okay, I'll go easy... you get one favorite in Part 1 and one favorite in Part 2. Pick 'em and weep.
(I acknowledge that this is a bit of a steal from GI's 'SINGLE favorite line' thread, but oh well. I guess I'm tired of seeing all the angry trollbait threads at the top of the board.) Come on kids, let's have some fun! Remember fun? Favorite scenes.... go!
[deleted]
the prior/harper dream sequence, just beautiful and haunting.
belize telling roy about heaven and hell
when louis leaves prior - heartbreaking. and harpers breakdown
wow.
I am so happy this thread is still alive. years later.
just watched Part 2 again on HBO (yeah, they are re-reunning it so set your Tivos, fans)
and would have to say my favorite scene from this part is the one where Lou sings the Kaddish and Ethel comes back to help him. so haunting and beautiful.
has anything HBO has done even come close to AinA? not so much. such a great piece of work.
Leave my mother out of it. Which is usually where my mother is. Out if it."
[deleted]
Hello old friends!!! It is so great to see you back on the board. I Daesie, I agree with you. The scene where Prior dances with Louis to Moon River is still my favorite. SO beautiful and heartwrenching. In fact, it think it is my favorite scene of any movie, ever.
I have been watching a chapter at a time on demand - it is like a treat I give myself after working all day. I have to say, that although Prior is definitely my favorite character,probably of all time, I am truly enthralled by Ben Shenkman's performances. He is truly an amazing actor.Every nuance is right on the money.
Sheba and Daesie, wouldnt it be fun if more of the 'old timers' were still around?
[deleted]
daesie
thanks for naming your cat after me.... tee hee.
"Leave my mother out of it. Which is usually where my mother is. Out if it."
Part 1: Harper's hallucination/Prior's dream
Part 2: Roy tricking Ethel into believing he's dead. I love that moment.
I couldn't possibly pick a single scene. . . I was glued to the tv during the entire film! However, it did take me 3 days to watch it all.
shareSo incredibly hard to pick one single 'best' scene. There are so very many.
But, if I was given no choice but to pick ONE ............ nope, sorry, I can't. It would be unfair on other scenes to pick one over them and, of course, 'best' is always subjective. :-)
I'll second that :)
The whole piece is just extraordinary. Beautiful in every detail.
[deleted]
[deleted]
[deleted]
What is so cool about this thread is that it started 7 years ago for god's sake and it's still going strong. I have basically just spend the entire weekend watching a rented version of this dvd - twice in it's entirety, plus the many times I rewound individual scenes, and while it's not perfect (overlong imo) I do think overall that it's fairly amazing.
Favorite scenes (sorry, no way I can name just one):
Initial one between Prior and Louis after the grandma's funeral. I love their physicality with each other once they round the corner of the building so that it's now "safe" to be affectionate. I adore Justin Kirk's imitation of 'macho' "Lou"'s more butch voice. (Although I have to say, Louis is not exactly all the fey in the way he speaks in general).
All the scenes between these two actors I find amazing. The one when they are simply lying around in bed in their jammies comes to mind. They are so ridiculously believable as a couple, it's quite striking. The park scene when Louis just wants to see him much later on and Prior tells him not to return until his bruises are visible and storms off. Amazing *beep*
Certainly the dueling breakup/abandonment scene is incredible. Must have watched that 5 times this weekend. The terror of recognition in Harper's face when she realized the man with the knives under the bed has been Joe all along. Jesus! I find the camera work in Louis/Prior bit amazing - that they decide to have the actors look directly into the camera when speaking to each other makes it all the more direct and horrifying. The cruelness of the scene and especially Prior's biting sarcasm about the courtroom and 'this man's heart is deficient!' and of course that scream at the end which sends Louis (deservedly) running. And when the nurse comes running in and Prior says simply "I hurt all over" - makes my hair stand on end.
Any scene feature Al Pacino but especially the schmoozing dinner scene where he finally breaks it to Joe that he's offering him the Justice Dept job in DC basically as a bribe to make sure he (Roy) isn't disbarred. When the camera closes in after the 3rd man at the table leaves, and Pacino/Roy is literally bearing his teeth to Joe. Wow.
Belize is incredible in every scene. I love him telling off Louis in the diner and outside in the rain. I love him with Roy Cohn exchanging insults until Roy says he can have a bottle of the AZT. And Belize telling him not to have radiation or do the double blind study. Fantastic *beep*
The drag scene between Prior and Harper is certainly a favorite. I cracked up when I realized that Justin Kirk was actually walking in heels in that scene. And like others have pointed out, when Harper leans close to tell him a part of him is entirely disease free. God! And when he tells her her husband is gay, in response. And when he says to her that she's amazingly unhappy and her reaction is so funny: "oh big deal, I'm a valium addict - what did you expect ?"
Louis in the rain after he's just heard to his horror that his new lover is Cohn's "butt boy" - the way the veins on his neck are literally standing out as he shouts - wow. Fabulous acting.
Certainly the moon river slow dance - holy crap that is amazing, and ridiculously romantic (if heartbreaking) though I'm sorry they went with that song, especially that muzak version of it - ugh! I noticed on my second (or was it 5th) viewing of this scene that Prior's hair is all greased down and messy just before Louis appears on the stairs, and it's then full and clean and beautiful (as it was in the very first scene of the film) when Louis calls to him asking him to dance. Prior imagines himself as healthy and back to the way he was before, with his man. Sigh.
I love the appearance of the earlier Prior Walters, especially when our Prior tells the first one that he is gay and the man tells him 'yes, be happy! - what does that have to do with having no wife?' and then when the two of them see Prior and Louis dancing and the first Prior says he now understands why he has no kids - "he's a sodomite", to which the other Prior says the equivalent of "oh will you shut up, cretin".
I love love love the first meeting of Mother Pitt and Prior inside the Mormon Visitor's Center when she asks him if he's a typical homo, and he says, ya I'm stereotypical, "what, do you mean a hairdresser ? Because that would be your lucky day". That is brilliantly funny,
As is the scene where Prior barges in to take a look at his "replacement" - Joe, in Joe's office, and as soon as he opens the door, he begins moaning and saying, "oh no" and yelling that he's a prophet and he should keep a file on broken hearts all while Joe is completely baffled, only to then say "oh sorry, wrong office". That is genius funny. And outside the office, Joe follows them into the hallway and how Prior cannot help being catty and snapping at Joe with everything he's got - "ask him yourself ! what do I look like, a marriage counselor ?!" Some of the funniest stuff I've maybe ever seen.
Certainly the Yiddish ? death prayer spoken between Louis and Ethel Rosenberg is smazing. Have to love when Louis walks out and says "what do you mean fine, that was *beep* miraculous!"
Oh god, I've gone on too far. I'll stop now ...
I must say, bboinng, I really very much enjoyed reading your post. I love the scenes you've mentioned. Please write more often :)
The first scenes in the synagogue when Rabbi Streep talks about the grandmother's journey across the ocean, praising her.
Also "Eric - is that a Jewish name?" :)
And truly, Prior and Louis have an amazing chemistry between them - it's wonderful work by the actors. All sorts of emotions are at display: passion, gentleness, hurt, heartbreaking. The break-up scene is fantastic. It's similar to the dream with Prior and Harper when they sit by the mirror and the camera films the mirror view. The detail and composure of Mike Nichols is just stunning.
James Cromwells brief but important appearances.
The camera zooming out from Louis by the diner (after having that amazing dialogue, well, prologue with Belize), up towards the clouds, sweeping down again to Harper hallucinating away with Mr Lies in Antarctica, where tears freeze and there are no trees.
The earlier Priors, wonderful actors, the great Michael Gambon (I mean, the casting for the film is utterly incredible!)
Al Pacino of course, making what I think one of the best performances on screen of his career. And even though it's actually PACINO - any actor, one would think, would be intimidated at his side - Jeffrey Wright as Belize does an amazing job just bouncing every insult right back at him.
And just as you mentioned, the dinner scene, Pacino saying through his teet, "I'm SICK, they smell I'm WEAK".
The adorable, wonderful Meryl Streep notably loving every minute of this movie, giving her all in every line she speaks, every gesture she makes, every character she portrays in the film.
Mother Pitt, "I'm sorry that you're psychotic but just make an effort!".
Putting a scarf on the broken Harper, after telling her about the disappointment of life, and how after a while you accept it - which in itself is a disappointment.
Also Joe Pitt, the tragic character, torn, who wants everything and ends up with nothing.
The great human tragedy really.
The music, the lighting in the Angel scenes, that warm golden shine, and did I mention the music? What a soundtrack. So tender and beautiful. I've watched this film countless times and at every occasion I get goosebumps when the main track is played and the clouds and the sky appear, taking us across America.
You got me going. :) Let's keep this thread and board alive!
The hospital scenes between Roy Cone and Ethel Rosenberg.
shareThat shot of Meryl Streep as Hannah after she's been kissed by the angel, falling slowly back into the hospital bed, her beatific face full of quiet joy and serene pleasure! Amazing!
Also, Belize talking to Louis about forgiveness. "It should be hard to forgive, it shouldn't be easy. If it were easy, it wouldn't count."
does this count as one scene? I love the whole sequence from when the Black Angel crashes thru the hospital ceiling, Pryor ascends to Heaven on the flaming ladder, and tells the bureacrats/angels "I want to live past hope. I want more life."
share
When Belize says Roy Cohn IS America: terminal, crazy, and mean. Could be talking about any tea partier or conservative today.
At least there will be plenty implied.
1 - "SO MANY LAWS! FIND ONE YOU CAN BREAK!"
2 - "NO YOU DIDN'T, ETHEL, I FOOLED YOU!"