Prick Up Your Ears (1987)

What a waste of my time!!!

Very well executed

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

The film was still a fun one that will make you laugh and have you leaving the theater feeling like you just stole something valuable and got away with it.

I had heard the title of this British film a few times, I remembered the leading actor in it, and it was 30 years old in 2017, so I was hoping for something worthwhile, directed by Stephen Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette, The Queen, Philomena, Florence Foster Jenkins). Based on the true story, it tells the story of the life and death of gay playwright Joe Orton (BAFTA nominated Gary Oldman), and his lover Kenneth Halliwell (Alfred Molina). The story is told in flashback, as Orton's friend Peggy Ramsay (BAFTA and Golden Globe nominated Vanessa Redgrave), the theatrical agent who discovered his talent for both writing, she tells his story to John Lahr (Wallace Shawn), who is writing Orton's biography. Orton met Halliwell as a teenager at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, Halliwell was older and more reserved, the two begin a relationship, but it is not all just about sex. At the time, sexually activity homosexuality was illegal, Orton loves the dangers of bath-houses and liaisons in public restrooms, but Halliwell is not as charming attractive as Orton, he does not fare as well. As their relationship progresses, Orton grows increasingly confident in his talent for writing, but Halliwell's writing stagnates, and they become like a traditional married couple, with Orton being the "husband", and Halliwell being the long suffering and increasingly ignored. In the 60s, Orton achieves fame with his plays, with "Entertaining Mr. Sloane" and "Loot" becoming huge hits, and he is commissioned to write a screenplay for The Beatles, Halliwell is becoming increasingly jealous of his success. In the end, in 1967, a despondent Halliwell kills 34-year-old Orton, bludgeoning him with nine hammer blows to the head, he leaves a message in Orton's diary, and commits suicide with an overdose of 22 tablets washed down with grapefruit juice. Also starring Julie Walters as Elsie Orton, Lindsay Duncan as Anthea Lahr, James Grant as William Orton, Frances Barber as Leonie Orton, Sean Pertwee as Orton's Friend, Richard Wilson as Psychiatrist, Steven Mackintosh as Simon Ward, Roger Lloyd Pack as Actor and David Bradley as Undertaker. Oldman gives a marvellous performance as the flamboyant and promiscuous cheeky chappy, and Molina packs a surprise punch as Orton's troubled mentor. Obviously many people will know it all ends in tragedy and murder, but the majority of the film before has a fantastic script, with hilarious one-liners (the "have a w**k" sequence being a highlight), only the little bits of Orton's career are focused, it is more interesting with the perspectives of being homosexual in the 1960s, all in all it a most worthwhile biographical drama. It was nominated the BAFTA for Best Adapted Screenplay for Alan Bennett. Gary Oldman was number 40 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars, he was number 11 on The 50 Greatest British Actors, and he was number 36 on The World's Greatest Actor. Very good!

Released in 1987, but set in the Swinging 60's, this bio-flick, Prick Up Your Ears (PUYE, for short), focuses in like a microscope on the high-flying lifestyle of the hugely successful, British, playwright - Joe Orton.To set things straight, right from the start, Joe Orton, was, indeed, gay. Well, he was. And this flick makes no whispered, hush-hush secret about that truth, either. In fact, as you will soon see, PUYE does a fairly thorough job of actually exploiting Joe's sexuality for its own sensationalistic benefit.At the age of 28, Orton, as a respected playwright, was already on his way up the ladder to fame and fortune. Orton's play "Loot", written in 1962, was an immediate success. "Loot" ran, to rave reviews, for a 2 year, extended engagement on the London Stage.If I am to take what is shown to me in PUYE as a pretty accurate look at Joe Orton's demeanour/lifestyle, then I, for the life of me, cannot see how he ever, ever managed to write any plays, at all. Orton spent so much time, either, falling down drunk, or cruising public washrooms for male-sex, that his play-writing abilities absolutely dumbfound me. Like - Where the hell did this gay-man find the time to write anything? I'd sure like to know.Anyways - Eventually, our washroom-sex, slime-boy, Orton meets up with a real looney-tuner named Kenneth Halliwell. Needless to say, the "relationship" that develops between these 2 incompatible gays is a mighty rough and rocky one, indeed.In 1967, at the age of 34, Joe Orton, whose career as a playwright looked mighty bright, was brutally murdered. Orton's untimely death was caused from numerous, skull-fracturing, hammer blows to the head, courtesy of that little, wacko, Kenneth Halliwell.

Director Stephen Frears has often picked up interesting subjects for his films. 'Prick Up Your Ears' is based on the relationship between famous writer Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell. Set in the 60s, this was during the time when 'being gay' in public was considered a criminal offense in parts of UK. Joe Orton is confident, talented, mellow and liked by everyone while his partner Halliwell is comparatively shy and distant and resentful of Joe's success as he claims to be the man behind his partner's success and complains about not receiving enough credit for it.Frears depicts the relationship quite sensibly. There is almost always a conflict or a disagreement in Orton and Halliwell's sequences but the love is always apparent. While Kenneth's insecurity worsens as Joe climbs every step up towards success, Joe always stands by him. The viewer is also given brief glimpses of Joe's relationship with his mother, sister and confidant Peggy. The depiction of the 60's gay culture is also intriguing.The execution isn't first rate as the cinematography is flat and the editing leaves a lot to be desired. The pacing is very slow. The lighting could have used some improvement.The acting is superb. Gary Oldman is spellbinding as Joe Orton. Even though he is more commonly known for his villainous roles, movies like these prove what a versatile actor he is. Alfred Molina is brilliant as Kenneth. A foxy Julie Walters makes her presence felt in a limited role. Vanessa Redgrave is remarkable in a brief but memorable role.'Prick Up Your Ears' is an interesting psychological character study and true crime drama. In addition to the wonderful performances, the writing is first rate, especially the witty dialogues loaded with humour. The movie ends on a note of leaving the viewer to wonder what would have become of Orton's life had he still lived. Here was a man who had everything going for him...except one thing that ended his life.

Stephen Frears's seriocomic biopic tells the story of Joe Orton and Kenneth Halliwell in flashback, framed by sequences of John Lahr, played by Wallace Shawn, researching the book upon which the film is based with Orton's literary agent, played by Vanessa Redgrave. I couldn't care less about the story being told in flashback. This cinematic device is growing increasingly stale and unnecessary. But what makes this movie fascinating is its portrayal of Orton and Halliwell's relationship, which is so real and deep and truthful and profound that Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina, who happen to be two of my favorite actors, playing the two fated writers, might as well be right in your living room as you watch them.Orton and Halliwell's relationship is drawn from its initial stages at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Orton starts out as the inexperienced, amateurish youth to Halliwell's older scholar. As the relationship grows, Orton grows more and more doubtless of his ability while Halliwell's writing languishes. They descend into a twisted caricature of a conventional married couple, with Orton as the "husband" and Halliwell as the selfless and ever more overlooked and disregarded "wife." This could be a state of affairs made worse by Orton's incapability or reluctance, in 1960s England, to accept having a male life partner. Maybe, maybe not.The circumstance and descent of their relationship is heartbreaking, but what impresses me the most is the portrayal in and of itself, in the writing, in the acting. Joe Orton is an insatiable, fun-loving bottom boy with an artistic streak and from the start, he is most concerned with self-preservation, pleasure, materiality and substance. Without any self- doubt or feeling, Orton is inclined to exploit whoever would give him a leg up to a life of notoriety and privilege. When quiet, intellectual Halliwell endeavors to cultivate him, Orton takes advantage and Halliwell grows more compliant and eager to be immersed in the depths of his growing love for him.Halliwell alludes to childhood, which he gives the impression of being less pivotal than it really was for him, having been disregarded by his father and coddled dearly by his mother. His mother's death when he was a young boy was surely an immensely damaging turning point in his life, as when his father committed suicide, he came downstairs and "put the kettle on, got dressed and called an ambulance, in that order." He gives to the deficit of his mother in the natural way he lives his life, seldom enforcing his will save for his impressively rare breaking points, but operating by going with the flow of his innate emotions. He is inclined to travel the wave of his feelings for Orton, unable to help his protective, nurturing nature from integrating itself into Orton's life, even if it provides Orton with a convenient safety net and Halliwell himself with never-ending jealousy, disdain and longing for affection of any kind."Prick Up Your Ears" was to be the title of one of Orton's plays. The name was suggested by Halliwell who had provided much of Orton's titles all through the successful portion of his career. The cruelty of Orton's aloofness is infuriating, and the effect it had on the outsized emotional state of Halliwell is widely known, and demonstrated at the very beginning of the movie. Orton seemed only ever concerned with the quality of his own existence and seemed to an almost surreal extent to lack feeling.There is no true way of knowing how Gary Oldman and Alfred Molina interpreted these roles, how different they are from my interpretation and how similar they, or Alan Bennett's astute screenplay, are to the real people. Nevertheless, they deliver profound performances.