Jump to the good stuff: The Story | Some Thoughts | The Final Verdict
The Story:
Prick Up Your Ears is a biographical drama about the death of playwright Joe Orton at the hands of his lover, Kenneth Halliwell.
The film opens with the dead bodies of Orton (Gary Oldman) and Halliwell (Alfred Molina) being discovered in their apartment. The police call Orton’s agent, Peggy Ramsay (Venessa Redgrave), to the crime scene to identify the bodies. While there, she takes a series of notebooks tied together when the police aren’t looking.
Years later, Peggy is approached by a theater critic, John Lahr (Wallace Shawn), who wants to write a biography about Joe Orton. And with their first meeting, she begins to tell the story of Orton and Halliwell’s relationship, from their first meeting in the late 1950s, to Orton’s death in 1967.
Some Thoughts:
Although Prick Up Your Ears takes place at a time when homosexuality was a crime, it treats Orton and Halliwell’s relationship as if it was nothing out of the ordinary. It helps that their neighbors and acquaintances all know that they’re a couple, but none of them talk about it or act as if they’re aware. The only time we get a sense of the legal implications of being gay are the scenes in which Orton and Halliwell go cruising. This allows the film to focus Orton’s rise to fame and the emotional implications it had on Halliwell.
Oldman and Molina are at the top of their game, giving nuances to their characters that highlight the tragic situation. We see them as people caught in a difficult situation instead of good guy v.s. bad. And while the story is about Orton and Halliwell, it’s Halliwell and his struggle to hold onto his dignity as his lover finds success without him who takes center stage.
What I like most about this movie is that it never points fingers or becomes preachy. And that, along with some fine acting, is what makes the film feel honest.
The Final Verdict:
Thanks to its fine writing, acting, and direction, Prick Up Your Ears is a tragic drama that will appeal to wide audience.