On The Other Hand Death... a Donald/Timmy movie...

[fajrdrako]

This morning maaseru and I watched the new Donald Strachey movie, On the Other Hand Death, based on the novel by Richard Stevenson.

maaseru discovered last night that it was being aired today. I made an emergency phone call to Rogers - which means, being on hold for twenty minutes - and ordered the channel that carries the Donald Strachey movies. (Superchannel 1, it's called.) Looks as if they have some interesting things - lots of TV shows and movies I never heard of. Irregular fare. Good! I can't afford to keep it long, but no harm in keeping it till the next Donald Strachey movie, Ice Blues, comes out in June.

So On the Other Hand Death was aired at 9:15 this morning. maaseru and I made a fannish occasion of it. We got up early and went to Kettleman's, where we bought a bagel breakfast, and watched the show on her large screen.

I think it's one of the best-written of the novels, though they are all beautifully written. This one had maybe a little extra punch.

They changed the plot for the movie, though they retained the general theme: an aging Lesbian couple is being pressured to sell their home and the developers behind the scheme are crooked. And an old boyfriend of Timmy's comes to town. Quite frankly, when the climax came and the who-did-what-to-whom explanation was proffered, I was totally confused. Who killed the guy in the barn and why? And they added an excellent subplot of young troubled gay teenagers.

It was fun. The dialogue - especially between Timmy and Donald - was great, and Donald's assistant Kenny was put to good use, though he remains my least favourite character on the show. Disappointingly, though the relationship between Donald and Timmy remains delightful, there are no onscreen kisses - except the occasional peck - just when we think we're getting a good one, Donald and Timmy see they are being observed, and back off. Which makes for a cute scene, but I'd rather have the kiss!

Interestingly, the movie strongly makes the point that Donald and Timmy are monogamous, and Donald refers to himself as married - not just a change from the books, but a dramatic contrast. Even more a contrast than the change of setting from hot summer to snowy winter!

As with all the Donald Strachey movies, it's beautifully photographed and choreographed, and the music is great.