Longtime Companion

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

At the time of Longtime Companion's release in 1990, the devastating disease of AIDS was seen as a mysterious and deadly scourge, replete with rumors, lies, and panic. As the first narrative film to examine the AIDS epidemic, screenwriter Craig Lucas and director Norman René place the disease in an historical context, dramatizing the impact of the disease through time in a series of vignettes involving seven gay men. AIDS first made its presence felt surreptitiously, as an article in The New York Times reported on a rare cancer attacking gay men called Karposi's syndrome. Then the Village Voice began a series of in-depth articles concerning a "gay plague" which later became known as AIDS. The film follows the AIDS crisis through the lives of the seven main characters so that they are only aware of AIDS in the historical framework of each episode. The characters include former gay couple Willy (Campbell Scott) and John (Dermot Mulroney), first seen partying at a Fire Island club, who don't pay much attention to the mysterious article in The New York Times but become intimately effected by the disease. There is also Sean (Mark Lamos), a soap opera writer whose mind is slowly deteriorating because of the disease, and his supportive friend David (Bruce Davison). ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: 5.1, PCM Mono
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Subtitle: Spanish, French
• Features:
  • • Original theatrical trailer
    • English: mono
    • Spanish: mono
    • French and Spanish subtitles

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1990 (Bruce Davison)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Pictu - 1990 (Bruce Davison)

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 1990 (Bruce Davison)

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 1989 (Bruce Davison)

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Supporting Actor - 1990 (Bruce Davison)

• Sundance Film Festival

•     Won Audience Award - 1989 (Norman Rene)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Director:

  Norman Rene

• Producer:

  Lidsay Law, Lydia Dean Pilcher, Stan Wlodkowski

• Screenwriter:

  Craig Lucas

• Cinematographer:

  Tony Jannelli

• Composer (Music Score):

  Greg de Belles

• Musical Direction/Supervision:

  Lisa Vollack

• Editor:

  Katherine Wenning

• Production Designer:

  Andrew Jackness

• Art Director:

  Ruth Ammon

• Set Designer:

  Kate Conklin

• Costume Designer:

  Walter Hicklin

REVIEW:

• Aside from the regrettably little-seen Buddies (1985) and Parting Glances (1986), Longtime Companion (1990) was the first feature film to deal explicitly with AIDS. At the time of its release, few filmmakers had examined the impact of AIDS on those living and dying with the disease. Feature films about gay men were still a rarity, and films about gay men with AIDS were non-existent. Although the film has been criticized for its focus on white, upper-class men, it uses this comfortable insularity to demonstrate AIDS' devastating effects, capturing the "it can't happen to me" attitude and the subsequent, horrific realization that, yes, it can. In exposing the lingering horror of AIDS, the film presents one of the first and still most poignant celluloid portraits of love and affection among gay men. The importance of its content aside, Longtime Companion also remains a remarkable display of ensemble acting, with almost uniformly excellent performances from its entire cast. A particular stand-out is Oscar nominee Bruce Davison, whose "Let it go" speech to his dying lover is one of the screen's most affecting depictions of love and loss. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi