The Movie "Six Degrees of Separation" 1993, any fans?

No one?

Yes! When I saw it in 1993, we stayed to watch it again. Stockard Channing was totally believable. Like Frank Langella in Frost/Nixon, it was in a class by itself, beyond awards. No kidding!

I'm glad you liked it too. It's possibly the only acting of Will Smith's I find impressive. Loved all the layers the writing gives to it and all of the literary and artistic references. Definitely not a movie for the masses I guess. Shame it isn't more widely appreciated..

There'll be no kissin' them mens.

Really now, what self-respecting guy would wan to kiss fugly Will Smith? Fresh Prince my ass.

Peen!

Whose, r6?

R7, the naked actor.

It's been so long, r8. Here he is. Lou Milione.

The play, which the movie is closely based on, is one of my favorite plays. The movie is a good adaptation of the play, in my opinion. I thought Will Smith did a very good job and the ensemble cast was phenomenal.

The movies was a little slow, but still well done. Stockard was fabulous. I was fortunate enough to see her in the original stage production and she was brilliant. I also saw the recent production with Allison Janney....not as good, but still well done. Stockard will forever own the role.

I found the film very disappointing. The play I liked.

Stockard is magic in this movie.

Saw the play in 1990 with Courtney Vance-- great!

agree, original play superior to the movie, which was good. channing and vance were standouts in the play.

It's a favorite movie of mine. I was so pissed off when I read that Will Smith refused to kiss another guy, when he was given such an important first dramatic role.

I saw the play, and loved the movie as well, though Will Smith was the weakest part. He did OK, but the tension and tenderness between Ouisa and Paul was more palpable on stage.

I loved Stockard's performance, though. The finest thing she did on film, for sure.

There was huge feeling of overacting in it. I feel this happens a lot with plays adapted into movies.

And it has Kitty Carlisle Hart as the society doyenne.

Stockard Channing is outstanding, especially in the telephone scene.

I loved it the first time. I saw it again recently, and thought Will Smith overacted terribly.

I did see a similarity to the way Andrew Cunanan was portrayed in the recent Versachi mini-series. Maybe that’s how con men act.

Stockard was great. She brought such a depth of feeling to the role. And was so subtle. It was interesting how she toned down her Broadway performance. The original was staged more like an antic farce at times but it worked perfectly.

The revival last year was hated by many.

Yes, I liked it a lot. The director, Fred Schepisi, has had a very erratic career, but this is probably the best movie he made outside of Australia. Wonderfully photographed by Ian Baker too. The first movie Schepisi and Baker did together is the extraordinary "The Devil's Playground" (1976): I'll never forget some images from that movie, the rain and the greens of nature are so beautifully photographed.

For God's sake, Flan. How much of your life can you account for?

ANSWER ME!

HOW MUCH OF YOUR LIFE CAN YOU ACCOUNT FOR?!?!

Don't forget it was Denzel Washington who told Will Smith not be kissing any men, so fuck them both. Smith was too 'mannered' in the role, never saw his other shady side

I've always hated Will Smith for what he did to the producers, creatives, cast and crew of this film. They interviewed him very, very, carefully about whether he would have a problem with the gay kiss near the end of the film, which is essential to the plot. He swore up and down it would be no problem for him.

The scene came to be shot near the end of shooting, when most of the film was in the can and it was too late to recast, and Smith refused to do it. Production had to briefly shut down, at great expense, while the producers begged him to do the scene he had promised to do.

A compromise was finally reached: Smith agreed to embrace the other actor, shot from behind, so that it could be inferred but not seen that they were kissing. Watch the film if you think I am exaggerating.

Smith is a closeted homophobe and I have never forgiven him. He became a star only because of the film but he lied to get the part and proved himself a closeted homophobe.

After Philadelphia, I never saw another Denzel Washington movie, and only one more Will Smith movie after Six Degrees. Fuck their homophobic asses.

R26 Ouch, had no idea of the actual circumstances, remember vividly the Smith interview in 'Premier' where he told the Washington story and saw no issue refusing to do the kiss, that asswipe

Hell no I avoid anything with that turd will smith n it

There is no actual kiss to be seen in the film and the plot depends on it. You have to assume everything from camera angles.

The movie was good, the play was good, but the real story was drearily fascinating and a classic trope in American psychopathy.

The real guy he was based on was flaming. Will's performance sucked if he was trying to be this David person. I can't find a video clip of him but I saw him on maybe an A&E crime show.

I’ve seen the play and loved the film. I’ve watched it many times

Hated it!

R31, I had no idea!

John Guare is a (mostly) great writer.

I think so too

It was a bit pretentious.

House of Blue Leaves is cool

After “Six Degrees.” Guare wrote another play with Channing that I wanted to see, but missed, “Four Baboons Adoring the Sun.” I have the script; fascinating play.

Channing has been thought of as Guare’s muse.

Channing is truly magnificent in this. Even against Holly Hunter I thought she should have won.

One of the few “Oscar clip” scenes that is truly great.

I love house of Blue Leaves too

Will Smith was physically right for the role but obviously way in over his head. He clearly had no clue what was happening in his scenes AT ALL. And the cinematic convention of Ouisa and hubby telling their story to all these different groups of people didn’t work.

"Bottle of beer."

smith was the weak link in the movie. vance so much better in the play, and he makes what happens understandable

saw "Four Baboons" at LC VB. Channing was excellent and Naughton hunky, but not quite up to Six Degrees

[quote] And the cinematic convention of Ouisa and hubby telling their story to all these different groups of people didn’t work.

I loved that part

[quote]Stockard Channing is outstanding, especially in the telephone scene.

The heart of the movie is that scene. I don't agree wth R43 about the storytelling aspect of the movie.

And you got to see cameos of famous NY doyennes

I thought that convention worked in Schepisi’s film A Cry in the Dark but not in this one.

I...I....I just don't get it.

who's that?

Agreed, R49, it was quite a surprise to see Brooke Hayward turn up!

How was Swoosie?

R53, don’t forget sag card carrying madhur jaffrey!

Obvious questions: what happens afterwards? Do Ouisa and Flan divorce? How do their kids turn out? (Remember the daughter who wanted to go to Afghanistan?)

Eric Thal.....mmmmmmmm

It was kind of cool to see Farmer Ted from Sixteen Candles turn out to be gay . . . and Anthony Perkins's beefy-jock son

I was sooooo in love with Eric Thal back in the day. Hmmm, I should post him in that thread about going back in time/ actors at thei peak...

"Don't even THINK you gonna get any kissing Oh No I don't do THAT, no sir. Eminem honey, do what you gotta do 'til director say "Cut" and then I'm takin' my report card STRAIGHT home to daddy Denzel!"

Why would anybody think Will was gay? We have torrid hot sex at least twice a day and I'm not a lesbian and I'm boycotting the 1993 Oscars in retrospect since they nominated Channing but not will.

1994: Stockard Channing was robbed of the Academy Award for Best Actress. She was brilliant. Goddamn Holly Hunter won for The Piano, which was a horrible.

A horrible. A HORRIBLE, I tells ya!

"The quality of mercy is not STRAINED!"

You have to go to the 6:30 point to see the real guy (David Hampton) in action.

BTW, I had an overwhelming crush on Eric Thal. He was in that movie with Melanie Griffith, where he played an Orthodox Jew. He's one of the most beautiful men I've ever seen. He has a shower scene in 'The Puppet Masters' which is glorious.

Eric Thal dated crazy Chalize Theron for a while.

When Jada had the opportunity to direct her first film, it was a lesbian melodrama. Something you were trying to tell us, Jada? Also: whatever Will's gay shame may be, he's got some freak non-binary kids as karmic payback. That'll teach him to live in a panic.

that is interesting r67. I know a couple from high school who decided to enter into a lavender marriage. One of their kids is non-binary or trans or who knows quite what yet. The other is autistic.

It is like the genes know or something.

Aeschylus did not invent the theatre to have it end up a bunch of chorus kids in cat suits prancing around wondering which of them will go to kitty-cat heaven.

Film is a different medium.

You gave him my pink shirt? You gave a complete stranger my pink shirt? That shirt was a Christmas present from you! I treasured that shirt, I loved that shirt! My collar had grown a full size from weightlifting, you saw that my arms had grown, you saw that my neck had grown and you bought me that shirt for my new body! I loved that shirt! My first shirt for my new body and you gave that shirt away? I can't believe you! I hate this life and I hate you!

"The Piano" was annoying and Harvey keitel as a Maori? The allegory was just a bit much. Six Degrees is obviously a filmed play. Channing is very good--my favorite line is when she refers to the Anthony Michael hall character as the "Henry Higgins of our time".

That whole Rainbow Room sequence with Eric Thai is so tragic.