Love! Valour! Compassion! | |
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Directed by | Joe Mantello |
Produced by | Doug Chapin |
Written by | Terrence McNally |
Starring | Jason Alexander Stephen Spinella Stephen Bogardus Randy Becker John Benjamin Hickey Justin Kirk John Glover |
Music by | Harold Wheeler |
Cinematography | Alik Sakharov |
Editing by | Colleen Sharp |
Distributed by | Fine Line Features |
Release date(s) | January 25, 1997 |
Running time | 108 min. |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $2 million |
Box office | $2.9 million |
Love! Valour! Compassion! is a 1997 film adaptation by Terrence McNally of his play of the same name, revolving around eight gay men who gather for three summer weekends. The setting is at a lakeside house in Dutchess County, two hours north of New York City where they relax, reflect, and plan for survival in an era plagued by AIDS.
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. This remains the only theatrical film directed by Joe Mantello, who was nominated for the Grand Special Prize at the Deauville Film Festival.
Contents |
In this film adaptation, McNally reunited the original cast, with the exceptions of Nathan Lane and Anthony Heald. Seinfeld co-star Jason Alexander stepped in for Lane and Stephen Spinella replaced Heald.
Role | 1995 Broadway Opening Night Cast |
1997 Film Cast |
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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 |
The story of eight male friends who spend the three major holiday weekends of one summer - Memorial Day, the Fourth of July, and Labor Day - together at a house in upstate New York. 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 happens to be blind. Each of the guests at their house is connected to Gregory’s work in one way or another - Arthur and longtime partner Perry are business consultants; John Jeckyll, a sour and promiscuous Englishman, is a dance accompanist; die-hard musical theater fanatic Buzz Hauser is a costume designer and the most stereotypically gay man in the group. Only John's summer lover, Ramon, and John's twin brother James are outside the circle of friends. But Ramon is outgoing and eventually makes a place for himself in the group, and James is such a gentle soul that he is quickly welcomed. Infidelity, flirtations, soul-searching, AIDS, truth-telling and skinny-dipping mix monumental questions about life and death with a wacky dress rehearsal for Swan Lake performed in drag.