Bridegroom (film)
| Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled | |
|---|---|
 Cover | |
| Directed by | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason |
| Produced by | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason Shane Bitney Crone |
| Starring | Shane Bitney Crone Thomas Lee Bridegroom |
| Cinematography | Linda Bloodworth-Thomason |
| Edited by | Nicolas Romolini Patricia Barnett Brad Durante |
| Music by | Colleen McMahon |
Production company | Organica Music Group |
| Distributed by | Virgil Films & Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 80 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $385,000 |
Bridegroom (full title: Bridegroom: A Love Story, Unequaled) is a 2013 American documentary film about the relationship between two young gay men, produced and directed by Linda Bloodworth-Thomason.[1] Bridegroom premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival on April 23, 2013,[2] and attracted further press coverage because its premiere screening at the festival was introduced by former President Bill Clinton.[3]
The film won the festival's Audience Award for Best Documentary Film.[4] The film jointly received the 2014 GLAAD Media Award for Outstanding Documentary alongside Call Me Kuchu.
Plot
Bridegroom chronicles the story of Shane Bitney Crone and his same-sex partner Thomas Lee "Tom" Bridegroom, who died in a tragic accident. After Bridegroom's death, Crone found himself cut off and deprived of any legal protection. The film tells the story of their 6-year-long relationship, and the struggles Crone faced after Bridegroom's death, including the family not allowing Crone to attend the funeral of his life partner.[5]
Production
The film had its origins in It Could Happen to You, a short film Crone released on YouTube in 2012 to mark the first anniversary of Bridegroom's death.[6] Following extensive promotion of the video through social networking, Bloodworth-Thomason, who had once met the couple at a wedding in Palm Springs, California, contacted Crone about expanding it into a full-length film.[7] Production began in the summer of 2012.[7]
The film's budget of $384,375 was raised on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter, outperforming its $300,000 goal and becoming the most-funded documentary film project in the history of crowd-funding to date.[8]
Music
The songs used in the film include original music from the couple's friends; Colleen McMahon (solo and a duet with Tom), Ben Rector (performed by Colleen and Shane), Allison Gray (with Tom on keyboard), several snippets of Tom's own recordings, and a song from Adam Lambert who had met Shane after seeing "It Could Happen To You" on YouTube.[9] Other original songs are performed by Benjy Gaither, Margo Rey, Nathan Young, and Lana Ranahan. The soundtrack also includes popular music from Macklemore & Ryan Lewis and Fun.. The soundtrack is listed on iMDb as follows:[10]
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Performer | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Same Love" (produced by Ryan Lewis) | Ben Haggerty | Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Mary Lambert | |
| 2. | "When a Heart Breaks" | Ben Rector | Shane Bitney Crone & Colleen McMahon | |
| 3. | "Carry On" (produced by Jeff Bhasker) | Nate Ruess, Andrew Dost, Jack Antonoff & Jeff Bhasker | Fun. | |
| 4. | "Outlaws of Love" (produced by Rune Westberg) | Adam Lambert, Rune Westberg & BC Jean | Adam Lambert | |
| 5. | "The Dance" | Tony Arata & Benjy Gaither | Nathan Young | |
| 6. | "Here With You" | Benjy Gaither | Benjy Gaither | |
| 7. | "This Holiday Night" | Margo Rey & Barrett Yeretsian | Margo Rey | |
| 8. | "You Belong to Me" | Pee Wee King, Chilton Price, Redd Stewart & Benjy Gaither | Margo Rey | |
| 9. | "Beautiful Boy" | Colleen McMahon | Colleen McMahon | |
| 10. | "The Christmas Song" (originally performed by Mel Tormé) | Mel Tormé & Bob Wells | Thomas Bridegroom & Colleen McMahon | |
| 11. | "La Mamma Morta" | Umberto Giordano & Benjy Gaither | Lana Ranahan |
The original song "If I Fall" performed by Tom and Allison Gray in a scene in the film was never studio recorded, but a video of a home performance of the full song was posted on YouTube in November 2013. (link on YouTube)
Reception
Bridegroom received very positive reviews; on Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an 82% "fresh" rating.[11] On Metacritic, the film has an 85/100 rating, indicating "universal acclaim".[12]
Distribution
Bridegroom made its television premiere on October 27, 2013, on the Oprah Winfrey Network.[13] The film was released for instant streaming on Netflix and on DVD on November 19, 2013.[13]
References
- ^ "An American Love Story". The Huffington Post. June 27, 2012.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "Here Are the 22 Films Premiering in the Viewpoints Section of the 2013 Festival". Tribeca Film Festival.
- ^ "Bill Clinton Introduces 'Bridegroom,' Shane Bitney Crone's Documentary, At Tribeca Film Festival". Huffington Post, April 24, 2013.
- ^ "Tribeca: 'The Rocket', 'Bridegroom' Win Audience Awards". The Hollywood Reporter, April 27, 2013.
- ^ Bridegroom at IMDb
- ^ "Gay Man Honors Boyfriend's Death With Poignant Video Noting Lack Of Rights Offered To Unwed Same-Sex Couples". Huffington Post, May 8, 2012.
- ^ a b "Linda Bloodworth Thomason Directing Marriage-Equality Doc 'Bridegroom'". The Hollywood Reporter, August 13, 2012.
- ^ Williamson, Kit (January 22, 2013). "GLBT Filmmakers Kick Open the Kickstarter Closet". The Huffington Post.
- ^ www.4music.com Archived December 3, 2013, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Bridegroom Soundtrack on iMDb
- ^ Bridegroom at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved December 18, 2013
- ^ Bridegroom at Metacritic Retrieved December 18, 2013
- ^ a b Bibel, Sara (October 3, 2013). "OWN Presents A Night of Programming About Being Gay in America on Sunday, October 27". TV by the Numbers.
