DVD Reviews

Cinema Pride Collection – DVD Review

By Jeff Swindoll Jun 29, 2010, 14:42 GMT

Filled with poignancy, humor and inspiring bravery, these ten acclaimed movies have paved the way for filmmaking that honors diversity and acceptance. Featuring some of the world\'s most talented and popular stars, including Daniel Day-Lewis, Hilary Swank, Gene Hackman, Jennifer Aniston and more, the dramas and comedies in this unique collection will take you on an emotional journey you\'ll cherish... with pride. Disc 1: The Children\'s HourDisc 2: La Cage ...more

If you’re gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transsexual then MGM/Fox has put together a cinematic collection of films that celebrate your preference.  However, I’d say that the studios represented didn’t take too much pride in it in that they’ve collected old transfers and discs no matter how good some of the films are.  You don’t have to be GLBT to appreciate the films though.  

The Children’s Hour (1961): Karen (Audrey Hepburn) and Martha (Shirley MacLaine) are the headmistresses of an exclusive school for girls. When they discipline a malicious little girl, the vindictive child twists an overheard comment into slander and accuses her teachers of questionable behavior. Soon the scandalous gossip engulfs the school's community, with repercussions that are swift, crushing... and tragic.

La Cage aux Folles (1979): When young Laurent (Remi Laurent) returns to exotic St. Tropez, he bears big news for his beloved father, Renato (Ugo Tognazzi). Laurent has found the girl of his dreams and they are engaged! What's more, she and her family are on their way over for dinner at Renato's home to meet the in-laws-to-be.

This traditional meeting of families seems typical, but because this ultraconservative family will be expecting to meet Renato and wife, they'll never be prepared for the shock of meeting Renato and his flamboyant, campy, outrageous lover -- and drag-queen – Albin (Michel Serrault)!

So in a great effort to please his son, Renato asks Albin for the performance of a lifetime...setting up an unforgettable evening that is charged and ready to detonate an explosion of zaniness and absurdity. 

My Beautiful Launderette (1985): Living on the dole with his alcoholic father in a shabby South London flat, Omar (Gordon Warnecke) is a bright-eyed Pakistani teenager who wants to make something of himself.

And as his papa drowns deeper in vodka and self-pity, Omar turns to his unscrupulous wheeling-and-dealing Uncle Nassar (Saeed Jaffrey) to show him the key to success.

But when Nassar hires Omar as manager of a seedy, dilapidated Laundromat, Omar is forced to choose between running a squeaky clean establishment or conducting some very dirty business! 

The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994): With a contract to perform a drag show way out in the Australian desert, Tick (Hugo Weaving) , Adam (Guy Pearce) and Ralph (Terrence Stamp) each has his own reason for wanting to leave the safety of Sydney.

Christening their battered, pink tour bus "Priscilla," this wickedly funny and high drama trio head for the outback...and into crazy adventures in even crazier outfits. 

The Birdcage (1996): Armand (Robin Williams) and Albert (Nathan Lane) have built the perfect life for themselves tending to their gaudy South Beach nightclub. But their pastel tranquility is shaken when Armand's son announces that he's getting married to the daughter of ultra-conservative Senator Keeley (Gene Hackman)... and they're all getting together for dinner!

Can Armand and Albert transform themselves into Mr. - and Mrs. - Family Values and pull the chiffon over Keeley's eyes in this remake of La Cage aux Folles?

Bent (1997): Max (Clive Owen) is a handsome young man who, after a fateful tryst with a German soldier, is forced to run for his life. Pursued and captured, Max is placed in a concentration camp where he pretends to be Jewish-because in the eyes of the Nazis, gays are the lowest form of human being.

But it takes a forbidden relationship with an openly gay prisoner to teach Max that without the love of another, life is not worth living.

The Object of my Affection (1998): Nina (Jennifer Aniston) is a young woman who falls in love with her new roommate George (Paul Rudd), even though he's gay and loves her purely as a friend.

When Nina becomes pregnant, she realizes she'd rather raise her child with George than with her boyfriend - a decision that forces the threesome to explore the fine line between love, sex and friendship.

Boys Don’t Cry (1999): Teena Brandon (Hilary Swank) is convinced that she is a man born in a woman’s body.  She can’t afford a sex change operation so she rechristens herself Brandon Teena and masquerades as a young man. 

She starts to hang out with the ex-cons John (Peter Sarsgaard) and Tom (Brendan Sexton III), but when Brandon starts to get close to Lana (Chloe Sevigny) jealously from John and Tom will cause tragedy to strike in this true story.  

Kissing Jessica Stein (2001): Fed up with her fruitless search for "Mr. Right" and tired of blind dates from hell, attractive journalist Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) whimsically responds to a classified ad -- from Helen (Heather Juergensen)!

Making and breaking new rules of dating as they go, the two women muddle through an earnest but hilarious courtship that blurs the lines between friendship and romantic love.

Imagine You and Me (2006): Rachel (Piper Perabo) is a blushing bride whose perfect nuptials to Heck (Matthew Goode) take a surprising turn at the altar. An innocent glance between Rachel and an unexpected wedding guest is all it takes to spark a love-at-first-sight romance with a surprising twist - the object of Rachel's affection is a smart and sensuous...woman named Luce (Lena Headey)!

Their shocking romance causes quite a stir amongst her family and friends as Rachel is forced to choose between her husband and the girl of her dreams.

Each film has something to recommend it and you don’t have to be of any particular sexual preference to enjoy them.  What is most disappointing and less prideful is that they’re just a simple repackaging of what has previously been released.  This is especially bad when you remember that MGM wouldn’t enhance some of their 1.66:1 films for anamorphic televisions. 

Even worse is that the Adventures of Priscilla was released in collector’s edition that was loaded with special features and here they’ve chosen to include the older barebones edition that is featureless and also wasn’t enhanced for 16x9 televisions.  

Aspect ratios as follows: Children’s Hour (1.66:1, not enhanced for 16x9 televisions), La Cage aux Folles (1.66:1, not enhanced for 16x9 televisions), My Beautiful Launderette (1.66:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions), Adventures of Priscilla (2.35:1, not enhanced for 16x9 televisions), the Birdcage (1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions with fullscreen on side two), Bent (1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions), The Object of my Affection (1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions), Boys Don’t Cry (1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions), Kissing Jessica Stein (1.85:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions), and Imagine You and Me (2.35:1, enhanced for 16x9 televisions with fullscreen on side two). 

Special features as follows: Theatrical trailers for Children’s Hour, La Cage, My Beautiful Launderette, Adventures of Priscilla (again a superseding edition had much more), the Birdcage, and Bent.  Boy’s Don’t Cry gets a commentary from director Kimberly Peirce, a 4 minute featurette, two trailers, and three TV spots. 

Kissing Jessica Stein gets two commentaries (first – director Charles Herman-Wurmfeld and director of photography Lawrence Sher, second – Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Jurgensen), ten deleted scenes, an 8 minute featurette, and the trailer.  Imagine You and Me has a commentary from director Ol Parker, the director’s pitch, and six deleted scenes.  

If you want an instant collection of alternative lifestyle films then this collection allows you to do it cheaply (it evens out to be about $4 a film).  What may rankle is that these are old discs and transfers and Priscilla had a more expansive special edition that wasn’t included here.  

Visit the DVD database for more information.