The year is 1985. Americans are discovering Madonna, Michael Jackson, crack cocaine, computers and cell phones. Yes, it's an era of change and progress. The era, however, also holds a darker development — the appearance of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, or AIDS. AIDS is the dark subject of Tony Kushner's award-winning play "Angels in America," transformed into HBO's dazzling and dramatic, if difficult at times, miniseries of the same name. The recent release of "Angels in America" on DVD is an excellent opportunity to find out what the buzz is really all about.
The miniseries contains notable breakout performances by several relatively unknown actors. Joe Pitt (Patrick Wilson in his first major role) is a young, energetic Mormon Republican dealing with questions about his sexual identity, while his pill-popping zombie of a wife, Harper (Mary-Louise Parker, "Red Dragon"), becomes increasingly distressed at her dreary existence. Louis Ironson (Ben Shenkman, "Pi"), an energetic liberal, can't deal with the troubles of his AIDS-infected boyfriend, the witty and resilient Prior Walter (Justin Kirk, "Jack and Jill"), who comes to see himself as a prophet.
"Angels" also contains an equal number of well-known and loved actors. Al Pacino ("The Godfather," "Scent of a Woman") portrays a real-life AIDS victim, the despicable, conservative lawyer Roy Cohn, who vehemently denies his homosexuality. Meryl Streep lends her wonderful talent to the role of Joe's overbearing mother Hannah, who tries to pick up the pieces left in the wake of Joe's identity crisis. Then there's Belize (Jeffrey Wright, "Basquiat," "Shaft"), a gay black man who always maintains a captivating presence on the screen, whether he's nursing Roy, chastising Louis or comforting Prior. Topping off the list is Emma Thompson ("Love Actually," "Wit"), who plays the title role of the angel in America and bears to Prior an apocalyptic message – a message that serves as a metaphor for the burgeoning AIDS epidemic.
Even with a cast that includes several big-name film actors, "Angels" director Mike Nichols ("The Graduate," "The Birdcage") maintains the feel of a stage production. Many of the actors play multiple roles, special effects are kept to a minimum, and the miniseries depends more on the characters' rich and dynamic dialogue than on a prominent score or sweeping cinematography. Perhaps, the stage feel facilitated the outstanding all around performances; every single actor was nominated for an Emmy, and "Angels" won every Emmy possible for a miniseries.
Caveat, spectator, though: "Angels in America" is not for everyone. HBO is known for creating shows that deal frankly and earnestly with topics the networks normally wouldn't touch with a 10-foot pole, and "Angels" is no exception. The miniseries deals very explicitly with homosexual relationships, disease, death and rather controversial religious exposition. The first half, mired with such issues that are not clearly resolved or fully explored, can be rather confusing and even tiresome. Also, the drama's occasional attempts at humor, mostly with quips from Kirk's character Prior, more often than not fall flat. If you aren't bothered by the material after the first two or three hours, however, stick with it; the greatest moments of the series come in its latter stages, when a much greater focus and relevance is achieved. Before the final credits roll, the series has dealt extraordinarily with issues of sexuality, justice, faith, love, freedom, prejudice, mortality, forgiveness and fate.
The final verdict: Provided you have the time and can deal with the subject matter, "Angels in America" is a drama you do not want to pass up.
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