Englishman In New York, An

By: Lawrence Ferber
In-House Review - Sep 21 2011

Kicking off with an energetic note, An Englishman in New York sees the elderly Crisp turned celebrity thanks to a TV movie based on his life, The Naked Civil Servant. He lands a one-man show in New York, in which Crisp shares his witticisms and acerbic philosophies ("Never keep up with the Joneses, drag them down to your level--it's cheaper!") and decides to take up permanent residence in the city that never . There he befriends gay magazine editor Philip Steele (Denis O'Hare) and lonely young artist Patrick Angus (Jonathan Tucker). In the AIDS-ravaged early '80s, Crisp commits a major faux pas that alienates his friends and the very community he once stood up for (in one scene, Crisp is menaced by a group of angry homosexuals - a profound flipside to Civil Servant's encounters with menacing heterosexuals). But with help from performance artist Penny Arcade (a woefully miscast Cynthia Nixon), Crisp finds his way back into the spotlight - and reconciliation. Hurt is a delight donning Crisp's hats and ascots for the second time, also shedding new light on the icon as a human being - vulnerable yet headstrong, resolute yet humane - while bringing us one last glibicism-loaded romp with the Big Apple's adopted Oscar Wilde.

By: Conner

By: Monbois

By: Amps Lassen

"An Englishman in New York"

John Hurt is Quentin Crisp

Amos Lassen

If you have never seen "An Englishman in New York", you are lucky because Breaking Glass Pictures is releasing it on DVD. It is a loving and honest look at gay icon, Quentin Crisp, in his later years and John Hurt gives quite a performance as Crisp. There is an excellent supporting cast with Cynthia Nixon and Swoosie Kurtz and Denis O'Hare.
This is not just a biography as it looks at issues critical to the gay community-prejudice against us, the way AIDS was looked at in the 80's and other topics.
The screenwriter, Brian Fillis, has done a wonderful job with the film and it is as close to a perfect film as one can get.
In 1975, Crisp was 66 years old and he had given up on finding fame during his lifetime but when the film "The Naked Civil Servant" was released he suddenly became a star and with it he opened the closet door for many in Great Britain. Then he came to America and became the toast of New York with his witty barbs and eccentric behavior. His best friend was Patrick, a young artist who began his own journey as Crisp watched. The movie is full of wit and candor and the movie shows us how easy it is for each person to be himself.