[sci.med.aids] Longtime Companions

ericb@banzai.PCC.COM (Eric Burkett) (07/01/90)

In article <36451@shemp.CS.UCLA.EDU> CORCORAN%MAINE.BITNET@oac.ucla.edu (John Corcoran) writes:
>I was really surprised by the film (Longtime Companion) , partially because I
expected it
>to be no better than the "Making Love" type stuff.  It is a general
>release flim, after all.  The AIDS business was well handled, but
>what surprised me most was the gay characters didn't seem to have
>been terribly sanitized for public presentation.  I never expected
>to see familiar gay characters in such a flick.  Could it be America
>is getting ready for gay people?
>
>And I confess, any move that has a central character called "Fuzzy"
>is a movie I want to see.

Jay and I saw "Longtime Companion" last week after the Pride march in
Montpelier.  We both loved it- I was visibly touched, and Jay broke down into
tears (one scene in particular brought back some very painful memories).

I had fully expected a nice little white-washed version of gay life that left us
as asexual pretty boys (after all, NEWSWEEK loved it), and was quite surprised
to find a screen full of gay men that I might know. This movie has shown gay men
as never seen before.  We were conscientious, sexual, responsible, productive,
and real.  In addition to being bitchy, campy, elegant, tasteful, hedonistic,
and fun.  Maybe it's the start of something new.  Perhaps I'm being overly
optimistic.

By the way, it was a pleasure meeting you in Portland, and later again in
Boston.  I hope I'll have the pleasure again some time.

-Eric Burkett