Can Barbra Streisand and Larry Kramer Be Friendly Enough to (Finally) Film Normal Heart?

Unsurprisingly, quite a lot is left out of this article.

Streisand was unable to secure the cast she wanted at the time nor get the financial backing that she needed. Because Barbra didn’t or wasn’t able to do everything things that Larry Kramer wanted her to do, in typical drama queen fashion, he lobs unmerited insults. Very typically petulant of Larry and counter-productive at best. What Larry Kramer needs to learn is that making a film is a collaborative effort and that means people will need to work together and Streisand in not one to be dictated to. Larry Kramer has done a lot of good work for AIDS – no doubt. But he can be an obnoxious pain in the ass, a fact he self-servingly overlooks during his tantrums.

Jun 2, 2009 at 1:02 pm · @Reply ·

Lee – You’re an idiot and you obviously don’t know anything about movie making. Additionally, Streisand gives countless sums of money towards all sorts of causes, including gay rites and AIDS causes. I know, countless queens the world over think they own her, but they don’t. Grow up.

Jun 2, 2009 at 3:32 pm · @Reply ·

Stristand love is one of those areas where I don’t feel very gay. I just don’t get the appeal of the megalomaniac who screams on key and keeps making films about “am I pretty enough”.

Jun 2, 2009 at 7:57 pm · @Reply ·

@Chris Sullivan: First of all, I don’t know why you say it’s “unsurprising” that a “lot is left out of this article”. The article summarises how Streisand and Kramer were unable to come to a creative agreement during their workshopping sessions. While there were, no doubt, other factors that saw Streisand’s The Normal Heart slip into development hell and ultimately out of her hands altogether, this creative impasse between the original author and the potential producer/director was the main reason why the project never made it to the screen. From what I understand, no script draft was ever completed that either party was prepared to green light; Streisand did mention that she thought Ralph Fiennes would be an ideal lead but that was about as far as casting plans got.

Oh, and while you’re calling people “idiots” who “don’t know anything” (you said: “Streisand gives countless sums of money towards all sorts of causes, including gay rites and AIDS causes”) you may like to remember in the future that words like “countless” are a little problematic as if she gives an amount of money to anything – as per your example copied below – then it would have to be countable otherwise it wouldn’t be measurable as an amount, would it, it would be “countless” as you say which suggests such an enormous amount of money that no technology or manpower can ever count it.

Also, it was widely reported in the early 1990s that Barbra once paid more for an antique chair at an auction than she had donated towards AIDS in the years up to that point (so, again, it was far from “countless”) and she said herself that “Elizabeth Taylor has [AIDS] as her one single cause” in answer to questions as to why her donations to that cause were considered relatively small.

Finally, by gay “rites” which particular and customary observances or practices typical to gay men are you referring to? I’m really not sure why or how Streisand would give financial support to gay rites – maybe it’s something metaphysical and … countless.

Jun 3, 2009 at 7:55 am · @Reply ·

@Lee: EXCELLENT! Over the top! Your anger hits the spot and I agree with much of what you say about Streisand. If she had been really committed to this project, it would have been done. PRONTO! And one would have thought that being an A+ lister in LA-LA LAND and having a son who is HIV+ would have catapulted the entire thing. But…Noooooooooo…. First, there is no part in it for her to play, and second, there is no part in it for her to play. Sad. Really sad.

Aug 11, 2010 at 5:11 pm · @Reply ·