Andre’s Mother (American Playhouse/WGBH)
Picture: C
Sound: C+ Extras: D Main Program: B-
It is hard to believe the AIDS crisis is still with us,
but it is, yet the way it was being grasped early on often took some brave and
bold steps on the part of some amazing people.
Terence McNally was one of those writers and the 1990 TV adaptation of Andre’s
Mother holds up very well, reminding us of the nightmare people still go
through, but how especially bad it was when the illness was more mysterious and
homosexuality was more closeted by society in general.
The crux of this story is between the title character
(Sada Thompson as Katherine) and the loss of her son, who did not want her to
know he was so sick because of longtime conflicts with her. Left behind is his lover (Richard Thomas as
Cal) who has not tested positive for the virus, is angry, scared, frustrated
and now has to deal with a mother who was left in the cold. The story uses some flashbacks to further
the emotional stakes and bring out the deeper story here of these people and
their pain. There is some humor, but it
is often ironic. Though this lasts only
50 minutes, it offers quite a punch.
Sylvia Sidney also stars.
The 1.33 X 1 image is softer than as program that looks
like it was shot on film should be, likely from an older analog transfer. Otherwise, this is shot well and the Dolby
Digital 2.0 Stereo is simple and has aged better. There are no extras.
- Nicholas Sheffo
