Silence = Death
| Silence = Death | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Produced by |
Rosa von Praunheim Michael Lupetin |
| Screenplay by | Rosa von Praunheim |
| Starring |
Bern Boyle Emilio Cubeiro Rafael Gamba Allen Ginsberg Keith Haring Paul Smith David Wojnarowicz |
| Cinematography | Mike Kuchar |
| Edited by |
Rosa von Praunheim Mike Shephard |
Production company |
Rosa Von Praunheim Filmproduktion |
| Distributed by | First Run Features. |
Release date | 4 May 1990 |
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country |
United States West Germany |
| Language | English |
Silence = Death is a 1990 documentary film directed, written and produced by Rosa von Praunheim. The film centers on the response of some New York City artists to the AIDS epidemic. The interviewed includes East Village artist David Wojnarowicz, poet Allen Ginsberg, graffiti artist Keith Haring (who died from AIDS three months before the movie's release), Peter Kunz, Bern Boyle, and many others. It is the first part of von Praunheim and Phil Zwickler's trilogy about AIDS and activism it was followed by Positive (the third part, about the AIDS epidemic in Germany, was never released).[1]
Plot
This film explores the reactions and response of New York City's artistic community to the ravages of the AIDS epidemic and other issues of homosexuality. Activist interview include representatives from the many arts organizations that have alerted the public to the crisis through performance art, music, theater and literature. Even with the gentler voices, the film’s undercurrent is an angry demand for action and recognition.
Artist David Wojnarowicz appears shaking with anger as he confronts the diseased society that has turned its back on him and all other AIDS victims. He reads several angry tirades and provides experimental film material and paintings. Painter Rafael Gamba provides a vengeful indictment of homophobic bigotry.
Other segments include Keith Haring. He is seen working on a complicated erotic mural, commenting that the painting is "about nostalgia. It's not about anything that could happen now". Haring shares his nostalgic longing for the days of carefree sex. He died from AIDS-related complications on February 16, 1990, three months before the movie was released on May 4, which would have been his 32nd birthday.
Allen Ginsberg's segment muses on sexual experimentation and attitudes, and declares that the planet itself has AIDS.