A true landmark in television history, John Erman's An Early Frost (1985) broke new ground as the first televised film to deal with the harsh reality of AIDS and its devastating effects on the victim's family. Written by Ron Cowen and Dan Lipman—who later created Showtime's Queer as Folk—the made-for-TV film garnered a staggering 14 Emmy nominations, ultimately winning four. Aidan Quinn stars as Michael Pierson, a successful young Chicago lawyer who is diagnosed with AIDS and forced to make difficult disclosures to his family and coworkers, who aren't aware that he's gay. The story focuses on the aftermath of these revelations, and Michael's courage in dealing with not only the then-automatically-fatal disease but prejudice as well. Now more than two decades old, An Early Frost still retains its power to move viewers, largely due to the sensitivity with which it was written, directed, and acted, and because its message of unconditional love and hope is timeless. DVD extras include an audio commentary track by Quinn, Cowen, and Lipman, as well as the 1987 documentary short film Living With AIDS, one of the first on the subject to be broadcast on PBS. Highly recommended. (E. Hulse)
An Early Frost
Wolfe, 97 min., not rated, DVD: $19.99 Volume 21, Issue 5
An Early Frost
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