On the other hand, The Boys in the Band was the first real mainstream portrayal of gay men, and, stereotypes notwithstanding, it humanized what was then an almost inconceivably marginalized group in a way that nothing else up to that point ever had. That positive/negative tension is the focus of Making the Boys, a documentary that takes a handful of spirited interviews from people touched by the play and makes the case for how The Boys in the Band, despite its many flaws, gave shape to what was then emerging as the gay-rights struggle.
See it tonight at the Denver FilmCenter, 2510 East Colfax Avenue, where it will play through March 31; for more information on show-times, or to purchase tickets ($9.75 for non-members), call 303-595-3456 or visit www.denverfilm.org.
March 25-31, 2011