By the time 1970’s “The Boys in the Band” arrived, William Friedkin was already a working filmmaker. Hired to oversee an adaptation of Mart Crowley’s 1968 play, Friedkin accepted a unique challenge to peel the theatricality out of the writing, giving it a cinematic presence, laboring hard to turn the material into a fiery picture about a party involving a collection of gay men that gradually dissolves into an emotional mess. Crowley’s landmark work offered a humane but acidic understanding of men fighting through troubling issues and relationship woes, delivering a dimensional appreciation of hidden insecurities during a time reserved for a celebration. Friedkin respects the assignment, collaborating with Crowley (who handles scripting duties) to preserve the complexity of fears in the endeavor while also delivering a more visual experience. “The Boys in the Band” has its place in media history, but the feature is sure to deliver more than a just respectful take on the play, adding the intensity of closeness to the experience as the helmer plays careful attention to faces while detailing a nightmare evening of exposure for most of the characters. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com
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