Longtime Companion [DVD]

I suppose many would consider Longtime Companion a period piece. For anyone, who like myself lived through this devastating period of darkness it's so much more. It's the story of what it was to be there, to see your beloved circle of friends wiped out in record numbers and record time. I was in college, living in Boston and can remember a tiny little article in the press about "Gay Cancer" and what was soon later refereed to as "Grid" More than 20,000 people had perished and still the government resisted the urging of the CDC to invest in research, public education and care. It wasn't until over 35,000 young men had died in searing agony - and a heterosexual woman with AIDS made the cover of Time Magazine that Reagan mentioned for the first time the word "AIDS". The world owes an incredible debt of thanks to Larry Kramer who founded GMHC (the gay men's health crisis) a grass roots organization that provided meals, legal assistance to fight ( the then legal) evictions of AIDS sufferers from their homes and negotiate with insurance companies. Now an enormous entity of services and a beacon of hope GMHC remains today one of the most significant, far reaching organizations dedicated to education and prevention of the HIV virus and AIDS in the world. The film brings all this to bear, without grandstanding or blame. But rather through a glimpse in to the lives of a close group of friend whose world and relationships are shattered and how the survivors are forever changed as they rise from the ashes. The cast is sensational in every respect, Bruce Davidson who is all to often terribly under rated turns in one of his finest performances, the scenes of him caring for his ailing partner are of the most quiet beauty and yet almost to painful to watch. Cambell Scott, Dermot Mulroney, Mary - Louis- Parker are all at the top of their game. In fact, Longtime Companion has been touted as one of the finest pieces of ensemble acting there is - and it deserves that accolade. No one performance carries the film, we get to know these characters, we care about them, we laugh with them and weep with them. That's powerful film making. Director Norman Rene moves the story along with a quiet grace, peppered with great humor and equally deep pain it is without question a masterful feat. This is of course the story of how - at this time in history Gay people were ignored and left to die. It's the story of how we fought back and how we took care of our own. But the message is universal. Any person regardless of whom they love, if they have the capacity to love they will be forever moved by Longtime Companion. For I think even more than it's very subject matter, this a story of hope and the triumph of the human spirit.

Great movie. Highly recommended.

Sad but touching. The price was awesome, shipping was a breeze and finding the medium which I wanted was made easy though Amazon. Recommended.

Sad drama aboutbthe beginnings of the AIDS crisis

Had to add this to my collection . Love this movie

I've been looking for this movie for a long time. God hope we don't go back.

This film is an intimate look into the lives of a group of Gay men in New York at a time when people knew each other by actual association because of Gay enclaves in the city and on Fire Island versus the more removed options for socializing we have today.It is a first rate production with compelling characters propelled by talented actors,writers,director and production. What is most interesting about this film is how far we have come societally because of the advancement of Civil Rights for LGBT people since the time of this story. Longtime Companion is a phrase borrowed from New York Times obituaries of a pre-liberation era that euphemized and minimized the full scope, depth and breadth of the love between romantic partners and good friends.Thank God we can be ourselves today and thank God we can live openly and without shame or stigma to be not only "Longtime Companions" but partners to each other and now even grooms and Husbands.(From Los Angeles).

I was 6 when this movie came out, and someone in my family rented it. It was the first real representation of gay joy, and love, and grief I had ever seen on screen (and the seed of a lifelong crush on Mary Louise Parker). Never released on DVD here in the states, this Korean bootleg has terrible resolution and will only fill half of whatever screen you run it on, and I would buy it again in less than a heartbeat.

I love this film so much. It follows the lives of several gay men and the impact that AIDS has on them all. The film opens with the main characters waking up on 3 July 1981 and discovering the article in the New York Times which reports of a 'Rare Cancer found in Homosexuals'. This is against the backdrop of the 4th of July holiday and some of the cast partying on Fire Island in an age of what now seems complete inocence. Each 'chapter' in the film picks the events from a random day in the following years until 1989. The intervening years have seen illness, the death of several characters and cynicism overwhelming the characters. This is a strong ensemble cast. Its a wonderful film which was produced on a very small budget and managed to overcome problems in distribution. I think this and 'And the Band Played On' are very good complimentary pieces to watch side by side.

Ce film est touchant et nous renvoie aux débuts de l'épidémie, nous confrontant à nos peurs, nos désespoirs..

This is one of my favorite movies of all time. It is beautifully written and acted. It is so on the money about the beginning of AIDS that i cry every time i watch it. The sound track is perfect as well.

Enfin une ré-édition en DVD, d'un film qui ne fut pratiquement jamais diffusé à la télévision, et autre médias...D'une extrême justesse, encore jamais égalée depuis, il était gand temps, de réhabiliter la connaissance et la lutte, de ce que fût et reste malheureusement, un des plus grands fléau qu'est le SIDA, et qui de nos jours, plus de 10 années après ce film, tombe malheureusement dans l'oubli...A vois d'urgence, par les nouvelles générations qui découvrent l'amour et le sexe, pour qui le mot "SIDA" ne veut presque plu rien dire, mais qui malheureusement, continu ses ravages fous !

Longtime Companion is a brilliant film the characters are very loveable and relatable. If you want a film that will move you and provide an accurate protrait of the early years of AIDS this is the film for you. See also: And The Band Played On Philadelphia Fatal Love You Won't be dissapointed Just Buy It !!!!!!!!!!