to stir the world to social action. As wonderful as this film is, there seems to be something missing. We barely skim the surface of the man and someone like him who has done so much good, deserves more of an in depth study. This movie may just be the beginning and the best is yet to come.