Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End

Last updated

  • Paul Monette: The Brink
  • of Summer's End
VHS cover for Paul Monette, The Brink of Summer's End.jpeg
VHS cover
Directed byMonte Bramer
Written byMonte Bramer
Based on Paul Monette
Produced byLesli Klainberg
Starring
Narrated by
Edited byChris Reiss
Music by Jon Ehrlich
Production
company
Brink of Summer's End
Distributed by
Release dates
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End is a 1996 American biographical documentary film written and directed by Monte Bramer. The film is based on the life of gay writer and AIDS activist Paul Monette, who died from the disease in 1995. [1] Appearing as themselves in the film are Judith Light, Robert Desiderio, Winston Wilde, Larry Kramer, Star Black and his brother Robert Monette. The documentary is narrated by Linda Hunt. The film premiered in 1996 at Outfest Los Angeles, where it won an award for Best Documentary. The film had its television premiere on Cinemax in 1997.

Contents

Synopsis and background

Filmmakers Monte Bramer and Lesli Klainberg were initially going to make a film about numerous American gays and lesbians, but after interviewing Monette, they found him so interesting, the pair switched course and decided to focus their project on him alone. They used footage from home movies, and an additional forty hours of videotape shot during the three years prior to Monette's death. The film starts by detailing his early life, which was spent in the closet, and teaching literature and writing at a prep school.

The film then moves on to chronicle his three relationships he had, with two of those partners dying of AIDS. The documentary highlights his time with his first partner, Roger Horwitz, a lawyer, with whom he moved to Los Angeles in 1977. Monette achieved critical acclaim for writing the book, Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir , which told the story of Horwitz's physical decline, and eventual death from AIDS in 1986.

His next relationship shown in the film is with Stephen Kolzak, who was at one time, a senior vice president of casting at Columbia Pictures Television, and was the casting director for multiple primetime television shows. [lower-alpha 1] Like Monette, he was also an AIDS activist. He died from the disease in 1990. His last partner, who was featured and offered commentary for the film ,is Winston Wilde, who remained with Monette until his death from AIDS in 1995.

The documentary is narrated by Linda Hunt, with additional narration for selected readings from Monette's works by Jonathan Fried. His former lovers Horwitz and Kolzak, along with Monette, appear via archive footage. Judith Light and Larry Kramer, both well-known AIDS activists, were interviewed and offered commentary on Monette's achievements and his activism, and Light, who was a speaker at his memorial service, also talked about giving the first GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award (named after his lover), to Monette.

Go without hate, but not without rage; heal the world.

— Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End [3]

Cast

Appearing as themselves
Archive footage

Critical reception

Film critic Stephen Holden said the film "presents Monette's life as an unabashedly heroic journey from fear into ferocity". Holden also noted that a lesson to be learned from the movie is "how difficult it was, even for someone like Monette, who came from a stable, loving family and had the best education money could buy, to accept his own homosexuality". [3] Steve Johnson wrote in the Chicago Tribune that the film works because it isn't just a narrative of the tragic end of Monette's life, instead it relays the "story of an artist finding his voice and the specific one of this artist continuing to celebrate life even as it kicks him around". [4]

David Chute of the Los Angeles Times wrote in his blurb that the documentary is a robust account of Monette's life "devoted stubbornly, even heroically, to self-expression". Chute also notes that Monette once wrote, "I’m not dying of AIDS...I’m dying of homophobia", which is clearly demonstrated in the film. [5] Film critic Godfrey Cheshire gave it a positive review in Variety , saying the film is successful "because it tells the tale of an exceptional man", and the documentary is especially touching in "depicting the love binding him and Winston Wilde, an extraordinarily devoted and generous companion". [6]

David Noh of Film Journal International was overall generally pleased with the film, but did criticize the ending for "coming off as somewhat exploitative". Noh argued that Bramer focused too much on Monette's dying and physical deterioration at the end of his life; you see him go from enjoying life to its fullest, to "ravaged invalid and, ultimately, a living corpse, gasping for breath on his bed". Noh said if the filmmakers intention was making a "politicized point...about governmental indifference and the devastating reality of AIDS", the closing footage nonetheless "robs the man of his human dignity". [7] Russell Smith of The Austin Chronicle wrote that Bramer portrays Monette as someone whose "inability to face a core element of his own identity, his homosexuality, barred him from any real self-knowledge until early middle age". He rated the film Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg. [8]

Accolades

Festival / OrganizationAwardResultRef.
CableACE Award Directing a Documentary Special (Monte Bramer)Nominated [9]
GLAAD Media Awards Outstanding Documentary Won [10]
Outfest Los Angeles Outstanding DocumentaryWon [11]
San Francisco International Lesbian and Gay Film Festival Best DocumentaryWon [12]
Sundance Film Festival Best Documentary (Audience Award)Won [4]
Sundance Film FestivalBest Documentary (Grand Jury)Nominated

See also

Notes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Larry Kramer</span> American playwright (1935–2020)

Laurence David Kramer was an American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, and gay rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to London, where he worked with United Artists. There he wrote the screenplay for the film Women in Love (1969) and received an Academy Award nomination for his work.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GLAAD Media Award</span> Award for LGBT representation in media

The GLAAD Media Award is a US accolade bestowed by GLAAD to recognize and honor various branches of the media for their outstanding representations of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community and the issues that affect their lives. In addition to film and television, the Awards also recognize achievements in other branches of the media and arts, including theatre, music, journalism and advertising.

The GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak Award is a special GLAAD Media Award presented annually by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. It is named in honor of the Los Angeles casting director Stephen F. Kolzak, who devoted the last part of his life to fighting homophobia and AIDS-phobia within the entertainment industry. The award is given to an openly LGBT member of the entertainment or media community for his or her work toward eliminating homophobia. It has been awarded since 1991, with Kolzak being the posthumous inaugural recipient.

The 16th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (2005) were presented at three separate ceremonies: March 28 in New York; April 30 in Los Angeles; and June 11 in San Francisco. The awards were presented to honor "fair, accurate and inclusive" representations of gay individuals in the media.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Monette</span> American author, poet, and activist (1945 – 1995)

Paul Landry Monette was an American author, poet, and activist best known for his books about gay relationships.

Robert Desiderio is an American actor best known for his roles on television. He starred as Steve Piermont in the ABC daytime soap opera One Life to Live (1982-83) opposite his future wife, Judith Light. He starred in the short-lived HBO drama series, Maximum Security (1984-85), the ABC crime drama Heart of the City (1986-87), and from 1988 to 1989 played Ted Melcher in the CBS prime time soap opera, Knots Landing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vito Russo</span> American historian and LGBT activist

Vito Russo was an American LGBT activist, film historian, and author. He is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet, described in The New York Times as "an essential reference book" on homosexuality in the US film industry. In 1985, he co-founded the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), a media watchdog organization that strives to end anti-LGBT rhetoric, and advocates for LGBT inclusion in popular media.

<i>Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt</i> 1989 film by Jeffrey Friedman, Rob Epstein

Common Threads: Stories from the Quilt is a 1989 American documentary film that tells the story of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt. Narrated by Dustin Hoffman with a musical score written and performed by Bobby McFerrin, the film focuses on several people who are represented by panels in the Quilt, combining personal reminiscences with archive footage of the subjects, along with footage of various politicians, health professionals and other people with AIDS. Each section of the film is punctuated with statistics detailing the number of Americans diagnosed with and dead of AIDS through the early years of the epidemic. The film ends with the first display of the complete Quilt at the National Mall in Washington, D.C. during the 1987 Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Schwarz</span> American filmmaker

Jeffrey Schwarz is an American Emmy Award-winning film producer, director, and editor. He is known for an extensive body of documentary work including Boulevard! A Hollywood Story, The Fabulous Allan Carr, Tab Hunter Confidential, I Am Divine, Vito, Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon and Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story.

18th Annual GLAAD Media Awards (2007) were presented at four separate ceremonies: March 26 in New York City; April 14 in Los Angeles; April 28 in San Francisco; and May 10 in Miami. The awards were presented to honor "fair, accurate and inclusive" representations of gay individuals in the media.

Winston Wilde is a sexologist, psychotherapist, and author living in Los Angeles, California. He is the surviving partner of writer Paul Monette (1945–1995). Wilde's book, Legacies of Love: A Heritage of Queer Bonding, chronicling famous queer relationships with pictures and texts, was published in 2007 after 14 years of research.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Justin Tranter</span> American singer-songwriter

Justin Drew Tranter is an American songwriter, singer, and activist. Frequently co-writing with Julia Michaels, Tranter has written songs for artists such as Britney Spears, Gwen Stefani, Linkin Park, Kelly Clarkson, Sara Bareilles, Selena Gomez, Justin Bieber, DNCE, Citizen Queen, Kesha, Imagine Dragons, Fifth Harmony, 5 Seconds of Summer, Ariana Grande, Lady Gaga, RAYE, Bea Miller, Demi Lovato, Dua Lipa, Måneskin, and Fall Out Boy. From 2004 to 2014, Tranter was the lead singer of Semi Precious Weapons, a rock band based in New York. Since February 2017, they have been a board member of GLAAD, an organization that promotes LGBT acceptance in the entertainment and news industries. Tranter's songs have garnered over 50 million single sales and 40 billion streams on Spotify and YouTube as of May 2021.

<i>Outrage</i> (2009 film) 2009 American film

Outrage is a 2009 American documentary film written and directed by Kirby Dick. The film presents a narrative discussing the hypocrisy of people purported in the documentary to be closeted gay or bisexual politicians who promote anti-gay legislation. It premiered at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival before being released theatrically on May 8, 2009. It was nominated for a 2010 Emmy Award, and won Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival's jury award for best documentary. The documentary's prime subject was Michael Rogers, founder of BlogActive.com.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">21st GLAAD Media Awards</span>

The 21st GLAAD Media Awards was the 2010 annual presentation of the media awards presented by the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. The awards seek to honor films, television shows, musicians and works of journalism that fairly and accurately represent the LGBT community and issues relevant to the community. The 21st annual award ceremony included 116 nominees in 24 English-language categories, and 36 Spanish-language nominees in eight categories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David France (writer)</span> American journalist and filmmaker (born 1959)

David France is an American investigative reporter, non-fiction author, and filmmaker. He is a former Newsweek senior editor, and has published in New York magazine, The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, GQ, and others. France, who is gay, is best known for his investigative journalism on LGBTQ topics.

<i>Sex Positive</i> 2008 American film

Sex Positive is a 2008 documentary film about Richard Berkowitz directed by Daryl Wein. The film explores Berkowitz's life, presenting him as a revolutionary gay activist whose incomparable contribution to the invention of safe sex has never been aptly credited.

<i>How to Survive a Plague</i> 2012 American documentary film by David France

How to Survive a Plague is a 2012 American documentary film about the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and the efforts of activist groups ACT UP and TAG. It was directed by David France, a journalist who covered AIDS from its beginnings. France's first film, it was dedicated to his partner Doug Gould who died of AIDS-related pneumonia in 1992. The documentary was produced using more than 700 hours of archived footage which included news coverage, interviews as well as film of demonstrations, meetings and conferences taken by ACT UP members themselves. France says they knew what they were doing was historic, and that many of them would die. The film opened in selected theatres across the United States on September 21, 2012, also includes footage of a demonstration during mass at St. Patrick's Cathedral in 1989.

Vito is a 2011 American documentary film produced and directed by Jeffrey Schwarz of the Los Angeles-based production company Automat Pictures. The film documents the life of Vito Russo, gay activist, film scholar, and author of The Celluloid Closet.

<i>The Normal Heart</i> (film) 2014 film directed by Ryan Murphy

The Normal Heart is a 2014 American television drama film directed by Ryan Murphy and written by Larry Kramer, based on his 1985 play of the same name. The film stars Mark Ruffalo, Matt Bomer, Taylor Kitsch, Jim Parsons, Alfred Molina, Joe Mantello, Jonathan Groff, and Julia Roberts.

Stephen F. Kolzak was an American Los Angeles casting director.

References

  1. ↑ Bell, Chris (2006). "American AIDS Film". In Gerstner, David A. (ed.). Routledge International Encyclopedia of Queer Culture (1 ed.). Routledge. pp. 28–29. ISBN   9780415306515 . Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  2. ↑ AP News (September 21, 1990). "Stephen F. Kolzak, Casting Supervisor for "Cheers," Dead at 37". Associated Press .
  3. 1 2 Holden, Stephen (February 6, 1998). "Film Review; More Active And Angry On the Way To the End". The New York Times .
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Steve (August 14, 1997). "Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End". Chicago Tribune .
  5. ↑ Chute, David (June 14, 1998). "'Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End'". Los Angeles Times .
  6. ↑ Cheshire, Godfrey (February 3, 1997). "Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End". Variety .
  7. ↑ Noh, David (November 2, 2004). "Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End". Film Journal International . Archived from the original on November 30, 2017.
  8. ↑ Smith, Russell (April 24, 1998). "Movie Review: Paul Monette: The Brink of Summer's End". The Austin Chronicle .
  9. ↑ "CableACE Awards". The Washington Post . November 9, 1997.
  10. ↑ "1998 GLAAD Media Award". GLAAD. Archived from the original on June 8, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  11. ↑ Wise, Troy; Guzman, Rick (October 16, 2020). "The Relevant Queer: Paul Monette, Courageous Poet, Author, and Activist, Born October 16, 1945". Image Amplified.
  12. ↑ Arts and Culture (July 4, 1997). "Gay Film Festival Breaks Records". San Francisco Chronicle .
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.