Free Essay on Summary of Angels in America

Mike Nichols is the director of Angels in America produced in 2003 and whose primary basis is on Tony Kushner's play having the same name and which won the Pulitzer-prize. The film which revolves around six New York residents who have intersecting lives got set in 1985. Centrally to this story is the story of a gay man by the name Prior Walter who lives with AIDS and who is visited by an angel. There are several assortments of themes exploited by the film which include the spreading AIDS epidemic, Regan era politics, and a political and social climate that rapidly changes.

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The film got broadcasted by HBO in various platforms. Chunks of two 3-hour corresponding to Perestroika and Millennium approaches, and as six "chapters" each 1-hour roughly corresponding with an actor or two of both the plays; "Bad News," "In Vitro," and "The Messenger" which were the first three chapters initially got broadcasted to international acclaim on December 8th 2003, followed by ("Stop Moving!" "Beyond Nelly," and "Heaven, I'm in Heaven") which were the final three chapters.

The film charts the unsteady struggle by the nation through the AIDS crisis onset in the '80s, through a Mormon couple interlocking story who are torn asunder by closeted homosexuality of the husband, a legal flunky is guilt-stricken and who leaves a partner who has Aids. And arch-conservative Roy Cohn's last days played by gusto Al Pacino, the infamous lawyer who never gave any chance to his gay status keep him from tirelessly working against both groups interests. After getting haunted by the sly Meryl Streep who is the Ethel Rosenberg executed spy, there is no willingness by Cohn to go gently into that good night, more so after getting played by Pacino who is a well-seasoned ham.

Reaction to the movie

This play has many great things, and all of these things come from the writing by Tony Kushner' playwright. Somewhat, it is a personal response to events lived and witnessed throughout by Kushner. However, every character keeps their voices to themselves and feels like nobody else that they have met. The manner in which the big themes get tackled by Kushner is so entertaining and accessible while at the same time having their seriousness never cut. The writing by Kushner is a marvel creating a compact foundation for other artists to build upon.

An ideal example of some of the artists interacting to work is the Angels in America 2003 HBO miniseries. There is a fantasy in the entire cast, and interesting nuances get found in their characters whose presence on the page were not guaranteed. There is a wide range of cinematic techniques used by director Mike Nichols that sees his work as an actor enhanced. One of the most conventional techniques, the use of shot-reverse-shot, in all of the visual media, brings out an aspect of distinction and reality to the material.

According to me, the plays that allow other artists to bring something to them are considered to be the best plays. Such plays have the voice of their writers preserved while at the same time allowing directors, actors, and other artists adequate room to factor in their contributions to make it lively, and a good example is Angels in America. Any audience can lose themselves into the film since it is a polyphonic artwork. Very few plays stand the test of time. However, the success of London's National Theatre Live broadcast and its production indicates that Angels in America is not going anywhere.