Directed by:
Mike NicholsCinematography:
Stephen GoldblattComposer:
Thomas NewmanCast:
Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, Emma Thompson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jeffrey Wright, Ben Shenkman, Patrick Wilson, James Cromwell, David Zayas, Michael Gambon (more)VOD (1)
Episodes(6)
Plots(1)
HBO's highly acclaimed heavyweight six-hour TV drama, adapted from two Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway plays by Tony Kushner, 'The Millennium Approaches' and 'Perestroika'. Kushner also wrote the screenplay for the TV adaptation, which stars Hollywood stalwarts Al Pacino and Meryl Streep alongside British actors Emma Thompson, Michael Gambon and Simon Callow. Set in a turbulent New York City in the mid-1980s, the drama follows the interconnected lives of various New Yorkers affected by issues of the day including the conservative Reagan administration, AIDS, religious bigotry, angst about their sexuality - and miraculous spiritual visitations. (Warner Bros. Home Entertainment)
(more)Reviews of this series by the user NinadeL (1)
Angels in America (2003)
Angels in America is a series adaptation of the famous 1993 stage play. Tony Kushner's play won the Pulitzer Prize (an award given for new works of art significant to American culture, now transcending literary genres, a tradition since 1917). Which explains a lot. The lead acting trio of Al Pacino, Meryl Streep, and Emma Thompson is great and beyond their typical casting. Even the young actors proved that they were well chosen. Their other work has found success, for example, on Showtime. The subject matter is really dense, linking AIDS sounding the alarm across the gay community with the question of the religious identity of Mormons outside their home state of Utah. It really pays to have a grasp of modern US history, because otherwise, you will have absolutely no idea what this is all about. On the other hand, it's so crazy that you can't be sure of anything. However, there is one major flaw in it. There's virtually no reference to the fact that this all takes place in the mid-1980s and only the final epilogue specifies the time period to five years later, 1990, which is simply inconsistent. The discourse around AIDS has been different in each decade and we need to be aware of the shift in time.
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