Tying the Knot (2004)

Director:

Jim de Sève

Genre:

Documentary | History | Romance

Tagline:

The union that's dividing America.

Plot:

A look at the debate over same sex marriage in the USA. The reasons behind it are illustrated with real...

Plot Keywords:

Law | Same Sex Marriage | Marriage | Sex | Metropolitan Community Church

Awards:

1 win

Cast

Bob Barr	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mary Bonauto	...	Herself (archive footage)
Brian Brown	...	Himself
Martin Bubbly	...	Himself (archive footage)
Pat Bumgardner	...	Herself (as Rev. Pat Bumgardner)
George W. Bush	...	Himself (archive footage)
Charles Canady	...	Himself (archive footage)
Daniel Castillo	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jane E. Castor	...	Herself
Bill Clinton	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jeff Cook	...	Himself
Francis Ford Coppola	...	Himself
James C. Dobson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Karen Doering	...	Herself
Arthur Evans	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Fisher	...	Himself
Bill Frist	...	Himself (archive footage)
E.J. Graff	...	Herself
Phil Gramm	...	Himself (archive footage)
Steve Gunderson	...	Himself (archive footage)
Mark T. Hamby	...	Himself
Jenny	...	Herself
Kennegth	...	Himself
John Kerry	...	Himself (archive footage)
Larry King	...	Himself (archive footage)
John Lewis	...	Himself (archive footage)
Louis	...	Himself
Mildred Loving	...	Herself (archive footage)
Richard Perry Loving	...	Himself (archive footage)
Brenda Marrero	...	Herself (archive footage)
Lois Marrero	...	Herself (archive footage)
Mickie Marshburn	...	Herself
Shannon Minter	...	Himself
Mirabelle	...	Herself
Marilyn Musgrave	...	Herself (archive footage)
Pat Neff	...	Herself
Pam	...	Herself
Troy Perry	...	Himself
Betsy Pinkerton	...	Herself
Connie Ress	...	Herself
Victor Robles	...	Himself
Mitt Romney	...	Himself (archive footage)
Sam	...	Himself
Sophia	...	Herself
Arthur Sullivan	...	Himself
Jim Talent	...	Himself (archive footage)
Tom	...	Himself
Kees van Staalduinen	...	Himself
Mary Vail Ware	...	Herself
Maxine Waters	...	Herself (archive footage)
Evan Wolfson	...	Himself
Sam Beaumont	...	Himself (uncredited)

Directed by
Jim de Sève

Produced by
Jim de Sève	....	producer
Anna Gavanas	....	associate producer
Joshua Koffman	....	co-producer
Matthew Lavine	....	co-producer (as Matt Lavine)
Stephen Pelletier	....	producer
Matthew Pond	....	associate producer (as Matthew Wilson Pond)
Peter Pope	....	associate producer
Parvez Sharma	....	associate producer
Justin Tan	....	co-producer
Kian Tjong	....	producer
Mike de Seve	....	associate producer (uncredited)

Film Editing by
Jim de Sève
Stephen Pelletier
Constance Rodgers

Art Department
Christian Calabro	....	graphic designer: Growing Studio
Evan Gaffney	....	graphic designer
Christopher Kornmann	....	graphic designer

Sound Department
Stephen Pelletier	....	audio mastering
David Scarborough	....	audio mastering

Camera and Electrical Department
Roberto Bruzadin	....	still photographer
Yaniv Dabach	....	additional camera
Steve de Sève	....	still photographer
Brad Fortier	....	additional camera
Virpi Kanervo	....	still photographer
Pasquale Leonardo	....	additional camera
Phil Maynes	....	additional camera
Gaetano Minneci	....	additional camera
Tan Nguyen	....	additional camera
Matthew Pond	....	additional camera (as Matthew Wilson Pond)
Matthew Pond	....	still photographer (as Matthew Wilson Pond)
Charlotte Schwalb	....	additional camera
Parvez Sharma	....	additional camera
Randolfe Wicker	....	additional camera
Eric Juhola	....	cinematographer: additional footage (uncredited)
Jeremy Stulberg	....	cinematographer: additional footage (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Ting W. Bell	....	associate editor
Sebastian Cordoba	....	associate editor
Slava Faybysh	....	associate editor

Other crew
Suzanne Ackerman	....	outreach volunteer
Fred J. Berg	....	legal consultant
Susan H. Bodine	....	legal services: Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein (as Susan Bodine)
Andrea F. Cannistraci	....	legal services: Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein (as Andrea Cannistraci)
Stephen Cooper	....	web consultant
Charles de Selle	....	outreach volunteer
Jim de Sève	....	development
Karen de Sève	....	outreach volunteer
Steve de Sève	....	web consultant
David Feder	....	outreach volunteer
Ben Feldman	....	legal services
Jerry Goodman	....	outreach volunteer
Jesse Goodman	....	outreach volunteer
Mimi Goodman	....	outreach volunteer
Any Halloran	....	story consultant
Petra Hanson	....	outreach volunteer
Mark Ippoliti	....	production assistant
Pamela Lee	....	production assistant
Jon Levin	....	technical assistant
Matt Levine	....	creative consultant
Nancy McGrath	....	development
Christopher Milson	....	web consultant
Max Oliva	....	outreach volunteer
Katie Robbins	....	additional researcher
Brandi Robinson	....	production assistant
Sarah Robinson	....	production assistant
Natalie Stanford	....	legal services: Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein (as Natalie Sanford)
Drovana Sun	....	production assistant
Bonaventure Tain	....	production assistant
Kian Tjong	....	development
Jaime Zarafonetis	....	outreach volunteer
Jaime Zarafonetis	....	production assistant

Thanks
Alan Cumming	....	special thanks
Thomas Hatcher	....	generous funder
Timothy Hutton	....	special thanks
Arthur Laurents	....	generous funder
David Maltz	....	generous funder
Liam Neeson	....	generous funder
Yoko Ono	....	generous funder (as Yoko Onio Lennon)
Troy Perry	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• 1,049 Films

Distributors

• Roadside Attractions (USA) (theatrical)

Other Companies

• Epstein, Levinsohn, Bodine, Hurwitz & Weinstein  legal services
• Film/Video Arts  fiscal sponsorship
• Growing Studio  graphic design
• Jeremy Walker + Associates  public relations
• MPRM Public Relations  public relations

Also Known As:

Runtime:

USA:81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

USA:Unrated

Company:

1,049 Films

Movie Connections:

Featured in 2005 Glitter Awards (2005) (V)

Irrefutably Humanizes a Hot-Button Issue

Jim de Seve's documentary may not be a good example of good pacing, but rather than making a political or religious argument by and large about the issue of gay marriage, it presents what one simply could not refute, what no one can justify in opposition: Personal individual, and highly unlikely, filmed documents of cases in which it is made perfectly clear that civil unions cut no ice in court, made loud and clear that even some of the most likable working people you know are voting for politicians who cause these horrible things to happen to decent people, people who are gay and nonetheless had the most remarkable relationships of any of those around them, most of whom are very loyal and understanding to these people, whose stories you will never quite live down, or understand how anyone could live them.

This enraging low-budget film anesthetizes us a little with its binding array of well-versed speakers and heated sound bites from supporters and opponents correspondingly as it follows the history of marriage, but I am not sure how well one will remember most of this by the end of the film, because what will be resonating are its very personal chronicles of two such ill-fated unions.

One account concerns the marriage of lesbian Florida police officers, sadly severed a decade later when one was fatally shot in the line of duty. The deceased's family, who had hardly kept in touch with her and only when the possibility of finding a loophole in her civil union to get the money she left for her grieving lover, they show up. Even more heartbreaking is the story of Oklahoma farmers Earl and Sam, who lived together for 22 years and raised Sam's three sons from his previous marriage. Earl willed the ranch to Sam, as well as making him beneficiary of his 401(K) retirement fund. But the family, who again had not been in contact with Earl for many many years, opposed and not only kicked him off the property, but demanded back rent from Sam, who has had to sell his horses and still can't pay the bill.

No one deserves these lives, except maybe for those who are inflicting this kind of infuriating suffering and glaring, barbaric injustice. The director of Tying the Knot De Sève justly depicts gay marriage as a civil rights issue. Frankly, why would anyone dispute a documentary for not giving a voice to bigots or to discrimination? Nobody would advise such elaborate balance with a documentary about slavery or women's suffrage. But he does give a fair amount of time to significant opponents James Dobson of Focus on the Family and Sen. Bob Barr, sponsor of the ridiculous and groundless Defense of Marriage Act.

The film begins with archival footage of a 1971 demonstration at the Manhattan city clerk's office and ends with the cancelling out of 4,000-plus marriages in California and 2,000-plus in Virginia in 2004. No matter which side of the case you are on, Tying the Knot is worth seeing for its relevance and how powerfully it humanizes such an issue that people just like Earl and Sam and those Florida cops are voting to perpetuate.