TORCH SONG TRILOGY
A film review by Jeff Meyer
Copyright 1989 Jeff Meyer
When considering a film that centers on the life of an individual character over a period of time, the question is, do you find the character interesting enough to continue watching the picture through it's length? Despite a slow opener, the answer is a definite yes for Harvey Fierstein's character in TORCH SONG TRILOGY. The film adapts Fierstein's Broadway play, which details the life of his character from the early 1970s to the early 1980s, and his relationships with his family (in particular, his mother, played by Anne Bancroft) and his lovers (played by Brian Kerwin and Matthew Broderick). Fierstein by himself is witty and wry (and has the theatrical habit of talking to the audience), but once the supporting characters begin to share some screen time, the drama picks up and the film becomes very involving. The interaction of the characters (particularly Fierstein & Broderick and Fierstein & Bancroft) make the film, and you end up caring for them and the particular crosses they have to bear.
I note that many reviewers describe TORCH SONG TRILOGY as a film about "gay life," which is inappropriate; rather, it's a character study of a man who is gay. The film succeeds or fails on Fierstein's character; it deals with personalities, not issues, and it works because the personalities on-screen hold one's interest.
Moriarty, aka Jeff Meyer
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