Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

This film is the story of the spectacular life and violent death of British playwright Joe Orton. In his teens, Orton is befriended by the older, more reserved Kenneth Halliwell, and while ... See full summary »

Director:

Stephen Frears

Writers:

Alan Bennett, John Lahr (book)

Stars:

Gary Oldman, Alfred Molina, Vanessa Redgrave

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 7 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Gary Oldman	...	Joe Orton
Alfred Molina	...	Kenneth Halliwell
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Peggy Ramsay
Frances Barber	...	Leonie Orton
Janet Dale	...	Mrs. Sugden
Julie Walters	...	Elsie Orton
Bert Parnaby	...	The Magistrate
Margaret Tyzack	...	Madame Lambert
Lindsay Duncan	...	Anthea Lahr
Wallace Shawn	...	John Lahr
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Simon Adams	...	Undertaker's Boy
Dave Atkins	...	Mr. Sugden
John Bailey	...	Wigmaker
Stephen Bill	...	George Barnett
Jane Blackburn	...	1st Woman in Gallery

Storyline

This film is the story of the spectacular life and violent death of British playwright Joe Orton. In his teens, Orton is befriended by the older, more reserved Kenneth Halliwell, and while the two begin a relationship, it's fairly obvious that it's not all about sex. Orton loves the dangers of bath-houses and liaisons in public restrooms; Halliwell, not as charming or attractive as Orton, doesn't fare so well in those environs. While both long to become writers, it is Orton who achieves fame - his plays "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" and "Loot" become huge hits in London of the sixties, and he's even commissioned to write a screenplay for the Beatles. But Orton's success takes him farther from Halliwell, whose response ended both his life and the life of the up-and-coming playwright.

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Plot Keywords:

playwright | death | writer | love | sex | 

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Taglines:

They shared everything - except success.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 May 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ciuliti-va urechile

Filming Locations:

25 Noel Road, Islington, London, England, UK

Box Office

Gross:

$1,654,743 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Civilhand, Zenith Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The interior (certainly not the exterior as the real house is mid-terraced) of Joe and Ken's flat was filmed in the actual flat where Orton and Halliwell lived (25 Noel Road). However, the murder at the end is filmed on a studio set.

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Quotes

Kenneth Halliwell: [preparing to dictate an offensive letter] Seat yourself at our trusty Remington, John, and we shall piss on this person from a great height.

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Connections

References Some Like It Hot (1959)

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Soundtracks

"Vivat Regina"
(uncredited)
Music by Sir Charles Hubert Hastings Parry

User Reviews

An intimate, carefully crafted biopic with uniformly superb performances.

I don't usually enjoy biopics, but PRICK UP YOUR EARS is a glorious exception. Many biopics don't have strong narrative arcs (simply because people's lives generally don't), but this one does -- primarily because it focuses on the rapid deterioration of the relationship between playwright Joe Orton and failed novelist Kenneth Halliwell. With the obvious exception of the horrific conclusion, the issues faced by these two London writers will probably ring painfully true for many members of the audience. Who hasn't felt like Halliwell at some point -- or even Orton, dealing with a Halliwell-esquire partner?

This is where PRICK UP YOUR EARS succeeds while so many other biopics fail: while it does not shy away from the sensationalistic aspects of Orton's life, it never neglects the complex relationship beating at the center of the narrative. I can safely say it's one of the rare cases where I found myself relating on a human level to the biographical subjects, instead of dryly watching them from afar.

Director Stephen Frears deserves kudos for his warm, understated approach. It's almost hard to praise his directing because it's so unobtrusive; but this is exactly his strong point. He is confident in the story's inherent power, so he wisely gets out of the way and lets it unfold naturally.

And he is helped marvelously by the uniformly great performances; there simply isn't a wrong note struck by the cast. Even supporting roles, like those of Orton's sister and brother-in-law, feel like real human beings. Of course, the real standouts are Oldman, Molina and Redgrave.

Though his physical appearance isn't dramatically altered, Gary Oldman still seems unrecognizable compared to his previous work; this is how strongly he becomes Orton. His carefree swagger is by turns charming and infuriating. You understand why Halliwell is both entranced and insanely frustrated with him. He also looks a little bit like Dana Carvey - just by the by.

Molina is no less astonishing. Bald at 25, frustrated, neurotic, sexually incapable... the character is a hulking mass of awkwardness, but somehow he evokes tremendous sympathy. You alternately want to hug this guy and shake him silly. (The scene in which Orton is informed of his mother's death is heartbreaking - for both men's reactions.)

Meanwhile, Redgrave is a delight. Her line readings are exquisite and she gives the movie a crisp cleverness without crossing the line into self-indulgence.

For all the tragic and uncomfortable elements of Orton and Halliwell's relationship, the movie still features some hilarious scenes. The cheeky title, Orton and Halliwell's divergent accounts of their lifestyle together, the conversation with Brian Epstein, and Halliwell's "we were having a conversation" gave the movie a gleeful edge of naughtiness -- one the viewer suspects was strongly inspired by Orton's own approach to life and work.

In short, I highly recommend this movie. Though its description may seem sensationalistic -- a gay man brutally murders his successful young lover -- PRICK UP YOUR EARS triumphs as both a simple human drama and as a biography in which its subjects are made more intimate rather than more remote.