Tuesday, 29 December 2009

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An Englishman in New York

John Hurt reprises his role as the outrageous, brave and infuriating Quentin Crisp

John Hurt stars as Quentin Crisp

In 1975 Quentin Crisp fluttered on to our TV screens in The Naked Civil Servant.

John Hurt's portrayal of England's Stately Homo, who refused to be cowed by the oppressive and frequently violent attitudes to gay people of his times, was groundbreaking and daring TV then and remains a touching story about one of life's true individuals.

In An Englishman in New York Hurt reprises his role and shows what happened when Crisp quit Britain for a new life in New York.

Crisp came to love America's welcoming side as a gay man in wartime London forging a special relationship with lonely G.I.s

Once in New York he was granted a green card as a person of 'unique talents' and began a new life as a stage raconteur.

He loved the city and it loved him until an ill-judged remark - 'AIDS is a fad, nothing more' - and stubborn refusal to campaign for gay rights offended the very community who adopted him.

Revel in Quentin's famous one-liners - 'housework is a mistake' - in this chance to see What Quentin Did Next.

An Englishman in New York is out on DVD now.

Gillian Crawley