Stonewall (1995)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Nigel Finch

Writers:

Rikki Beadle Blair (writer)
Martin Duberman (novel)

Release Date:

3 September 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Comedy

Tagline:

The fight for the right to love [USA theatrical]

Plot:

A group of homosexual people try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.

Plot Keywords:

Riot | Gay Rights | Stonewall Riot | Homosexual | Greenwich Village New York City

Awards:

4 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Guillermo Díaz	...	La Miranda
Fred Weller	...	Matty Dean
Brendan Corbalis	...	Ethan
Duane Boutte	...	Bostonia
Bruce MacVittie	...	Vinnie
Peter Ratray	...	Burt
Dwight Ewell	...	Helen Wheels
Matthew Faber	...	Mizz Moxie
Michael McElroy	...	Princess Ernestine
Luis Guzmán	...	Vito
Joey Dedio	...	Angelo
Tim Artz	...	Plainclothes Cop
Isaiah Washington	...	Uniformed Cop
Candis Cayne	...	Diva
David Drumgold	...	Diva

MPAA:

Rated R for violence, sexuality and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:M | Spain:13 | USA:R

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Director Nigel Finch died of AIDS shortly after completing this, his last film.

Quotes:

Princess Ernestine: Vito. Vito, girl, where are you?

Fantastic.

Stonewall is probably one of the best movies of all time. Yes, it may only be a fictional account of what happened in 1969, but a story told by characters that seem so real and a heartbreaking and funny story to match, you have to watch. It it totally spell-binding.

The attitudes of the characters are easy to empathise with, and you can see bits of yourself in all of them. Whether it be Matty Dean's wide eyed curiosity, La Miranda's search for a 'hero' or Bostonia's acceptance of a life that could be better, you become encapsulated in the world of the film. It's almost as if you are striding through the village with La Miranda and her posse, and you WANT to be there as well.

The cast of Stonewall are excellent. Frederick Weller and Guillermo Diaz impress as Matty Dean and La Miranda, while Brendan Corbalis and Bruce MacVittie play second fiddle to them, and very well too. But Duane Boutte really shines as Bostonia, a character with so many levels to her, ranging from tough and humorous to tender and afraid to downright proud. The scene where she knocks out the policeman is classic.

Stonewall deserved awards by the bucket load. But the fact that it did not win much at all is, in a strange way, a good thing. The fact that not many people know about it make it all the more personal to you. It's YOUR film, YOUR method of escaping from you normal routine, YOUR chance to get well and truly lost in a wonderful film. I defy anyone not to love it, and the closing scenes, with the credits playing the haunting track "What A Good Boy", are magical. A truly brilliant film.