That was an excellent one.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

I'll tell you why so serious

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

In 1967, Joe Orton was murdered in his flat by his lover, Kenneth Halliwell. This is how we open Prick Up Your Ears, and through the use of flashbacks we are told the story of these two men and what drew them together and then so far apart. The dynamic between Orton and Halliwell is fascinating and takes us through many important societal, psychological and social themes, but the whole thing is slightly diminished by the gimmick of telling it through a third party.After Orton's death, Peggy Ramsay helps John Lahr to write a novel based on Orton's life (a novel that the film itself is based on) and we are told their story through her telling the story. It's a really mundane, typical movie structure used to tell a biographical story but it's absolutely unnecessary when these characters and their story is already fascinating on it's own. Any time spent away from Orton and Halliwell feels needless and dampens the impact of when we actually get to see their story on screen, even though Vanessa Redgrave is quite good as Ramsay.Still, this is a slight detractor when the majority of the film is indeed focused on the growing lives of Orton and Halliwell, how they met and ultimately drove to violence. The progression of this relationship is truly fascinating, as we open on the end and slowly get to see what drives them to such animosity towards each other. I think the film hits on some interesting themes in regards to relationships that aren't touched on much in film; how love can eventually become more of an obligation than a passion, in some cases.The performances in the lead roles certainly help to highlight the emotional highs and lows of these two men. Alfred Molina is giving the more theatrical, outwardly emotive role of Halliwell, a man constantly at odds with himself and the world around him, constantly trying to hide who he is and grating the nerves of everyone around him. It's a character that could have easily been grating and unbearable to sit through, but Molina's skill manages to make him tragically sympathetic.The real star though is Gary Oldman, who knocks it out of the park as Orton. The character isn't as showy as Halliwell, but when you look back and consider the progression that he makes in this role, it's absolutely astonishing. It's a very internal performance but, in the way that the best actors are capable of doing, he absolutely transforms throughout the film, making a natural evolution without the audience even noticing. It feels so genuine when you're watching that you can't even tell, but when you get to the end and look back at the beginning, it's absolutely astonishing. He begins as this closeted young man who doesn't even understand who is and over the course of the film is opened into a freed young homosexual and eventually a conceited, arrogant playwright.The performance is tremendous in it's own right, but becomes even more impressive when you compare it to his portrayal as Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy the year before. In just one year he goes from an outwardly chaotic and theatrical extreme to such a quiet and internal one. It's absolutely mesmerizing what this man is capable of doing and if you watched these two performances one right after the other, you wouldn't be able to believe that this is the same actor portraying them.

I caught this on cable today. Had never noticed it before which is odd since I've actively tried to be aware of movies with a strong gay component for as long as I can remember. But, be that as it may this is one that somehow slipped past me until today. After watching it in awe I checked to see when it was made thinking that surely it was something made in the recent past few years, after 2000. Certainly, I thought, it must have come out during the "Queer as Folk" era which gave filmmakers permission to finally and honestly show parts of the gay world which, unless you're a part of that world, most of the rest of the world were relatively unaware of until somewhat recently as society has changed for the better in its well reasoned acceptance of gays. Yet, instead, I found that "Prick Up Your Ears" was released in 1987. I couldn't believe it. The movie was so well done. Not only did it portray something that was way ahead of its time with regards to portraying this type of subject matter, the movie itself is so modernly made. The way it was filmed and the actors and how they are acting, everything about this movie screams "I'm way ahead of my time"! And so it is. And what you find is a beautifully made movie about the effects that society's attitude towards gays in the 50's and 60's have upon two gay men, their union, and gays in general during that time. And the movie was made two decades ago, breaking ground in ways that only now that movie audiences have come to take for granted.This is a marvelous movie, groundbreaking when it was made, about an author and the authors life-partner who were breaking new ground themselves in their day. Everything about this movie is worth seeing. The story presented, the acting, the sets, the locations. Everything. In fact, it reaches far enough into so many different things about writing and movie making and gays and society and relationships and life and death itself, and it does it so well, that one can reasonably say that if you're a student of film this is a movie that should belong on your list of movies to see and study along the way to making your own movies. And if you're a person who loves good movies, this is also required viewing. And if you're gay, well, it will thrill you to see this movie for so many reasons that only if you're gay would you really kind of understand. And if you're just somebody who wants to pass some time watching a minor cinema masterpiece that has stood the test of time, here is one for you to watch, enjoy and be educated by too. Its just a part of who we were. I miss poor Joe and Kenneth.

Although in some ways more theatrical/televisual than cinematic, this is one of the best British films of the 80's, and is probably Alan Bennett's most successful screenplay. Bennett and Orton have a number of things in common - a love of "found" dialogue (here mainly given to Orton's landlady) - theatrical success in the 60's (Bennett in "Beyond the Fringe") - and of course their sexuality.The film is quite interesting in what it leaves out - anyone who has read Orton's diaries will know that "the latter part" is rather underplayed here. Also sadly missed is "Mrs Edna Welthorpe" an alter ego of Joe's who would write to newspapers denouncing his plays as filth - a rather cunning way of securing free advertising. A very interesting telephone conversation with Brian Epstein "...one of the boys is happily married..." plays with what we now know about Epstein and Lennon in a beautifully understated way.Orton and Halliwell's relationship is counterpointed in the film by "John Lahr"'s own marriage (Wallace Shawn is great here too, as always) as Lahr's researching of his biography acts as a framing device for Orton's story. As others have commented, the dynamic of the central relationship rings horribly true to anyone who has been in a halfway similar situation.It's interesting to speculate on what would have become of Orton had he lived. Time has dimmed the shock value of his plays to the point where they will probably never have the same effect, and despite various rumours (the Sex Pistols?) no-one has picked up the Beatles script, probably for the same reason. Live fast, die young, leave a good looking corpse? Perhaps.

One of Gary Oldman's first films and need I say, one of the best? Based on the biography by John Lahr, this film tells the true story of British playwright Joe Orton and his "friend" Kenneth Halliwell.This film is sad because we all know the outcome of Joe and Kenneth right from the beginning. Interesting storyline, fantastic acting all round especially from Gary Oldman (Joe) and Alfred Molina (Kenneth) who both absorb into the characters with incredible style. This film is a classic, especially if youre a Gary Oldman. This is another piece of evidence that Gary can not just act in a role, he can go into it. 5/5