angels in america millennium approaches by tony kushner

The first part will consist of a short overview of different approaches to progress employed in the film: historical, religious and political. Thus, traditional elements of the construct “American Dream” will be analyzed.

It will be argued that Angels in America confirms progress to be inevitable and essential by drawing on, and redefining, American concepts and myths of westward movement and migration, equality and pluralism. While this extensive film encompasses a variety of themes and topics, the focus of this paper will be its proposition of progress. Throughout the film, these characters come together in unexpected ways in an attempt to move out of their crises and transform themselves.

Other characters are Hannah, Joe’s mother from Salt Lake City, Roy Cohn, a lawyer also diagnosed with AIDS, and Belize, Prior’s black homosexual friend who is also Roy’s nurse. They include Louis and Prior, a homosexual couple having to cope with Prior’s AIDS diagnosis, and Harper and Joe, Mormons, who are faced with Joe’s oppressed homosexuality destroying their marriage. Set in New York City in the mid 1980s, a time of Reagan’s politics and the silencing of AIDS, the series revolves around a set of characters differing greatly in ethnicity, religion, worldview and sexual orientation. The HBO miniseries was directed by Mike Nichols and studded with celebrated actors such as Al Pacino, Meryl Streep and Emma Thompson. In 2003, playwright Tony Kushner adopted his two-part play premiered in 19, Angels in America, to the screen.

Approaches to Progress in Angels in Americaħ.

Angels in america millennium approaches by tony kushner