Film No. 59 (2015) August 15th. 10.45 AM LUNA Leederville.
"Do what you wanna do, be what you wanna be Yeah". (The lyrics of Because I Love You by The Masters Apprentices, a moving centre piece song).
Holding The Man.
Neil Armfield showed us how brilliantly he could extract moving performances from young actors (Cornish and Ledger) in Candy (2006). Nine years on and Armfield returns to our screens with Holding the Man. The true love story of Timothy Conigrave (Ryan Corr) and John Caleo (Craig Stott) based on Conigrave's memoir published 20 years ago. He has not lost the ability to move us but I feel Candy is the superior work.
The film relies on the performances of Corr and Caleo. Both young actors are learning their craft and this test proves they have the potential to take their careers to a new level. So much of the onscreen affection displayed by Conigrave and Caleo would have divided an audience 20 years ago but because of our world's understanding of homosexuality, we are less confronted. We are able to invest our attention in two people who grow to love one another.
Holding the Man is a period piece depicting a love story from the 70's and 80's. The issues and themes reflected in the film divided the world at the time. People were confronted with HIV and AIDS; diseases people knew little about. A film of this quality is a great reminder and discussion point for people of varying generations. In the same way Breaker Morant reminds us of a an unjust issue from our past, Holding the Man reminds us of a time when a health epidemic gripped society.
So why is Candy the superior film? Holding the Man is more staged. It's adapted from a book which was translated to stage. There are scenes in Holding the Man which are reenactments of the stage play. Live theatre can take its time when dwelling on the most moving and poignant moments. To emulate that on film in exactly the same way means scenes can lose their relevance. This happens on a couple of occasions in Holding the Man. It is often hard to compare original screenplays with adapted versions. Never the less, Holding the Man will be well received. 8GUMS.
The film relies on the performances of Corr and Caleo. Both young actors are learning their craft and this test proves they have the potential to take their careers to a new level. So much of the onscreen affection displayed by Conigrave and Caleo would have divided an audience 20 years ago but because of our world's understanding of homosexuality, we are less confronted. We are able to invest our attention in two people who grow to love one another.
Holding the Man is a period piece depicting a love story from the 70's and 80's. The issues and themes reflected in the film divided the world at the time. People were confronted with HIV and AIDS; diseases people knew little about. A film of this quality is a great reminder and discussion point for people of varying generations. In the same way Breaker Morant reminds us of a an unjust issue from our past, Holding the Man reminds us of a time when a health epidemic gripped society.
So why is Candy the superior film? Holding the Man is more staged. It's adapted from a book which was translated to stage. There are scenes in Holding the Man which are reenactments of the stage play. Live theatre can take its time when dwelling on the most moving and poignant moments. To emulate that on film in exactly the same way means scenes can lose their relevance. This happens on a couple of occasions in Holding the Man. It is often hard to compare original screenplays with adapted versions. Never the less, Holding the Man will be well received. 8GUMS.
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