Frequently Bought Together
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Product details
|
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I remember the first time I saw Quentin Crisp was in a half hour TV documentary that aired a year or so before the Naked Civil Servant made him into a minor phenomenon. There was this strange and rather exotic creature, somewhat resembling a stately Edwardian great aunt, trawling his index finger through an avalanche of house dust and delivering his famous message of hope to the housewives of England, whilst quaffing a dietary drink which he observed looked like wallpaper paste, tasted like wallpaper paste, but contained all the essential nutrients to sustain one without food (no wonder in later life he never refused a free lunch or party!) When The Naked Civil Servant appeared circa 1975, John Hurt's performance confirmed the impression that Crisp was a strange and startling entity.
This account of Crisp's later years in America, where he found modest fame and fortune, was greeted with rather tepid enthusuasm by the critics when it aired recently on TV. They observed it didn't have the impact of The Naked Civil Servant and lacked its freshness, its edginess and often savage humour. But perhaps this was inevitable. By the time Crisp died he seemed a rather cosy and familiar figure. When a few years back he delivered his "alternative queen's speech" on Christmas day TV we no longer stared in wide-eyed fascination. The world had changed and for Crisp it had become a friendlier, gentler place, poverty and struggle were things of the past. Only Crisp himself did not change very much, he remained brave and true to himself (often to the point of foolhardiness as in his waspish dismissal of AIDS as a gay fad.) So inevitably An Englishman in New York lacks some of the ingredients that made The Naked Civil Servant so compelling. But Hurt's second essay at Crisp is, if anything, even finer than his first. Here he has morphed into the aging Crisp so that the two seem indistiguishable in one's mind. It's a joy to hear him deliver in Crisp's measured monotone his contrarian aphorisms. Crisp's wit and wisdom often sound well-rehearsed but his material was so good that I imagine Oscar Wilde would have shown little hesitation in stealing it. And as the penny-pinching, raddled nonagenarian Crisp still surrounded by an avalanche of dust in slummy surroundings, Hurt achieves a degree of poignancy and pathos that one suspects the unsentimental Crisp seldom evoked in real life.
An enjoyable film, then, chiefly due to Hurt's standout performance. But the supporting cast is pretty good, especially Jonathan Tucker who gives an intense and moving performance as the gauche and rather tortured artist whom Crisp befriends and helps before his early death. Recommended.
This account of Crisp's later years in America, where he found modest fame and fortune, was greeted with rather tepid enthusuasm by the critics when it aired recently on TV. They observed it didn't have the impact of The Naked Civil Servant and lacked its freshness, its edginess and often savage humour. But perhaps this was inevitable. By the time Crisp died he seemed a rather cosy and familiar figure. When a few years back he delivered his "alternative queen's speech" on Christmas day TV we no longer stared in wide-eyed fascination. The world had changed and for Crisp it had become a friendlier, gentler place, poverty and struggle were things of the past. Only Crisp himself did not change very much, he remained brave and true to himself (often to the point of foolhardiness as in his waspish dismissal of AIDS as a gay fad.) So inevitably An Englishman in New York lacks some of the ingredients that made The Naked Civil Servant so compelling. But Hurt's second essay at Crisp is, if anything, even finer than his first. Here he has morphed into the aging Crisp so that the two seem indistiguishable in one's mind. It's a joy to hear him deliver in Crisp's measured monotone his contrarian aphorisms. Crisp's wit and wisdom often sound well-rehearsed but his material was so good that I imagine Oscar Wilde would have shown little hesitation in stealing it. And as the penny-pinching, raddled nonagenarian Crisp still surrounded by an avalanche of dust in slummy surroundings, Hurt achieves a degree of poignancy and pathos that one suspects the unsentimental Crisp seldom evoked in real life.
An enjoyable film, then, chiefly due to Hurt's standout performance. But the supporting cast is pretty good, especially Jonathan Tucker who gives an intense and moving performance as the gauche and rather tortured artist whom Crisp befriends and helps before his early death. Recommended.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD
I so enjoyed this movie. John Hurt is a fine actor and was wonderful in this role. Would recommend this dvd.
17 of 22 people found the following review helpful
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am curious as to what may have brought you here?
I am hoping your motivation may include
at least one kind thought for the subject
(and hero) of this very fine film.
Mr Crisp is a conundrum.
I have read many accounts of meetings with the
man but few that have come even remotely close
to approximating what it was like to know him.
That he put his foot in it on more than one
occasion (AIDS and Princess Dianna to name
but two) is, of course, well known.
That he fully understood the import that his
statements might have made is less clear.
It seems, to me, possible that some form of
high-functioning autism might account for many
aspects of his elusive persona. The repetitive
sterotypy of his stories; his monotonous diction;
the lack of ability to consider the impact that his
views might have on the feelings of others and his
uncompromising eccentricity are all strong indicators
for such a hypothesis.
That these quirks of being were also his strength,
shield and salvation should be an example to us all.
Mr Crisp was a Gentleman (first and foremost) but he
was also a gentle man. Although he did not suffer fools
gladly he was both generous with his time and able to
both give and take from those that he felt able to trust.
That Mr Hurt felt able to revisit his remarkable
personification of this iconic figure is a generous act.
Brian Fillis' script and Richard Laxton's sensitive
direction bring Mr Crisp to life with warmth and edgy honesty.
The observational detail in Mr Hurt's portrayal is uncanny.
He is, indeed, Mr Crisp's "representative on earth".
Affectionate representations of his literary agent Connie Clausen
(Swoozie Kurtz); the performance artiste Penny Arcade (Cynthia
Nixon); the young painter Patrick Angus (Jonathan Tucker) and
the complex Steele/Ward amalgam (Denis O'Hare) are all
sympathetically and beautifully drawn.
The contents of his squalid abode, right down to the self-assembly
steel bookshelf and two-ring electric hotplate are spot-on.
That Mr Crisp finally found a home (and home it truly was!)
in New York City is a testament to his belief in himself.
That he felt obliged (actually somewhat pressured) to make a
final return to the country of his birth was unwarrantably sad.
He most certainly would not have wanted to die here!
A wonderful film about the last years of a quite extraordinary man.
Essential.
I am hoping your motivation may include
at least one kind thought for the subject
(and hero) of this very fine film.
Mr Crisp is a conundrum.
I have read many accounts of meetings with the
man but few that have come even remotely close
to approximating what it was like to know him.
That he put his foot in it on more than one
occasion (AIDS and Princess Dianna to name
but two) is, of course, well known.
That he fully understood the import that his
statements might have made is less clear.
It seems, to me, possible that some form of
high-functioning autism might account for many
aspects of his elusive persona. The repetitive
sterotypy of his stories; his monotonous diction;
the lack of ability to consider the impact that his
views might have on the feelings of others and his
uncompromising eccentricity are all strong indicators
for such a hypothesis.
That these quirks of being were also his strength,
shield and salvation should be an example to us all.
Mr Crisp was a Gentleman (first and foremost) but he
was also a gentle man. Although he did not suffer fools
gladly he was both generous with his time and able to
both give and take from those that he felt able to trust.
That Mr Hurt felt able to revisit his remarkable
personification of this iconic figure is a generous act.
Brian Fillis' script and Richard Laxton's sensitive
direction bring Mr Crisp to life with warmth and edgy honesty.
The observational detail in Mr Hurt's portrayal is uncanny.
He is, indeed, Mr Crisp's "representative on earth".
Affectionate representations of his literary agent Connie Clausen
(Swoozie Kurtz); the performance artiste Penny Arcade (Cynthia
Nixon); the young painter Patrick Angus (Jonathan Tucker) and
the complex Steele/Ward amalgam (Denis O'Hare) are all
sympathetically and beautifully drawn.
The contents of his squalid abode, right down to the self-assembly
steel bookshelf and two-ring electric hotplate are spot-on.
That Mr Crisp finally found a home (and home it truly was!)
in New York City is a testament to his belief in himself.
That he felt obliged (actually somewhat pressured) to make a
final return to the country of his birth was unwarrantably sad.
He most certainly would not have wanted to die here!
A wonderful film about the last years of a quite extraordinary man.
Essential.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
An inspiring film
My mum recommended that I watch this film, I wasn't quite sure why. It turned out to be sublime, though I'm glad I had a girlfriend by the time I got round to seeing it. Read more
Published 12 months ago by William Cohen
An Englishman in New York
I've got The Naked Civil Servant CD and therefore just had to have this CD to complete Quentin's story. Superb acting from the great John Hurt ... Read more
Published 20 months ago by Mrs. Carol P. Coulson
magical
a fitting sequel and john hurt is magical. john hurt, once again, becomes quetin crisp. a must have.
Published on 10 Feb 2010 by Mr. I. Sanderson
the movies lives from the brilliant performance of John Hurt - a good...
I had been at the first night during the Berlin Film Festival. John Hurt was present and the movie was well received.
John Hurt's performance is as usual brilliant. Read more
John Hurt's performance is as usual brilliant. Read more
Published on 3 Feb 2010 by Amelrode
Film distorts his life in America
John Hurt as usual gives a superb performance as Quentin Crisp and should be applauded for it.
However this movie gives a very distorted view of Quentin's years in... Read more
However this movie gives a very distorted view of Quentin's years in... Read more
Published on 29 Jan 2010 by Mr. Nigel Kelly
Redeeming Quentin Crisp
John Hurt breathes life into Quentin Crisp's final years in New York. Although Quentin began to make some irritating statements in his final years, this film finds a way to redeem... Read more
Published on 28 Jan 2010 by Ghost Writer
Excellent!
I found this film well worth the money and more! John Hurt, as always, is excellent and his sensitive portrayal kept me glued to the screen throughout the whole duration. Read more
Published on 27 Jan 2010 by Christine Anne Kinniburgh
A disappointing sequel
I once played as Quentin Crisp's support act in Baltimore MA, and later took him to lunch in New York - one of the freebies he never refused. So I knew the great man close up. Read more
Published on 29 Dec 2009 by Peter Scott-presland
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/02/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192198663_.gif){kind=small}
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
