michael imperioli film

[taylorky]

has anyone seen the film *river made to drown in*? and if you have what did you think of it?

[taylorky]

nobody has seen this movie????????

[Flower]

Not I. :-( was it good? What did YOU think of it? :+

[Will]

I've seen it, and I recommend it. (I got it from Netflix.) As you probably know, it has a huge role for Richard Chamberlain, the first time I can remember that he actually plays true to type, i.e., a very sophisticated, elegant gay man. Michael Imperioli is superb as an on-again/off-again escort who seems torn by a lot of things, not least his ambiguous feelings about the Chamberlain character, an ambiguity that his girlfriend (sic: this is one of those films in which the hot guys are semi-straight) can't stomach. It's well worth your 90 minutes.

[taylorky]

not to take away from wills opinion.........but i

 

thought it was a little creepy.

 

a couple of things .............why would chamberlins character come to the hustlers place ( a real dump) to die?

 

and the story seems to say that chamberlins character is a man of wealth (old money) but he arrives almost penniless.

 

and why the charade.........of leaving the two hustlers great wealth after his impending death........when he in fact only had a few hundred $$$$.

[Flower]

....well, now--you've piqued my curiosity--guess I'll have to rent it--I'll let ya know what I think.

[Will]

but i thought it was a little creepy.

 

It was more than "a little creepy." It was downright dark, warpped in one of those L.A.-Noir shrouds that you see in CHINATOWN, L.A. CONFIDENTIAL, and countless other films. I don't think that hurt it at all. On the contrary, it accented a poignant combination of hope/hopelessness, sadness/joy that I found to be very energizing. For me movies don't have to be life-like. I've got life for that. Art's supposed to be art: truer to life than life is to itself.

 

>a couple of things .............why would chamberlins

>character come to the hustlers place ( a real dump) to die?

 

Part of the film's punch is that the Chamberlain character has nowhere else to go, no one else to turn to, despite his outer appearance of wealth and power. Isn't that like a lot of people, maybe even some people on this board? Gay men who go to a lot of trouble to look in control, on top of things, totally empowered, but who are lonely, troubled, and so starved for affection that they think they have to buy it?

 

>and the story seems to say that chamberlins character is a man

>of wealth (old money) but he arrives almost penniless.

 

Well, he was rich, once. He was also young and goodlooking, once. And healthy, once. All of that is gone; what he has left are his refined tastes and the illusion that things are the way they used to be. In that way, he's a little like Blance in A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE. She's a woman so defeated by life that she retreats into a world of embellished memories and can't tell the difference between her illusions and reality. That's what Stanley tries to do for her -- to snap her out of her dreams of a better life, better times, and so forth. But even he can't do it. ALL OF US WITHOUT EXCEPTION will arrive at the end of our lives "penniless" in one way or another. It's not pretty, necessarily, but it is real. And while not pretty, it can be beautiful in a unique way. Actually, the Chamberlain character dies in much better conditions than he would have had if he hadn't shown up at the hustler's house. I'll take that exit any day over dying alone in a charity hospital.

 

>and why the charade.........of leaving the two hustlers great

>wealth after his impending death........when he in fact only

>had a few hundred $$$$.

 

There are lots of possibilities for that. The most striking is the possibility that he thought they wouldn't care for him at all -- and maybe they wouldn't have done -- if he didn't promise them that it would be worth their while. I've known plenty of people like that: "I'm going to remember you in my will, so you'd better love/take care of/be nice to me." Only there was no will.

[bigguyinpasadena]

Taylor,you lead a somewhat sheltered life.I've known many old(and some young)queens who dress well(althogh the cuffs on those french shirts might be a little frayed-it will always be beautifully pressed)and give off the impression of having money-or come from money.But they don't have a cent to their names.

And many a lonely older queen has made false promises of "I will remember you in my will"or"don't worry,You'll be well compensated when I die"happens all the time.

Just a hint to uncover the fakes-check the heels of the shoes,hence the expression "down at the heels"