Angels in America (2003– )

Playwright Tony Kushner adapts his political epic about the AIDS crisis during the mid-eighties, around a group of separate but connected individuals.

Stars:

Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson

Won 5 Golden Globes. Another 34 wins & 27 nominations.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Al Pacino	...	Roy Cohn (2 episodes, 2003)
Meryl Streep	...	Ethel Rosenberg (2 episodes, 2003)
Emma Thompson	...	Nurse Emily (2 episodes, 2003)
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Harper Pitt (2 episodes, 2003)
Jeffrey Wright	...	Belize (2 episodes, 2003)
Justin Kirk	...	Prior Walter (2 episodes, 2003)
Ben Shenkman	...	Louis Ironson (2 episodes, 2003)
Patrick Wilson	...	Joe Pitt (2 episodes, 2003)
James Cromwell	...	Roy's Doctor (2 episodes, 2003)

Storyline

God has abandoned Heaven. It's 1985: the Reagans are in the White House and Death swings the scythe of AIDS. In Manhattan, Prior Walter tells Lou, his lover of four years, he's ill; Lou bolts. As disease and loneliness ravage Prior, guilt invades Lou. Joe Pitt, an attorney who is Mormon and Republican, is pushed by right-wing fixer Roy Cohn toward a job at the Justice Department. Both Pitt and Cohn are in the closet: Pitt out of shame and religious turmoil, Cohn to preserve his power and access. Pitt's wife Harper is strung out on Valium, aching to escape a sexless marriage. An angel invites Prior to be a prophet in death. Pitt's mother and Belize, a close friend, help Prior choose.

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Plot Keywords:

death | aids | religious | marriage | closet | 

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Taglines:

The messenger has arrived.

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Details

Official Sites:

HBO

Country:

USA Italy

Language:

English Hebrew Aramaic Yiddish French

Release Date:

7 December 2003 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ameerika inglid

Filming Locations:

Bethesda Fountain, Central Park, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$60,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Avenue Pictures Productions, HBO Films, Panorama Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

352 min 352 min (6 parts)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the funeral speech at the start of the movie, the rabbi is reading the names of the children and grandchildren of the deceased woman, and he stops on the name "Eric," asking "Eric? This is a Jewish name?" The playwright of "Angels in America," Tony Kushner, has a real-life younger brother named "Eric"; the Kushners are a Jewish family.

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Goofs

The movie takes place in 1985, yet the funeral in Perestroika shows a drag queen dressed as a Barbra Streisand circa 1993.

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Quotes

Harper: You mean like no Eskimo in Antarctica.
Mr. Lies: Correcto. Ice and snow, no Eskimo. Even hallucinations have laws.
Harper: Well then who's that?
Mr. Lies: [surprised] An Eskimo.

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Crazy Credits

Person Generally in Charge of Everything Aaron Geller

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Connections

References Mr. Wizard (1971)

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Soundtracks

"Shall We Gather At The River?"
(hymn written in 1864)
Music and Lyrics by Robert Lowry (1826-1899)
Performed by Meryl Streep and choir

User Reviews

Maddening and fascinating

There was a statement that was going through my head while watching "Angels in America": I know what art is when I see it. Just like art, this ambitious miniseries dares the viewer to have an opinion on the various subjects brought up by screenwriter/playwright Tony Kuchner.

I saw the miniseries one chapter at a time, which may or may not have been a good idea to get the full impact of the point. At least it did motivate me to read both of Kuchner's "Angels" plays.

I found it to be both a frustrating and challenging miniseries. There were the great performances by Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Justin Kirk, and Jeffrey Wright and the good performances by Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Patrick Wright and, in a small role, James Cromwell.

I find it rather humorous that some people thought Al Pacino was miscast as Roy Cohn. Though this is Kuchner's fictional view of Cohn and having seen the real Roy Cohn in television interviews, I though Pacino was not too far from the essence of who Cohn was: an ambitious but very bitter gay man in denial who helped his notable clients but was always out for himself. Cohn was rabid dog without a leash. This was Pacino's first television role and I though he did a great job. (Correction: Pacino's only television acting role prior to "Angels in America" and not including the edited version of "The Godfather Saga" was the short-lived but critically-acclaimed ABC drama "N.Y.P.D." (1967-69).

I did have a few problems with the mini-series. The role played by Ben Shenkman (Louis) was incredibly annoying. I heard that role is Tony Kuchner's alter ego. Louis redeems himself at the end but I found him to be a whiny, cowardly man who had difficulty counting his blessings. I loved it when after Louis' typically long diatribes, Belize (Jeffrey Wright) verbally put him down with a just a few words.

In both plays, many of the actors played multiple roles. It seems more of a gimmick on the small screen, though I think Streep and Wright fared best.

The always dependable Thomas Newman has fashioned a haunting musical score. It was minimalistic and very memorable. The theme has been on my mind ever since I first heard the theme when the miniseries won various awards at the Golden Globes. (Update: The miniseries received 21 Emmy nominations and won a record (for miniseries) 11 Emmys. For some mysterious reason, Newman's brilliant score was overlooked.)

I don't see this play adapted for the big screen without chopping a lot of things out. Congratulations to Mike Nichols and the cast and crew for taking a chance adapting "Angels in America" to television.