Product Description

The damage caused by long-kept secrets is at the heart of this moving drama adapted from David Leavitt's acclaimed novel. Confronted with his son's confession that he is gay Owen (Brian Cox) realizes that he can no longer live a lie. Although he still loves his wife Rose (Eileen Atkins) he abandons the safe world of the heterosexual for the difficult but rewarding journey of "coming out." But as he begins to explore his sexuality more fully the marriage inevitably breaks down despite Rose's efforts to continue as normal. And thought there is pain and suffering for all involved this is also an opportunity for everyone to start their lives over this time based on the truth.Running Time: 87 min.Format: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA UPC: 794051267429 Manufacturer No: E2674

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38792 in DVD
• Brand: Warner Brothers
• Released on: 2007-05-29
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
• Running time: 87 minutes

Amazon.com
The damage caused by long-kept secrets lies at the heart of The Lost Language of Cranes. Rose (Eileen Atkins) believes that "keeping certain secrets secret is essential to the general balance of life," but her son Philip (Angus Macfayden) disagrees. He decides to tell his parents that he is gay, and his honesty precipitates a crisis that threatens to tear the family apart.

Philip's father Owen (Brian Cox) leads a secret life, hiding his own homosexuality from Rose while spending his Sundays in porn cinemas. Owen has been crippled emotionally by years of deceit, and he is incapable of having an honest relationship with his wife, his son, or any of the men whom he meets. When he learns that Philip is gay an emotional dam breaks, years of self-loathing pour out, and he decides to tell the truth.

This powerful drama does a wonderful job of portraying a family undergoing catastrophic change. Philip and Owen find a kind of freedom when they unburden themselves, but in many ways Rose's dilemma is the key to this film. Philip's revelation helps her to understand that on some level she has known about her husband's homosexuality all along, and that keeping secrets is far more damaging than revealing them. Yet she is left feeling "like the punch line of some terrible joke" even as her husband and son are set free. The Lost Language of Cranes is a compelling examination of the consequences of honesty, both good and bad. --Simon Leake

Customer Reviews

The Lost Language of Cranes
Surprise - it has nothing to do with birds!

This video explores Owen and Rose's family on three (four? Many?) levels.

Firstly, what a profound affect coming out can have, making me wonder whether it should be such an imperative. Sometimes keeping a secret might be the better choice.

Secondly, how difficult it is to lead a double life, being homosexual or bisexual in a straight marriage and how easily this fragile set-up can break apart.

Time Life conducted a survey in the 1980's that estimated that only between 2% and 3% of people are truly homosexual. The surprise conclusion was that about 32% of all people are bisexual, suggesting that there are many, many people out there who have to juggle this lifestyle very, VERY carefully.

Thirdly, it shows that homosexual men also hanker for a stock standard family life and that their relationships suffer the same ravages that a straight relationship does. You will see signs of the "It's all about me" world start emerging in this novel, which was written in 1986.

And then, fourthly, there are the children. I must admit that I could not really connect the case study of the children who communicated using the creaks, groans and movements of construction cranes to the core of the movie. I guess I'll have to view it a few more times to figure this part out.

All in all, "Lost language of Cranes" is an enjoyable and thought provoking movie.

Honest and subtle drama of secrets being revealed
"The lost language of cranes" is a British TV movie based on the novel by David Leavitt. The problem when you see a movie adaptation of a book you have already read -- and loved -- is that either the adaptation is not faithful and betrays the book, or it is too faithful and just looks like a summary of the story. Very rarely a movie adaptation can remain faithful to the essence of the book but not so literal that it brings nothing new to the story; unfortunately, that's the case here.
It tells the story of a family, the Benjamins, who have lots of secrets. Owen Benjamin, played by Brian Cox, is a closeted homosexual married to Rose (Eileen Atkins). Every Sunday Owen goes to a porno cinema, where he has anonymous sex with men. Owen and Rose's son, Philip (Angus MacFadyen), is also a gay man, but he has no problems with his sexuality. He's very much in love with Elliot (Corey Parker), a young American artist who was raised by a gay couple. The conflict starts when Philip decides to come out to his parents, making his father face his own desire and his mother confront her own prejudice.
The most surprising fact about this British adaptation of an American novel is how little the change of place from New York to London affects the story. Indeed, this adaptation is so faithful to the original that whole dialogs from the book appear on the screen, almost unchanged. And yet, we get to know from the bonus interviews on this DVD that the porno cinema, which plays such an important role in the story, was a real problem in the adaptation because there were no such places in London, due to their laws. So apparently the screenwriter, Sean Mathias, had to "create" a porno cinema that never existed, appropriately called "the Fantasy".
Among the sacrifices that had to be made for the sake of the length of the movie, the one I most regret is the use of the character Jerene, played by Cathy Tyson. In the novel, Jerene is a full and complex character, a black lesbian student who was rejected by her parents and develops a thesis about languages that are lost forever, like the little boy who, neglected by his mother, learned to communicate looking at the cranes from his window. In the movie, Jerene appears only to explain the title of the film and little else.
If you haven't read the novel, you will find this movie a very interesting drama about a family having to face their hidden secrets, but without ever raising their voices, which is very British! If you already know the book, however, you may feel a little disappointed.

Great update on an old favorite
Since I own "Lost Language of Cranes" on VHS, I am familar with the movie. The new DVD offers a few extra scenes that were not on the VHS format. The added scenes don't add that much to the story, but add a lot to the enjoyment of the film. My only disappointment is in the extra features. They were only able to secure one cast member to interview and it would have been nice to have more of the cast.