The Boys in the Band (1970)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

William Friedkin

Writers:

Mart Crowley (play)
Mart Crowley (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 March 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

"The Boys in the Band" ...is not a musical.

Plot:

Tempers fray and true selves are revealed when a heterosexual is accidentally invited to a homosexual party.

Plot Keywords:

Party | Birthday | Homosexual | Telephone | Apartment

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Kenneth Nelson	...	Michael
Frederick Combs	...	Donald
Cliff Gorman	...	Emory
Laurence Luckinbill	...	Hank
Keith Prentice	...	Larry
Peter White	...	Alan McCarthy
Reuben Greene	...	Bernard
Robert La Tourneaux	...	Cowboy Tex
Leonard Frey	...	Harold

Runtime:

118 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:-16 (1972) | Australia:R | UK:15 | Finland:K-16 | Norway:18 (1972) | Sweden:15 | USA:R | Iceland:12

Company:

Cinema Center Films

Trivia:

Stars all of the same actors from the original play. Producer/author Mart Crowley insisted that the entire original cast of the off-Broadway production be used in the film.

Goofs:

Continuity: When he arrives at the party, Cowboy's hairstyle is completely different than it was when he appeared in opening montage as street hustler just several hours earlier.

Quotes:

Michael: You're stoned and you're late. You were supposed to arrive at this location at eight thirty dash nine o'clock.
Harold: What I am Michael is a 32 year-old, ugly, pock marked Jew fairy, and if it takes me a little while to pull myself together, and if I smoke a little grass before I get up the nerve to show my face to the world, it's nobody's god damned business but my own. And how are you this evening?

Movie Connections:

References Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Soundtrack:

Funky Broadway

A Milestone In "Queer Cinema"

I can watch this film over & over. I find some Gay men dismiss it because it makes them feel uncomfortable. I embrace it because I can relate to it. As far as it being "dated", how can it not be in some ways?? It was filmed in 1970! The characters & situations are universal & timeless: Who doesn't know a mean drunk? Who hasn't laughed at & with a loud boisterous friend? Who hasn't felt imprisoned by a relationship? etc. These are people & things that we've all dealt with & faced, whether you're straight or gay. My favorite scene in the film is when they start dancing to a Motown classic. A bunch of old friends remembering younger days on Fire Island. It's bittersweet & poignant.