Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)

Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory's "significant other," who is blind but who ... See full summary »

Director:

Joe Mantello

Writers:

Terrence McNally (play), Terrence McNally (screenplay)

Stars:

Jason Alexander, Stephen Spinella, Stephen Bogardus

1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jason Alexander	...	Buzz Hauser
Stephen Spinella	...	Perry Sellars
Stephen Bogardus	...	Gregory Mitchell
Randy Becker	...	Ramon Fornos
John Benjamin Hickey	...	Arthur Pape
Justin Kirk	...	Bobby Brahms
John Glover	...	John Jeckyll, James Jeckyll

Storyline

Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory's "significant other," who is blind but who loves to explore the home's garden using his sense of touch; Art and Perry, two "yuppies" who drive a Volvo and who celebrate their 14th anniversary together that summer; John, a dour expatriate Briton who loathes his twin brother James; Ramon, John's "companion," who is physically attracted to Bobby and immediately tries to seduce the blind man; James, a cheerful soul who is in the advanced stages of AIDS; and Buzz, a fan of traditional Broadway musicals who is dealing with his own HIV-positive status.

---

Plot Keywords:

summer | blind man | upstate new york | twin brother | aids | 

---

Taglines:

Eight men. One summer. Figure it out.

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for graphic nudity, some sexuality and strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Fine Line promotional site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 May 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ahava Ometz V'Hemla

Filming Locations:

Beauharnois, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$167,345 (USA) (16 May 1997)

Gross:

$2,874,242 (USA) (8 August 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Krost/Chapin Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Stephen Bogardus was nominated for the 1995 Tony Award (New York City) for Supporting or Features Actor in a Drama for "Love! Valour! Compassion!" and recreated the role in the film version.

---

Goofs

The amount of milk in a bottle does not match the amount of milk on the floor after the bottle is dropped and broken.

---

Quotes

Perry: One thing you are NOT is a big queen.
Arthur: You're right, I'm butch; I can catch a ball, I genuinely like both my parents, and I hate opera. I don't know why I bother being gay.

---

Connections

Referenced in Cecil B. DeMented (2000)

---

Soundtracks

"Dance of the Four Little Swans"
(uncredited)
from "Swan Lake, Op.20"
Written by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Performed on piano by John Glover
Played also on a record

User Reviews

Sweet and Sad and Excellent

Adapted from a hit play by Terence McNally and utilizing most of the original stage cast, this film cannot hide its theatrical roots... nor should it.

This is a sweet and sad story set against a perfect summer at a perfect country estate in upstate New York (?) that shows the lives of 8 gay men as they come to terms with AIDS, death, love, compassion, and the thin bonds of friendship that hold them together.

Their summer idyll is a microcosm that, apart from the real world we never see, touches us all because it is their humanity that dominates this story. That one is a dancer, a lawyer, a choreographer, etc. is unimportant. They are 8 gay men whose lives are intertwined in love, valour, and compassion.

Jason Alexander is very good in the Nathan Lane role, the portly man dying of AIDS who, late in life finds love. John Glover is brilliant (repeating his Tony-winning role) as twins: one a nasty hateful man; the other a sweet man whose death from AIDS is imminent. Stephen Spinella and John Benjamin Hickey are solid as the yuppie long-term couple. Stephen Bogardus is warm as the stuttering host, Justin Kirk is surprisingly good as the blind man, and Randy Becker is good as the Latino hunk whose causes so much trouble.

The film is full of stereotypes and warm humor and terrific moments of truth. This is not a revolutionary film that tries to change the world, but it is a wise and bittersweet look at the lives of gay men in the time of AIDS, men whose lives are shattered (and ended) by a cruel and heartless disease.

There's nothing earth-shattering here, no insights that make the lives of gay men clear and understandable to non-gays. But it is a work of great honesty and simplicity in showing 8 gay men as.... human beings.

The scene, when the men go skinnydipping under a summer moon is beautiful in its complete innocence. No viewer can fail to understand their childlike glee in such a simple pleasure.

This film is a must see just because it is not a strident, political rant against the horrors of AIDS. The characters, especially those played by Glover and Alexander, accept their fates with great dignity, humor, and valour. This film is a great tribute to all our victims of AIDS, and a silent condemnation to the society and politics that let it happen.