CompleteMartialArts.com - Lost Language of Cranes
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List Price: $19.98
Our Price: $1.45
Your Save: $ 18.53 ( 93% )
Availability: N/A
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
Starring: Brian Cox, Eileen Atkins, Angus Macfadyen, Corey Parker, Rene Auberjonois
Directed By: Nigel Finch
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: VHS Tape
EAN: 9780790754727
Format: Closed-captioned
ISBN: 079075472X
Label: BBC Warner
Manufacturer: BBC Warner
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: BBC Warner
Release Date: 2000-07-19
Running Time: 87
Studio: BBC Warner
Theatrical Release Date: 1992-06-24
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Editorial Reviews:
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The damage caused by long-kept secrets lies at the heart of The Lost Language of Cranes. Rose (Eileen Atkins) believes that "keeping certain secrets secret is essential to the general balance of life," but her son Philip (Angus Macfayden) disagrees. He decides to tell his parents that he is gay, and his honesty precipitates a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart. Philip's father Owen (Brian Cox) leads a secret life, hiding his own homosexuality from Rose while spending his Sundays in porn cinemas. Owen has been crippled emotionally by years of deceit, and he is incapable of having an honest relationship with his wife, his son, or any of the men whom he meets. When he learns that Philip is gay an emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth. This powerful drama does a wonderful job of portraying a family undergoing catastrophic change. Philip and Owen find a kind of freedom when they unburden themselves, but in many ways Rose's dilemma is the key to this film. Philip's revelation helps her to understand that on some level she has known about her husband's homosexuality all along, and that keeping secrets is far more damaging than revealing them. Yet she is left feeling "like the punch line of some terrible joke" even as her husband and son are set free. The Lost Language of Cranes is a compelling examination of the consequences of honesty, both good and bad. --Simon Leake
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: The Lost Language of Cranes
Comment: Surprise - it has nothing to do with birds!
This video explores Owen and Rose's family on three (four? Many?) levels.
Firstly, what a profound affect coming out can have, making me wonder whether it should be such an imperative. Sometimes keeping a secret might be the better choice.
Secondly, how difficult it is to lead a double life, being homosexual or bisexual in a straight marriage and how easily this fragile set-up can break apart.
Time Life conducted a survey in the 1980's that estimated that only between 2% and 3% of people are truly homosexual. The surprise conclusion was that about 32% of all people are bisexual, suggesting that there are many, many people out there who have to juggle this lifestyle very, VERY carefully.
Thirdly, it shows that homosexual men also hanker for a stock standard family life and that their relationships suffer the same ravages that a straight relationship does. You will see signs of the "It's all about me" world start emerging in this novel, which was written in 1986.
And then, fourthly, there are the children. I must admit that I could not really connect the case study of the children who communicated using the creaks, groans and movements of construction cranes to the core of the movie. I guess I'll have to view it a few more times to figure this part out.
All in all, "Lost language of Cranes" is an enjoyable and thought provoking movie.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Honest and subtle drama of secrets being revealed
Comment: "The lost language of cranes" is a British TV movie based on the novel by David Leavitt. The problem when you see a movie adaptation of a book you have already read -- and loved -- is that either the adaptation is not faithful and betrays the book, or it is too faithful and just looks like a summary of the story. Very rarely a movie adaptation can remain faithful to the essence of the book but not so literal that it brings nothing new to the story; unfortunately, that's the case here.
It tells the story of a family, the Benjamins, who have lots of secrets. Owen Benjamin, played by Brian Cox, is a closeted homosexual married to Rose (Eileen Atkins). Every Sunday Owen goes to a porno cinema, where he has anonymous sex with men. Owen and Rose's son, Philip (Angus MacFadyen), is also a gay man, but he has no problems with his sexuality. He's very much in love with Elliot (Corey Parker), a young American artist who was raised by a gay couple. The conflict starts when Philip decides to come out to his parents, making his father face his own desire and his mother confront her own prejudice.
The most surprising fact about this British adaptation of an American novel is how little the change of place from New York to London affects the story. Indeed, this adaptation is so faithful to the original that whole dialogs from the book appear on the screen, almost unchanged. And yet, we get to know from the bonus interviews on this DVD that the porno cinema, which plays such an important role in the story, was a real problem in the adaptation because there were no such places in London, due to their laws. So apparently the screenwriter, Sean Mathias, had to "create" a porno cinema that never existed, appropriately called "the Fantasy".
Among the sacrifices that had to be made for the sake of the length of the movie, the one I most regret is the use of the character Jerene, played by Cathy Tyson. In the novel, Jerene is a full and complex character, a black lesbian student who was rejected by her parents and develops a thesis about languages that are lost forever, like the little boy who, neglected by his mother, learned to communicate looking at the cranes from his window. In the movie, Jerene appears only to explain the title of the film and little else.
If you haven't read the novel, you will find this movie a very interesting drama about a family having to face their hidden secrets, but without ever raising their voices, which is very British! If you already know the book, however, you may feel a little disappointed.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great update on an old favorite
Comment: Since I own "Lost Language of Cranes" on VHS, I am familar with the movie. The new DVD offers a few extra scenes that were not on the VHS format. The added scenes don't add that much to the story, but add a lot to the enjoyment of the film. My only disappointment is in the extra features. They were only able to secure one cast member to interview and it would have been nice to have more of the cast.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Reality strikes!
Comment: This movie is well done and a joy to watch. Sad in its story line, but real as life can be. I know lots of "straight" men who just can't come to grips with their "real" identity. Some skulk around in the shadows seeking release without recognition in one night stands. Sad but true.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Very Well Done Indeed, And Long Overdue on DVD
Comment: The film version of the Lost Language of Cranes is a triumph for its main stars, Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins. It was my first exposure to the work of either, and this film is the root of my immense admiration of their talents.
There has always been some confusion concerning the allegory of the title. In the David Leavitt novel, the narrative is supported by an involved subplot, a tale concerning an "abandoned" child. I agree with the reviewer who complained that the allegory is unfortunately not explained very well in the film, and I had to re-read the book to refresh my understanding of the meaning of the title. In the book, far more detail is devoted to the story of this child, who has been neglected by his drug addicted mother and left to fend for himself in a playpen, without the comfort of human bonding or affection. After spending his first year in the shadow of a giant crane on a construction site outside his window, he compensates for his lack of human companionship by "bonding" with the giant crane, and eventually constructs his own "language" based on its movements, mimicking the crane to express joy, love or affection. However, since he is unable to communicate his feelings outside of the invented language, its exact details and meaning are lost forever.
The story of the Crane Child parallels the failed relationship of Owen and Rose (Cox and Atkins), who long ago have lost the ability to communicate their needs and wants to each other, each sharing only those domestic details that they deem important. The allegory of the child "communicating" with his crane-language is much more fully threshed out in the novel, and the lack of detail in the film makes this portion of the story confusing; the overall effect is that the details concerning the "Crane Child" seem rather forced, and weaken rather than strengthen the narrative.
However, understanding the title is not essential to the main drama. The acting is very good on the part of each of the cast members, and the story is strong enough to survive without a clearer explanation of the title. Although Eileen Atkins has been deservedly praised as the strongest performer, Brian Cox gives a particularly nuanced reading as the closeted father, guarding the secret of his sexuality throughout a troubled marriage, until he fairly explodes in frustration and loneliness. A key scene depicting Owen's reaction to his son's coming out is particularly heartfelt, and a highly effective piece of acting. The film suffers not at all from the change of venue from New York to London; I recall that the American telecast was prefaced by a commentary by Mr. Leavitt, who stated that the location was changed to England simply because it was produced and financed by the BBC.
The DVD release of Lost Language of Cranes is long overdue, and a welcome addition to my video library. I only wish that CBS Fox would just see fit to release a DVD edition of the Boys in the Band, another gay classic they've been sitting on for way too many years.
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