By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: John Cameron Mitchell
Starring: John Cameron Mitchell | Michael Pitt | Miriam Shor
Country: united_states
Year: 2001
Running time: 95
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/Details?0248845
Diane says: “I wasn’t going to see HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, but my sister invited me. I was very impressed with the movie, and almost flabbergasted that John Cameron Mitchell performed so successfully as writer, actor, and director. Wow! The disparate pieces (narration, performance, animation) make a wonderful whole. The performances were entertaining, the movie was philosophical and moving, the scenes were cleverly set up (inside an oven?!). I got a helpful sense from Janet as to how well ‘Hedwig’ was transformed from the stage.
“I recommend this–original and wonderful. People stayed around to talk about it. My only reservation, despite its explication and defense by other viewers, is the whole Yitzhak thing at the end. I think the actor’s gender has already been referred to here, and I am not pleased by that casting decision.
“Some favorite moments: Hedwig and Tommy walking through lines and lines of laundry inside a trailer; Hansel dancing on his bed (I loved that actor).” 4 cats
Laura says: “I *love* HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH, which I think is the best American movie of the year so far.” 5 cats
For Laura’s complete review: “http://www.reelingreviews.com/hedwigandtheangryinch.htm”
Michael says: “Both the film and the successful Broadway musical it was adapted from, star and was written by James Cameron Mitchell. Mitchell also directed the film. The story centers around Hedwig, born in East Germany in 1961 (the year the Berlin Wall went up). As a teenager, Hedwig was subjected to a botched male-to-female gender reassignment, leaving her with ‘an angry inch.’ She married an American soldier who liberated her from East Germany to the freedom of the American mid-west before promptly leaving her. As Hedwig deals with her new situation, she discovers a songwriting talent that promises to take her places… until her a cruel twist of fate finds her touring cheesey restaurants across the country with her gender-bending rock band, ‘The Angry Inch.’
“After seeing HEDWIG I thought to myself, ‘I bet I would have really enjoyed the musical.”‘I thoroughly enjoyed the performances by Hedwig and her band, and the story was certainly well told and interesting enough. And Mitchell inhabits Hedwig comfortably and colorfully. But the campy humor didn’t quite work for me. I found it obvious and not very funny. I simply adored Miriam Shor in the role of Yitzhak. I found her mesmerizing whenever she was on screen. I have a big crush on Yitzhak! And the scene of Hansel dancing on his bed is priceless… what a terrific young actor. P.S. The Audience loved this film, applauding at the end of the performances!” 3 1/2 cats
Nathaniel says: “Having been an obsessive fan of Hedwig for the past three years… I was so nervous about this movie but ended up loving every second of it
“I actually enjoyed Yitzhak much more on film than I did on stage but for me the best transformation from stage to screen was Tommy Gnosis….if any of you weren’t fortunate enough to see the play just know that he never appears -his presence here could have really destroyed a lot of academic theory about Hedwig but I thought the changes they made were really inspired… I thought Mitchell did an extraordinary job of maintaining the spirit, the ambiguities, the humor, even to some extent the visceral nature of the piece within the new medium. You know the Oscars will ignore it for ‘adaptation’ but it is really deserving of a statuette there.
“Tommy Gnosis: I found his entrance seen (the bathtub) and Hedwig pacing with the baby to be one of the single funniest scenes in years.
“Astounding stage play. Great film. There is a God after all.”
Robin says: “HEDWIG AND THE ANGRY INCH may not be for everybody, but the energy of the effort, the songs, the imaginative sets and costumes and a fast steady pace make it a pleasure to watch. If you’re a fan of contemporary, edgy music, it is an even bigger draw.” 4 cats
For Robin’s complete review: “http://www.reelingreviews.com/hedwigandtheangryinch.htm”
Scot says: “I am quite happy with the way this film turned out… and I was a little worried, too, given that the stage show is essentially a rock concert interspersed with ‘autobiographical’ tales. Mitchell has taken much of the ‘plot’ outside the realm of the stage, but wisely maintained an in-your-face presentational style. Each musical number is staged in a unique style ranging from bawdy Brechtian comment song to Aerosmith concert. My favorite number, actually, has the happy-go-lucky air of an early eighties music video, complete with a realistic Winnebago set that suddenly transforms into a colorful outdoor stage leaving Hedwig and her band wailing to the darkness.
“Shor, Mitchell, and Michael Pitt all give strong performances, I think. (You just have to see Miriam Shor to know what I’m saying.) I hope Mitchell has the opportunity to direct more film projects, too, as he has an unusual vision. The camp in the film is quite pronounced, it’s true, and the humor mostly resembles burlesque, occasionally rising to the level of vaudeville. So if that’s unappealing to you, you might want to skip this one after it opens in July. The formless, ambiguous ending, too, seems unearned. That said, I’d say this is a must see for any fan of non-traditional musical theatre.”