The Great Work Begins

I just finished watching Angels in America, a two-part, six-hour television film. It’s an extraordinary, sometimes profound story of hope, redemption and loss. It’s a tricky piece to summarize, so read the Spark Notes version.

When I see a great piece of art, I’m often left speechless. It’s an incredibly ambitious film–it seems to encompass politics and religion and faith and suffering in a single, coherent story. One moment the film is an intimate drama about mourning a dying lover, and the next it’s a fairy (pun entirely intended) tale about a blind prophet and a gay Mormon.

Everything about the production is well done. The ensemble acting is humble and polished, the cinematography is showy without being ridiculous, and the special effects are admirably understated (the film features the first convincing fire effect I’ve ever seen–they always look lousy, even in Return of the King). It was clearly a labour of love for all involved (it’s not like Emma Thompson or Al Pacino need the work).

This sort of neo-mini-series–Band of Brothers is another example–gives me hope for television.

Here’s a Mormonish perspective on the film, and CNN’s two bits. There’s also a fine piece from the New Yorker.