The Boys in the Band

“If we could just learn to not hate ourselves quite so very much.” William Friedkin's dated, but still potent 1970 film kicked in the door of the so-called celluloid closet, bringing to the screen Mart Crowley's landmark 1968 off-Broadway play that unfolds over the course of a birthday party for “32-year-old, ugly, pockmarked Jew fairy” Harold (Leonard Frey). The Boys in the Band's bitchy banter and searing, squirm-inducing truth-telling (which gives new meaning to the phrase “drama queen”) almost makes one long for the more comparatively benign party games of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but this was the first mainstream film to present gay characters without apology. From flamboyant (“Hot stuff, comin' through”) to closeted, the boys were a far cry from the “sissies” or doomed tragic figures previously portrayed in Hollywood films. Featuring the play's original ensemble cast, The Boys in the Band bows on DVD with extras including audio commentary by Friedkin and Crowley, as well as a trio of illuminating featurettes on the play, the film, and their importance in the context of pop culture history. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)[Blu-ray Review—June 16, 2015—Kino Lorber, 119 min., R, $29.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1970's The Boys in the Band features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD 2.0 soundtrack. Extras include audio commentary by director William Friedkin, and the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Act One: The Play” (14 min.), “Act Two: The Film” (25 min.), and “Act Three: 40 Years of Boys in the Band” (6 min.). Bottom line: a key film in the history of gay cinema makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]