{"id":3919,"date":"2014-05-07T14:25:03","date_gmt":"2014-05-07T18:25:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/?p=3919"},"modified":"2017-07-27T00:55:01","modified_gmt":"2017-07-27T04:55:01","slug":"in-the-midst-of-some-recent-lgbtq-controversies-alec-baldwin-interviews-barney-frank-following-2014-tribeca-premiere-of-franks-bio-documentary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/in-the-midst-of-some-recent-lgbtq-controversies-alec-baldwin-interviews-barney-frank-following-2014-tribeca-premiere-of-franks-bio-documentary\/","title":{"rendered":"(In the Midst of Some Recent LGBTQ Controversies) Alec Baldwin Interviews Barney Frank Following 2014 Tribeca Premiere of Frank\u2019s Bio Documentary"},"content":{"rendered":"

Sitting in a packed theater in New York City\u2019s School of Visual Arts, Barney Frank got his first look at Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank<\/i><\/a>, the poignant and tenderly humorous documentary about the life of one of our most well known yet least understood political figures.\u00a0 Executive produced by Alec Baldwin, the film made its world premiere at this year\u2019s Tribeca Film Festival and welcomed a very enthusiastic\u2014not to mention emotional\u2014response from the audience.\u00a0 Providing a rare and intimate portrait of the US\u2019s first openly gay congressman, documentarians Sheila Canavan and Michael Chandler chronicle both the professional and personal trajectory of this endearingly cantankerous politician.<\/p>\n

\"alec<\/a><\/p>\n

Spanning Frank\u2019s forty-year career in Congress, the film recounts his early experience as a closeted politician in 1970s Massachusetts, including the internal struggle that ensued when Frank realized the conflicts posed between his sexual orientation and political ambitions.\u00a0 In the film, Frank reveals how he avoided sex for many years for fear of being exposed; and how he eventually came out after seven years in Congress when a book written by a colleague revealed his sexuality.\u00a0 At one point in the film, journalist Mike Barnicle recalls that House leader Tip O\u2019Neill once sorrowfully declared to him that Frank\u2019s career was over now that he was about to \u201ccome out of the room.\u201d \u00a0Quite the opposite occurred, however: instead of a professional demise, Frank received overwhelming support from the public and continued to serve in the House of Representatives for the next 32 years, in which he won every subsequent election by a wide margin.<\/p>\n

Featuring a plethora of archival footage, candid interviews, and delightful clips of his outspoken public appearances, the film addresses both the highs and lows of Frank\u2019s career\u2014including the 1989 scandal in which it was revealed that he was romantically involved with his live-in aide, and was accused of allowing him to run a prostitution ring out of his home (a charge that he was ultimately cleared of).\u00a0 Known for being boisterously insightful with a dash of charming belligerence, Frank is a rare and genuine gem in the political arena\u2014and through clips of congressional hearings, the audience gets an exciting look at how this maverick politician unapologetically navigates the ignorance of his colleagues; all the while passionately asserting his progressive platforms and giving a voice to the people and issues commonly marginalized by society.<\/p>\n

Throughout the shooting process, Frank granted the filmmakers full access to his home and daily life; resulting in a rare and tender glimpse of his relationship with Jim Beardy, complete with exclusive footage of their 2012 nuptials.\u00a0 As the documentary unfolds, we become privy to Frank\u2019s endearingly unrefined idiosyncrasies, bumbling mannerisms, refreshing candor, and reflections during those precious moments of privacy.\u00a0 Documentarians Canavan and Chandler draw wonderful parallels between the political and personal spheres: capturing the eccentric dichotomy of how one individual could spearhead national debate and reform following 2008\u2019s financial crisis, yet still drive a \u201998 Ford Escort and refuse to own a smartphone.\u00a0 A man who was Chairman of the Financial Services Committee for years, yet still remains solely dependent on the newspaper for staying informed on political affairs.<\/p>\n

Following the premiere screening, Frank and his husband Jim Beardy sat down with Alec Baldwin for a Q&A discussion of the film\u2014which included some interesting and even uncomfortable exchanges.\u00a0 At one point, a reporter asked Frank if he was concerned with Baldwin\u2019s participation in the film in light of a recent dust-up in which Baldwin used a gay slur against a newspaper photographer. Frank\u2019s response acknowledged that although the incident was unfortunate, it was more so a generic and impulsive slip of the tongue, and in no way reflective of Baldwin\u2019s views regarding LGBTQ issues: \u201cFirst of all, each of us is perfectly capable of talking for himself.\u00a0 The notion that when you appear in some common forum with someone, you\u2019re each adopting the other\u2019s views\u2014no, I don\u2019t pay much attention to that.\u00a0 And secondly, I don\u2019t have any problem with it\u2026his outbursts to the contrary notwithstanding, Baldwin has been very supportive of gay rights.\u201d<\/p>\n

When asked what he thought of the film overall, Frank\u2019s response was tepid at best: \u201cI appreciate the general sentiment.\u00a0 To be honest, it\u2019s your life and there are some things I would\u2019ve done differently in the film, but I\u2019m very pleased with the general themes.\u201d\u00a0 However, Beardy was much more blunt in expressing his distaste for the film\u2019s inclusion of the 1989 prostitution scandal; \u201cI don\u2019t understand why the moviemakers would want to embarrass somebody who went out of their way to let them make a movie about him.\u201d\u00a0 With Frank sitting silently by his side, the theater transformed into a hush moment of tense unease as Beardy continued; \u201cI didn\u2019t really think that was relevant\u2026his 94 year old aunt is here!\u00a0 She doesn\u2019t need to see that.\u00a0 It\u2019s embarrassing.\u00a0 My mom\u2019s going to see it.\u00a0 It was just kind of rude.\u201d\u00a0 Given that such a prolific scandal would be difficult to omit\u2014not to mention that doing so would be extremely misleading and withholding for a biographical documentary<\/i>\u2014Beardy\u2019s criticism was ill-informed, personally biased, impolite and unnecessary at best.\u00a0 It\u2019s one thing to act as a protective spouse, but Beardy seemed to altogether overlook the film\u2019s emphasis on Frank\u2019s redemption, political achievements, and positive image in the context of any misguided public vilification.<\/p>\n

In fact, Canavan and Chandler perfectly captured the sharp-tongued wit of their entertaining subject, painting a thorough and complex picture of this enigmatic public servant in a way that preserved and respected Frank\u2019s image and integrity throughout.\u00a0 An unflinching, honest, and unexpectedly engaging account, \u2018Compared to What\u2019 sheds an intimate eye on this man\u2019s transition from closeted loneliness to living an authentic and uncompromising life as the first openly gay and married Congressperson.\u00a0 Shot in a highly cinema-verite style, this documentary appeals to all audiences, and even non-political junkies will find watching it to be a shockingly pleasant experience.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Sitting in a packed theater in New York City\u2019s School of Visual Arts, Barney Frank got his first look at Compared to What: The Improbable Journey of Barney Frank, the poignant and tenderly humorous documentary about the life of one of our most well known yet least understood political figures.\u00a0 Executive produced by Alec Baldwin,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[2065],"tags":[811,810,817,818,487,765,105,1963,39,815,81,813,814,819,135,134,38,816,678,812,784],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-3919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-image","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-alec-baldwin","tag-compared-to-what-the-improbable-journey-of-barney-frank","tag-congress","tag-congressman","tag-demi-kampakis","tag-demitra-kampakis","tag-documentary","tag-film","tag-gay","tag-jim-beardy","tag-lgbtq","tag-michael-chandler","tag-mike-barnicle","tag-out","tag-posture","tag-posture-magazine","tag-queer","tag-screening","tag-sex","tag-sheila-canavan","tag-tribeca-film-festival","post_format-post-format-image"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/05\/alecbaldwin.jpg?fit=960%2C639","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6QBV8-11d","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3919"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11217,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3919\/revisions\/11217"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3919"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/posturemag.com\/online\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=3919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}