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Amos Lassen wrote on 02/23/2011:

“The Lost Language of Cranes”
Honest Language
Amos Lassen
One of the first television to deal with gay men is “The Lost Language of Cranes” and it has finally been released on DVD. Based o a novel by David Leavitt if offers two metaphors of suppression and expression.
At the center of the film are three characters, all of whom have been suppressing their real feelings and selves. They are afraid of change because it would disrupt the balance of their lives. The inability to express themselves causes them to create their own language. Fear that the truth will tear their worlds apart is what the movie is about. As you watch the film you wonder if honesty is the best policy.
All that the characters fear about honesty actually happens. A family is torn apart and has no way to regroup. The mother is left helpless; the father has to live with thirty years of guilt and remorse. However they are free and they have a chance, if they want it, to rebuild their broken lives.
The film is devoid of action but even so there is a lot of suspense here. We learn about the results of keeping secrets and how uncomfortable we feel by doing so.
Philip (Angus Macfayden), a good looking young Englishman is in love with a very wealthy, manipulative American named Elliot (Corey Parker). Because Philip feels so strongly about his boyfriend, he decides to tell his parents that he is gay. His announcement brings about a crisis that he would never have imagined. His father Owen (Brian Cook) is also gay and he has kept this a secret from his wife, Rose (Eileen Atkins). Ever he tells his parents of his lifestyle, Philip discovers that his relationship with Elliot is not as strong as he thought and all of the characters find that their lives are now about to go in n a new direction.
What makes this such a wonderful movie is the cast but the script is somewhat flawed. At times it seems to be overly clinical and very awkward but the message it delivers hits you in the gut. The need for honesty should be the strongest impulse in our lives and this is what the movie delivers. It deals with an issue that we do not hear a lot about—when a gay person has a parent who is also gay. If honest communication were possible, this issue would not such a difficult one. One of the beautiful things about “Cranes” is that it shows actual affection that gay men have for each other. Other movies have shown gay men without showing the physical aspects of their relationships. Here we can see men as people who actually care.
This is not a gay love story but it is the story of a family and they deal and don’t deal with the truth. Both the father and son are gay and the mother lives in a state of denial. Philip exposes himself to his family and it doing so tears down the walls between them. The mother is very sharp but she also is very self-controlled and she refuses to face the truth. When she finally faces the real issues about her marriage, it falls apart.
Own, the father, has lived a lie his entire life. He is weak but he means well. He takes care of his family ad he genuinely loves his wife and son. But he is childish and he does not initiate, he simply reacts.
Philip, the son, is the catalyst. He opens the box and brings secrets out into the open. He appears as a wise ma who has a lot of iniative, both within the family and in his relationships outside of it.
The movie makes the broad suggestion that homosexuality is a result of both genetics and environment. Elliot is the adopted son of two gay men and Philip’s biological father is gay. Elliot’s roommate is a social worker tells us that a child’s life is molded by his environment. If a child is left alone, he starts to imitate a crane.
The drama is low-key. Everything is muted and this is a brave movie. The direction and the writing are wonderful and it is interesting as a contribution to gay cinema because of the realistic way it deals with gay men. Dealing with the many facets of coming out, keeping secrets, sharing life with others and being true to oneself, the extremely complex plot helps us to understand more about ourselves.

Conner wrote on 08/20/2008:

I was so thrilled, when this film finally came out of DVD, ( I say that, as DVD's are 100% better than tape). I too, feel that Britian did the story complete justice, when they switched from the book version, which takes place in New York, to the film version, which takes place in London, using British actors & actresses.

All of the actors & actresses have done a suburb job with their parts. So, for me, I can not single anyone person out, as doing better than another. So, I quote Mr. Grace from; "Are You Being Served"? (A British comedy sitcom)..........."You've all done very well"! And, that is just what all of the players in, "Lost Language Of the Crane", achieved together as one.

I, myself, give this movie 4-stars!! It's a true classic, and a must for your video library.

Janorm wrote on 03/12/2008:

This a story about the coming-out of a son followed by the father. These manay relationships of both are explored and portrayed quite well. The title exemplifies the secrets held wihin the family unit until released. Magnificant acting from England. A very well produced modern Shakespearen melodrama. One for the serious collector! Superb!!!

peterp88 wrote on 07/11/2007:

Angus MacFayden (Philip) and Corey Parker (Elliott) made a nice couple. Although another reviewer stated that the title was explained partially in the book it should have been on the DVD. The nude scene, although brief, was a delight. Ben Daniels is so cute in this movie but it seems that he let himself go as in Beautiful Thing. Buy it! You will want to view it more than once.

Gay Movie Viewer wrote on 06/16/2007:

The film version of the Lost Language of Cranes is a triumph for its main stars, Brian Cox and Eileen Atkins. It was my first exposure to the work of either, and this film is the root of my immense admiration of their talents.

There has always been some confusion concerning the allegory of the title. In the David Leavitt novel, the narrative is supported by an involved subplot, a tale concerning an "abandoned" child. The allegory is unfortunately not explained very well in the film, and I had to re-read to book to refresh my understanding of the meaning of the title. In the book, far more detail is devoted to the story of this child, who has been neglected by his drug addicted mother and left to fend for himself in a playpen, without the comfort of human bonding or affection. After spending his first year in the shadow of a giant crane on a construction site outside his window, he compensates for his lack of human companionship by "bonding" with the giant crane, and eventually constructs his own "language" based on its movements, mimicking the crane to express joy, love or affection. However, since he is unable to communicate his feelings outside of the invented language, its exact details and meaning are lost forever.

The story of the Crane Child parallels the failed relationship of Owen and Rose (Cox and Atkins), who long ago have lost the ability to communicate their needs and wants to each other, each sharing only those domestic details that that they deem important. The allegory of the child "communicating" with his crane-language is much more fully threshed out in the novel, and the lack of detail in the film makes this portion of the story confusing; the overall effect is that the details concerning the "Crane Child" seem rather forced, and weaken rather than strengthen the narrative.

However, understanding the title is not essential to the main drama. The acting is very good on the part of each of the cast members, and the story is strong enough to survive without a clearer explanation of the title. Although Eileen Atkins has been deservedly praised as the strongest performer, Brian Cox gives a particularly nuanced reading as the closeted father, guarding the secret of his sexuality throughout a troubled marriage, until he fairly explodes in frustration and loneliness. A key scene depicting Owen's reaction to his son's coming out is particularly heartfelt, and a highly effective piece of acting. The film suffers not at all from the change of venue from New York to London; I recall that the American telecast was prefaced by a commentary by Mr. Leavitt, who stated that the location was changed to England simply because it was produced and financed by the BBC.

The DVD release of Lost Language of Cranes is long overdue, and a welcome addition to my video library. I only wish that CBS Fox would just see fit to release a DVD edition of the Boys in the Band, another gay classic they've been sitting on for way too many years.