A young lawyer hasn't told his parents about his homosexuality. Now he must tell them--at a time when the diagnosis was still a death sentence--that he has AIDS.
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Title: An Early Frost (TV Movie 1985)
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Gena Rowlands | ... | Katherine Pierson | |
| Ben Gazzara | ... | Nick Pierson | |
| Sylvia Sidney | ... | Beatrice McKenna | |
| Aidan Quinn | ... | Michael Pierson | |
| D.W. Moffett | ... | Peter Hilton | |
| John Glover | ... | Victor DiMato | |
| Sydney Walsh | ... | Susan Maracek | |
| Terry O'Quinn | ... | Dr. Redding | |
| Bill Paxton | ... | Bob Maracek | |
| Cheryl Anderson | ... | Christine | |
| Christopher Bradley | ... | Todd | |
 |
Sue Ann Gilfillan | ... | Nurse Lincoln |
| Don Hood | ... | Dr. Gilbert | |
|
|
Barbara Hey | ... | Meredith |
| Scott Jaeck | ... | Phil | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
Set in the mid-eighties Michael Pierson, a young gay man, is struck with AIDS in the prime of his life. He's forced to be open about the disease and his homosexuality for the first time with his co-workers (he's a successful lawyer) and family. He, and the people around him, must face up to the inevitablity of his death and the disease that's killing him. "An Early Frost" was many people's first look at an AIDS victim as a human being instead of a statistic. Written by Susan Southall <stobchatay@aol.com>
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D.W. Moffett would work for Terry O'Quinn as FBI agents in the neo noir Black Widow two years later. See more »Frequently Asked Questions
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
11 November 1985 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
Un printemps de glace See more »Filming Locations:
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A young gay man (Adian Quinn) becomes stricken with AIDS. He now has to come out to his parents (Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara) AND tell them he has an incurable disease.
For its time this was extraordinary. Back in 1985 AIDS was still considered a gay mans disease and most TV shows wouldn't touch the subject. NBC should be congratulated on having the courage to greenlight this and present it (also it got HUGE ratings when it first played). The acting is exceptional--Quinn is just perfect and Rowlands is incredible as his mother. Gazzara is also good but not as good as the other two--he seems to be holding back. And it was a surprise to see John Glover playing a man dying on AIDS--he usually played villains. Also the ending didn't offer any false hope--there was no miracle cure to save this man. For a TV movie that was incredible.
The film isn't perfect. Some of the dialogue is bad (especially between Quinn and Gazzara) and Quinn's boyfriend leaves him at the beginning--only to show up again at the end. Sorry but that wouldn't have happened back then. Also today AIDS is not a death sentence. People are living and there are some treatment that are working. Still this is an exceptional movie and a definite milestone in TV history. Recommended.