The Boys in the Band
| The Boys in the Band | |
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Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | William Friedkin |
| Produced by |
Mart Crowley Kenneth Utt Dominick Dunne Robert Jiras |
| Screenplay by | Mart Crowley |
| Based on |
The Boys in the Band by Mart Crowley |
| Starring |
Kenneth Nelson Leonard Frey Cliff Gorman Laurence Luckinbill Frederick Combs Keith Prentice Robert La Tourneaux Reuben Greene Peter White |
| Cinematography | Arthur J. Ornitz |
| Edited by |
Gerald B. Greenberg Carl Lerner |
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Production
company |
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| Distributed by | National General Pictures (1970, original) Paramount Pictures (2008, DVD) |
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Release date
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Running time
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118 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $5.5 million |
| Box office | $3.5 million (US/Canada rentals) |
The Boys in the Band is a 1970 American drama film directed by William Friedkin. The screenplay by Mart Crowley is based on his Off-Broadway play of the same title. It is among the first major American motion pictures to revolve around gay characters and is often cited as a milestone in the history of queer cinema, and is also thought to be the first mainstream American film to use the swear word cunt.
The ensemble cast, all of whom also played the roles in the play's initial stage run in New York City, includes Kenneth Nelson as Michael, Peter White as Alan, Leonard Frey as Harold, Cliff Gorman as Emory, Frederick Combs as Donald, Laurence Luckinbill as Hank, Keith Prentice as Larry, Robert La Tourneaux as Cowboy, and Reuben Greene as Bernard. Model/actress Maud Adams has a brief cameo appearance as a fashion model in a photo shoot segment in the opening montage.
The film is set in an Upper East Side apartment in New York City in the late 1960s. Michael, a Roman Catholic sporadically employed writer and recovering alcoholic, is preparing to host a birthday party for his friend Harold. Another of his friends, Donald, a self-described underachiever who has moved from the city, arrives and helps Michael prepare. Alan, Michael's (presumably straight) old college roommate from Georgetown, calls with an urgent need to see Michael. Michael reluctantly agrees and invites him to come over.
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Wikipedia