5/5 Issues, Issues, Issues
  by Olukayode Balogun (Leeds, England)
This groundbreaking 1985 movie directed by John Erman won 4 Emmys (it was nominated for 14) and a Golden Globe for its very accurate, informative and powerful portrayal of what it meant to receive an AIDS diagnosis back in the early 80s. Though others followed shortly after, (Philadelphia, And the Band Played On, Longtime Companion, A Mother's Prayer, Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story), this was really the first major movie to confront the issue head on. I came across it on one of those lifestyle cable channels a few months ago. You know the kind; the kind that's up there in the high hundreds, the kind that only desperate housewives, the terminally unemployed, people skiving off work or people with no social lives watch. (Guess which category I fit into). As usual, I caught it halfway through but I found the subject matter so intriguing; I knew I had to get the DVD.

Michael (played by Aidan Quinn) is a successful lawyer; he just got made partner but he's forced to tell his parents that he is gay and living with another man when he finds out he has AIDS. The movie details how his family grapples with this devastating news. For them, it's shattering on two fronts: for one, it begins to dawn on them that dreams they had for their child will now never be realised and that secondly, he is most certainly going to die before they do. We watch as both parents ponder - how does one's own child grow into someone one barely knows? Someone one knows next to nothing about?

There are some very good performances here, particularly from Quinn himself, from Ben Gazzara who plays the part of Nick, Michael's dad (his disgust at learning of his son's homosexuality is almost palpable), from John Glover who plays the irrepressible Victor DiMato and from Sylvia Sidney who plays Bea, Michael's darling but tough old bird of a grandmother. (Also to look out for is "Lost" star Terry O'Quinn - when he still had hair!)

It's totally an 80s movie but while the clothes, cars and interior décor are all of their time, the issues raised here are just as relevant today as they were 22 years ago. I'm talking about the ignorance, shame, stigma, fear, rejection, homophobia and all manner of prejudice (even among healthcare professionals who really ought to know better) that are all part of the package of life for anyone who is gay and/or living with HIV. Advancements in medical treatments mean that an HIV diagnosis does not necessarily mean an AIDS diagnosis is imminent and it certainly doesn't necessarily equate to a death sentence any more - at least not if you're lucky live in the developed world - but all these issues are still very much with us.

Anyway, it's definitely worth a look even if it's to see what the issues are. Like I said at the top, the information is surprisingly accurate and up to date considering when the movie was made and there are even subtitles (or closed captioning, as it's known in the US) for anyone wishing to take notes. I certainly did and I thought I knew all I needed to know about the subject. The movie is heavily sanitised for a mainstream audience though and the two lovers barely touch. Hardly realistic but I guess I can understand why.

DVD extras include a theatrical trailer, commentary with Aidan Quinn and associate producers Ron Cowen and Daniel Lipman (who also wrote the screenplay) and a harrowing but very honest and matter-of-fact 1986 documentary called "Living with AIDS" about a young man from San Francisco called Todd Coleman. Todd died of AIDS aged only 21 and the documentary tells of the various friends, loved ones, professionals and volunteers who cared for him up until his untimely death.

Soapbox minute alert: Today, the 1st of December, is World AIDS Day or AIDS Awareness Day (pure coincidence, I promise) and there'll be a lot of global activity, with people wearing red ribbons and raising money for HIV/AIDS projects and such and that's all great stuff.

But you know how they say a puppy is for life and not just for Christmas? Well, unlike World AIDS Day, HIV infection isn't a one-day thing either. It too is for life. So be safe and protect yourself.

Soapbox minute over.

5/5 An early frost
  by Orionappollo (Australia)
A top movie, I had only ever saw it once on the tv. in 80's and it left a lasting impression, when seeing it again brought back all the emotions I had when seeing it for the first time...


5/5 This was a GREAT movie, very moving.
  by Vincent M. Quatrano (Farmingdale, NJ USA)
This movie should be seen by everyone. The acting is great and it will touch you right in your heart. A must see.

5/5 Another Powerhouse Movie
  by Harrell Rumfield (San Antonio, TX USA)
I am very impressed with this movie. It addressed an issue of major importance in a time when that was "just not done". It is sensitive and moving. It does not condone nor condemn, it simply tries to present an objective view of a very serious issue - AIDS.
The acting was well above average. The emotions and fears of everyone involved were extremely evident. It drives home the circumstances in life that these people had to deal with.
It also allows us to look back to 1985 and see just how far we have come with the treatment of AIDS. The facts presented were certainly relevant and "right-on" for the time. It also allows us to see the courage it took for the actors and networks to produce and broadcast this movie in a time when it could have back-fired. It has the same message as "AS IS" and "Longtime Companion", but presented in a very different manner. I strongly recommend this movie if you want to try to honestly and objectively understand the people - parents, doctors, society, and certainly the patients - involved with AIDS.

5/5 Still Wonderful
  by Amos Lassen (Little Rock, Arkansas)
"AN EARLY FROST"

Still Wonderful

Amos Lassen and Cinema Pride

When "An Early Frost"(Wolfe) was telecast in 1985 it was the first TV movie to bring out then what was considered the truth about the "gay" sickness known as AIDS. It was a courageous act to bring this into homes all over the United States then but it was so told with such sensitivity that it was received as it should have been. It upheld the approach to not only tell a story but to educate us about the disease and show it affected people.
"An Early Frost" takes place in the in the mid 1980s. Michael Pierson, a young gay man discovers he has AIDS in the prime of his life He is open about the illness with both his family and friends and with his co-workers (he is a successful lawyer). At the time the movie was made, death was an almost inevitable fact as a result of AIDS and Pierson and those around him must face this. The movie, for many, was a first time hard look at AIDS. Pierson played by Aidan Quinn is a study in honesty and resolute acceptance to fate.
The movie is a beautiful look at something horrible. All of the actors give wonderful performances that were real to the core, so real, in fact, that the viewer feels the emotions When Pierson tells his parents of his disease and his sexual identity you see brilliance as if the actors are not merely reading lines but saying what is in their hearts.
Looking at the movie in 2007, I can't help but wonder where NBC had the guts to produce a film so revolutionary and sensitive (for its time). What the film tries to do and succeeds partially is to bring AIDS in to the home and make t a topic for discussion. The only thing that is dated is the fact that now there are therapeutic ways to deal with the disease. The movie was made so early in the history of the disease that it is incredible how correct it was in many areas. It bothers me that we all went through more than twenty years of hell and fear until there was a glimmer of life at the end of the tunnel and the movie made predictions back then that eventually came to be.
Even as old as the film is, it is still extremely valid today and it is way above films that are being made today. It offered no false hope and there was no talk of a miracle cure and this, in itself, is amazing.
The film is far from perfect. Some of the dialog is cheesy and today AIDS is no longer a death sentence like it was when the movie was made. But even so the movie is a milestone. Tender and beautiful, honest and real, "An Early Frost" made us reflect on AIDS when it wasn't popular or acceptable to do so. It was whispered about until NBC broadcast it into our homes. It was produced gently with no preaching or insulting. Gena Rowlands is, as usual, magnificent; Ben Gazarra is strong and firm until he breaks. They and the rest of the actors made this movie an important step toward raising consciousness. It made us think about the most horrible disease to ever affect mankind.