Love! Valour! Compassion! is a 1997 drama film directed by Joe Mantello and written by Terrence McNally, adapted from McNally's play of the same name.[1] It revolves around eight gay men who gather for three summer weekends at a lakeside house in Dutchess County, New York, where they relax, reflect, and plan for survival in an era plagued by AIDS.[2]
| Love! Valour! Compassion! | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Joe Mantello |
| Screenplay by | Terrence McNally |
| Based on | Love! Valour! Compassion! by Terrence McNally |
| Produced by | Doug Chapin |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Alik Sakharov |
| Edited by | Colleen Sharp |
| Music by | Harold Wheeler |
| Distributed by | Fine Line Features |
Release date |
|
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $2 million |
| Box office | $2.9 million |
As with many screen adaptations of stage plays, the script underwent numerous changes, eliminating almost all direct addresses to the audience and the conclusion of one of the subplots. Mantello was nominated for the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.
Synopsis
editThe story of eight gay male friends who spend the three major holiday weekends of one summer (Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day) together at a lakeside house in Dutchess County, New York in the mid 1990s. The house belongs to Gregory, a successful Broadway choreographer now approaching middle age, who fears he is losing his creativity, and his twenty-something lover Bobby, a legal assistant who is blind. Each of the guests at their house is connected to Gregory's work in one way or another. Arthur and his longtime partner Perry are business consultants; John Jeckyll, a sour and promiscuous Englishman, is a dance accompanist; and die-hard musical theater fanatic Buzz Hauser is a costume designer and the most stereotypical gay man in the group. Only John's summer lover Ramon and twin brother James are outside the circle of friends. Ramon is outgoing and eventually makes a place for himself in the group, while James is such a gentle soul that he is quickly welcomed. Infidelity, flirting, AIDS, skinny-dipping, truth-telling, and soul-searching mix questions about life and death with a dress rehearsal for Swan Lake performed in drag.
Cast
editIn this film adaptation, McNally reunited the original cast, with the exceptions of Nathan Lane and Anthony Heald. Jason Alexander stepped in for Lane and Stephen Spinella replaced Heald.
| Role | 1995 Broadway Opening Night Cast |
1997 Film Cast |
|---|---|---|
| Gregory Mitchell | Stephen Bogardus | |
| John & James Jeckyll | John Glover | |
| Perry Sellars | Anthony Heald | Stephen Spinella |
| Buzz Hauser | Nathan Lane | Jason Alexander |
| Ramon Fornos | Randy Becker | |
| Arthur Pape | John Benjamin Hickey | |
| Bobby Brahms | Justin Kirk | |
Reception
editRotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 71% from 24 reviews.[3]
Further reading
edit- McNally, Terrence (1995). Love! Valor! Compassion!. New York: Dramatists Play Service. pp. 104 pp. ISBN 0-8222-1467-9.
References
edit- ^ Holden, Stephen (May 16, 1997). "Love Valour Compassion (1997) Tenderness and Rage Residing in Men's Hearts". The New York Times.
- ^ Bell, Chris (2006). "American AIDS Film". In Gerstner, David A. (ed.). Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 28–29. ISBN 9780415306515. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
- ^ "Love! Valour! Compassion!". Rotten Tomatoes.