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Point-Counterpoint, Part
II
June
18,
2012
Regarding
her
ill-fated
attempt
to
bring
"The
Normal
Heart"
to
the
screen,
Barbra
was
forced
to
return
another
series
of
volleys
lobbed
by
the
play's
author,
Larry
Kramer.
With
a
national
tour
of
his
successful
play
making
the
rounds,
Kramer,
for
the
umpteenth
time,
chided
Barbra
for
failing
to
get
his
movie
made.
It's
an
old
story,
but
it
makes
good
copy
...
and
perhaps
even
better
publicity
for
boosting
ticket
sales
for
the
current stage
production.
For
Barbra's
part,
she
continues
to
take
the
high
road,
responding
with
a
level
of
restraint
while
making
her
point.
In a
Truth
Alert
issued
today
(her
2nd
response
to
Kramer
in
the
past
12
months),
Barbra
continued
to
champion
the
requirement
of
any
filmmaker
to
have
creative
and
artistic
control
over
how
a
story
is
presented.
In
her
final
statement
on
the
matter,
Barbra
said,
"More
recently,
he
[Kramer]
sent
me a
note
...
asking
me
again
if I
wanted
to
direct
it
--
but
only
with
his
screenplay.
As a
filmmaker,
I
couldn’t
have
my
hands
tied
like
that."
The
endless
drama
surrounding
efforts
to
bring
"The
Normal
Heart"
to
the
screen
would
make
for
a
good
movie
all
by
itself.
Now,
if
we
can
only
agree
on
someone
to
direct
it.
Read
Larry
Kramer's
comments
here.
Read
Barbra's
complete
response
on
her
web
site.
Barbra Releases Statement
(UPDATE)
May
9
2011
In
an
effort
to
explain
why
she
and
Larry
Kramer
were
unable
to
turn
"The
Normal
Heart"
into
a
film,
Barbra
released
a
comprehensive
Truth
Alert
on
her
web
site
this
morning.
In
her
statement,
Barbra
said,
"Larry
refused
to
accept
any
revisions
and
insisted
we
use
his
screenplay.
I
couldn’t
get
any
studio
to
commit
to
his
version.
Many
fine
actors
were
ready
to
commit
to
our
version,
but
Larry
would
not
allow
it
...
"... More
recently,
he
sent
me a
note
before
giving
the
project
to
another
director,
asking
me
again
if I
wanted
to
direct
it—but
only
with
his
screenplay.
As a
filmmaker,
I
couldn’t
have
my
hands
tied
like
that.
What
if I
needed
to
make
changes?
What
if I
needed
to
have
something
rewritten?
Sadly,
I
turned
his
offer
down
and
wished
him
well."
You
can
read
Barbra's
entire
statement
on
her
web
site.
A Vision Unfulfilled
May
7
2011
Larry
Kramer's
poignant
drama
"The
Normal
Heart"
has
finally
made
it
to
Broadway
receiving
rave
reviews
and
an
abundance
of
Tony
nominations.
It's
an
important
work
that
should
be
seen
by
as
many
people
as
possible.
The play, first presented
as an Off-Broadway
production back in 1985
has seen its share of
controversy.
The controversy was not about
the subject matter, though the subject of
AIDS activism is no less
important today than it was in
1982, the time period of
this riveting drama. No,
we're talking about the
controversy surrounding
Barbra Streisand's and
Larry Kramer's failed
efforts to bring the story
to the screen.
Much
has
been
written,
discussed
and
debated
about
Barbra's
and
Larry's
efforts
to
turn
"The
Normal
Heart"
into
a
film.
Sadly,
their
proposed
joint
project
fell
through
and
to
date,
this
important
drama
has
not
been
seen
by a
potential
world-wide
audience
of
movie
goers.
Ironically,
both
Barbra
and
Larry
desperately
want
to
see
"The
Normal
Heart"
make
it
to
the
screen.
Artistic
differences,
as
one
might
say,
got
in
the
way
and
Barbra
and
Larry
have
since
parted
company.
In
riveting
new
interviews
published
today,
both
Barbra
and
Larry
express
their
differing
perspectives
on
what
happened
...
and
why.
Is
Barbra
bitter?
Apparently
not.
She
even
said
she'd
consider
playing
a
part
in
the
film,
now
in
the
hands
of
director
Ryan
Murphy,
when
and
if
it
ever
begins
shooting.
Here
are
a
few
of
the
comments
made
by
Barbra
and
Larry.
Read
the
entire
article
at
Entertainment
Weekly.
Barbra's Version of
Events
Defending
the turn of events
surrounding her
proposed film version
of "The Normal Heart,"
Barbra said,
"There
are
certain
things
you
do
for
film
...
Larry
only
wanted
to
use
his
screenplay.
I
couldn’t
have
my
hands
tied
artistically."
On
Larry's
statement
that
Barbra
was
"a
hypocrite"
for
failing
to
make
the
film,
Barbra
responded,
"I
was
very
hurt
by
it,
because
it’s
not
true
...
It
was
wonderful
to
read
some
of
the
comments
from
the
gay
community
about
this.
They
fought
the
battle
for
me.
It
was
really
lovely
for
all
these
people
to
come
to
my
defense."
Against
Larry
Kramer's
accusations
that
Barbra
sabotaged
the
fight
for
gay
rights,
Barbra
countered,
"It
is
anguishing
to
me
to
have
my
devotion
to
this
cause
so
distorted.
I
think
my
efforts
for
the
gay
community
and
my
immersion
in
securing
its
constitutional
entitlement
and
other
equitable
rights
is
quite
evident
and
a
matter
of
record.”
Finally,
Barbra
disclosed
her
current
thoughts
about
an
eventual
film
version
of
"The
Normal
Heart":
"If
I
could
direct
it
today,
I
would
direct
it
today
...
Because
it’s
been
very
hard
for
me
to
find
a
piece
that
I
feel
as
passionate
about.
I
mean,
I
love
this
play."
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Larry Kramer's Version
of Events
On
Barbra's attempt to
inject artistic
license into his play,
Larry Kramer said,
"She
cut
Ned’s
part
so
much
that
when
she
offered
the
movie
to a
major
star
who
had
played
the
part
on
stage,
he
said,
‘I
can’t
play
this.
The
character
has
no
motivation
anymore'.
She
subsumed
all
of
the
motivations
into
her
part,
as
the
doctor.”
Concerning
Barbra's
activism
for
gay
rights,
Kramer
seemed
to
recant,
“She’s
a
mighty
force,
and
I
certainly
agree
she
has
done
a
good
deal
for
the
gay
world
...
She
just
wasn’t
going
to
make
this
movie
right.”
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