Quentin Crisp Lives Again in "Englishman in NY" at QFest
By Sherri Rase
photo courtesy of QFest
'Englishman in NY' John Hurt as Quentin Crisp
John Hurt's creation of the role of the real-life Quentin Crisp, pithy and flamboyant personality/writer/actor/model, in the original film "The Naked Civil Servant," directed by Jack Gold, was so potently true to life that PBS was in danger of losing support when it premiered in 1975. Richard Laxton's "An Englishman in New York" (Britain 2009, 74 minutes) takes up the story at the point where Crisp moves to New York, where he cuts quite a colorful figure about town.
More than 10 years ago, I had the pleasure of seeing and meeting Quentin Crisp when he spoke at Gay Activist Alliance in Morris County. Hurt's portrayal of Crisp is spot-on, although a wee bit of dramatization has occurred and some liberties taken, since Brian Fillis' script relies in part upon anecdotes and remembrance of neighbors and friends.
The story begins in 1981, when Quentin Crisp gets an offer to do some public speaking in the United States. Almost immediately, he meets Connie Clausen (Swoosie Kurtz), who immediately launches his career when she takes on his management. Denis O'Hare portrays the portmanteau character Phillip Steele. Steele is the combination of writer, poet and photographer Phillip Ward and Christopher Street magazine editor Thomas Steele-whom Crisp always referred to, in his columns for the publication, as "Your Mr. Steele"-two close friends of Crisp. Jonathan Tucker plays painter Patrick Angus very well and soulfully. The personal beauty of the artist, inside and out, seems a flame burning too brightly to last for long. Angus sees some success, thanks to Crisp's efforts, but nearly too late to be of inspiration, before Angus succumbs to AIDS. Cynthia Nixon does an arch turn as performance artist Penny Arcade, who brought Crisp out of semi-retirement for a series of conversations called "The Last Will and Testament of Quentin Crisp." It is a pairing of divinity with silk and glass and scintillating wit combining to leave a lasting frisson of pleasure.
If you had the experience of seeing Quentin Crisp in person, there is a delicious personal nostalgia you may feel during Hurt's il Divo performance. If you had not had the experience, you may feel the bitterness of losing an opportunity that was not meant to be. Either way, the wisdom lives on.
QFest (www.phillycinema.com), Philadelphia's gay and lesbian film festival, presents the Philadelphia premiere screenings of "Englishman" on July 17 at 7:15 p.m. at the Ritz East, Theater One, 125 South Second Street, and 19 at 12:15 p.m.
