An Englishman in New York **** (2009, John Hurt, Denis O’Hare, Jonathan Tucker, Swoosie Kurtz, Cynthia Nixon) – Classic Movie Review 12,773

John Hurt stars in the absolutely fabulous 2009 biographical film An Englishman in New York, chronicling gay English writer Quentin Crisp’s later life years in New York City after his move from London in the late 1970s. 

Directed by Richard Laxton’s absolutely fabulous 2009 biographical film An Englishman in New York chronicles gay English writer Quentin Crisp’s later life years in New York City after his move from London in the late 1970s.

John Hurt uncannily gets under the skin of his role as Crisp, brilliantly reprising his award-winning performance from The Naked Civil Servant (1975). This is beyond acting, he is Quentin Crisp.

It is a poignant bitter-sweet occasion, especially now that Quentin Crisp and John Hurt are both gone, with some awkward, provocative, even quite challenging edges. That makes it intelligent food for thought and argument, as well as great entertainment. Writer Brian Fillis and John Hurt have done Quentin Crisp proud.

It runs just 75 minutes, and more, much more would be better.

Quentin Crisp NYC 1992 Ross Bennett Lewis

Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; 25 December 1908 – 21 November 1999) became a gay icon because of his flamboyant personality and wit. But he became a controversial figure because of his unhelpful and idiotic flippant remarks about the AIDS crisis and his equally unhelpful and idiotic criticism of gay liberation, inviting attack from gay activists. When challenged, he refused to back down. He had an enormous talent to amuse, but he couldn’t tell brilliant wise wit from stupid wrongheaded flippancy.

Quentin Crisp (born Denis Charles Pratt; 25 December 1908 – 21 November 1999) became a gay icon because of his flamboyant personality and wit. But he became a controversial figure because of his unhelpful and idiotic flippant remarks about the AIDS crisis and his equally unhelpful and idiotic criticism of gay liberation, inviting attack from gay activists and gay people generally. When challenged, he refused to back down, or was he just misinterpreted? He had an enormous talent to amuse, but he couldn’t tell brilliant wise wit from stupid wrongheaded flippancy, and didn’t care. In the Eighties, he found himself a bit of a dinosaur, an ancient prized relic from another age, not being careful when it was life or death to be careful.

It premiered on 7 February 2009 at the 59th Berlin International Film Festival where the jury president was Tilda Swinton.

The film takes its title from a song about Crisp written by Sting for his 1987 second solo studio album …Nothing Like the Sun. ‘Englishman in New York’ was released as a single in the UK on 5 February 1988.

The cast are John Hurt as Quentin Crisp, Denis O’Hare as Phillip Steele (a composite character based on Crisp’s friends Phillip Ward and Tom Steele), Jonathan Tucker as American artist Patrick Angus, Crisp’s friend, Swoosie Kurtz as Crisp’s agent Connie Clausen, and Cynthia Nixon as performance artist and playwright Penny Arcade, who takes an interest in Crisp.

© Derek Winnert 2023 – Classic Movie Review 12,773

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