I feel that Making The Boys is a film that must be seen by anyone that is at least tangentially interested in GLBT history and culture. Do not get me wrong, this film is an amazing capsule into theatre history, but there is much more of a focus on the GLBT side of things. This documentary looks into the creation of The Boys in the Band, and provides individuals either intimately familiar with the show or can contextualize it for those that may have not watched the show or were not alive during its original run. Terrence McNally, Edward Albee, Carson Kressley, and Tony Kushner’s opinions and feelings captured during Making The Boys are touching and fitting a phenomenon of that stature.
I believe that the 90 minutes given to Making The Boys is the bare minimum for something so large; I feel that Crayton Robey balances well the narrative surrounding the play with compelling interviews, and does not move into the minutia that bog down a number of documentaries. Perhaps the most interesting bit of Making The Boys to me would have to be the changes in how the play was perceived among groups. Where there was outright derision and hatred of The Boys in the Band by a number of these groups when it originally came out, the tables turned as more were able to watch it and grow to love it. I would suggest that Making The Boys be a purchase for anyone that wishes to bone up on their GLBT history, or for any group that wishes to begin some heady discussion about where the movement was, is, and will be in the years and decades to come. Check Making The Boys out today.
Rating: 8.1/10
Making The Boys (DVD) / 2011 First Run Features / 90 Minutes / http://www.firstrunfeatures.com
