Angels in America (TV miniseries)

Angels in America
Approx. run time	352 min.
Genre	Miniseries
Written by	Tony Kushner
Directed by	Mike Nichols
Produced by	Celia D. Costas
Starring	Al Pacino; Meryl Streep; Patrick Wilson; Emma Thompson; Mary-Louise Parker; Jeffrey Wright
Editing by	John Bloom; Antonia Van Drimmelen
Music by	Thomas Newman
Cinematography	Stephen Goldblatt
Country	United States; Canada
Language	English; Hebrew; Aramaic; Yiddish
Original channel	HBO
Original run	December 7, 2003 – December 14, 2003
No. of episodes	6 chapters

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Angels in America is a 2003 HBO miniseries adapted from the play of the same name by Tony Kushner. Kushner adapted his original text for the screen, and Mike Nichols directed.

HBO broadcast the film in various formats: two three-hour chunks that correspond to "Millennium Approaches" and "Perestroika," as well as six one-hour "chapters" that roughly correspond to an act or two of each of these plays; the first three chapters ("Bad News", "In Vitro" and "The Messenger") were initially broadcast on December 7, 2003 to international acclaim, with the final three chapters ("Stop Moving!", "Beyond Nelly" and "Heaven, I'm in Heaven") following.

Angels in America was the most watched made-for-cable movie in 2003, garnering much critical acclaim and multiple Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

[edit] Plot

God has abandoned Heaven. It's 1985: the Reagans are in the White House and Death swings the scythe of AIDS. In Manhattan, Prior Walter tells Lou, his lover of four years, he's ill; Lou, unable to handle it, leaves him. As disease and loneliness ravage Prior, guilt invades Lou. Joe Pitt, an attorney who is Mormon and Republican, is pushed by right-wing fixer Roy Cohn toward a job at the Justice Department. Both Pitt and Cohn are in the closet: Pitt out of shame and religious turmoil, Cohn to preserve his power and access. Pitt's wife Harper is strung out on Valium, causing her to hallucinate constantly, and she longs to escape from her sexless marriage. An angel invites Prior to be a prophet in death. Pitt's mother and Belize, a close friend, help Prior choose. Joe leaves his wife and goes to live with Lou, but the relationship doesn't work out. Roy gets diagnosed with AIDS early on, and as his life comes to a close he is haunted by Ethel Rosenberg, as he was instrumental in her conviction and execution years ago. As the film continues, these lost souls come together to create bonds of love, loss, and loneliness.

[edit] Cast

Al Pacino as Roy Cohn
Meryl Streep as Hannah Pitt / Ethel Rosenberg / The Rabbi / The Angel Australia
Patrick Wilson as Joe Pitt / the Antarctic Eskimo
Mary-Louise Parker as Harper Pitt
Emma Thompson as Nurse Emily / the Homeless Woman / The Angel America
Justin Kirk as Prior Walter / Leatherman in the Park
Jeffrey Wright as Mr. Lies / Belize / Homeless Man / The Angel Europa
Ben Shenkman as Louis Ironson / The Angel Oceania
James Cromwell as Henry, Roy's Doctor

[edit] Awards and nominations

[edit] Golden Globe Awards

Best Miniseries or Made for TV Movie
Best Actor in a Miniseries or TV Movie (Al Pacino)
Best Actress in a Miniseries or TV Movie (Meryl Streep)
Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Movie (Jeffrey Wright)
Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Movie (Mary-Louise Parker)

[edit] Emmy Awards

In 2004, Angels in America broke the record previously held by Roots for the most Emmys awarded to a program in a single year by winning 11 awards from 21 nominations. The record was broken four years later by John Adams.

Won

Outstanding Miniseries
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Mike Nichols)
Outstanding Lead Actor – Miniseries or a Movie (Al Pacino)
Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie (Meryl Streep)
Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie (Jeffrey Wright)
Outstanding Supporting Actress - Miniseries or a Movie (Mary-Louise Parker)
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Part I & II)
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special (Non-Prosthetic)
Outstanding Single-Camera Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special (Tony Kushner)

Nominated

Outstanding Lead Actress – Miniseries or a Movie
- (Emma Thompson)
Outstanding Supporting Actor – Miniseries or a Movie
- (Patrick Wilson)
- (Ben Shenkman)
- (Justin Kirk)
Outstanding Main Title Design
Outstanding Special Visual Effects - Miniseries or a Movie
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special