Hedwig and the Angry Inch

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Ryan P Nov 16 Hedwig and the Angry Inch screened in 1975 by John Cameron Mitchell and Stephen Trask is a well written musical/rock opera. The short version of this movie is about a German, Headwig, transgenders into being a female and finds a way to complete herself later in her life as a whole from the past two break ups she has endured. All of which happens to be narrated through a rock musical performance, which is the best way to tell Hedwig’s story. It’s a necessity to have a musical component to this, without it, the story wouldn’t be so well written. While the musical-rock opera makes the story unique, that doesn't mean it guarantees the movie being great. For example, not all of the songs present will tell you what the story is about while other songs keep switching back and forth from Hedwig’s past to the present. It may often leave your head spinning while trying to make sense of the film’s plot from songs and moments that do matter, leaving you to finally understand the film halfway through instead of the beginning. For me, it’s debatable if it was just paddening in a movie just to make it longer, but that frustration is somewhat softened by the musical factor. Regardless, the message at the beginning and the end was fantastic. When the tattoo was half complete at the beginning and fully completed at the end, is what I will argue the film’s strongest form of symbolism in this movie about finding yourself. In conclusion, while Hedwig’s progression of events may be slightly confusing to understand, it’s a film I would still recommend to certain people. It’s a great movie with a rich story of trying to build yourself and rising up from constantly dealing with bad blows, which in this film was Headwig’s past relationships. You don’t understand or get a grasp until the middle of the movie but it’s still worthwhile. It may not be for everyone, as some may find some scenes uncomfortable, or see the movie as one big music video. It’s still a great movie and manages to be a great cult classic to rewatch today. See more Nathan S Apr 8 In Australia where I’m from, this movie played weekend late night on SBS(a national channel that focuses a lot on international media) when I was a teenager. This film was an awakening, to the complexity of life and a gateway to the acceptance of others and myself. Please watch this movie if you like to be entertained and are “open minded”. If not, skip it. See more Avery C 12/21/2024 I first heard of this movie through Riverdale when they did the film/ musical as their school musical and it made me want to the watch the film itself! So when I learned we were watching it in this class I was super excited. I didn’t know what to expect from Hedwig, but wow, it was something else. At first, I thought it was about a lawsuit, but it’s really a deeper dive into a life story. The music? Incredible. The songs aren’t just catchy—they’re packed with meaning and tell the story as the movie unfolds. I loved how they used drawings to visualize the songs, making it easier to connect the music to the narrative in such a creative way. Hedwig’s voice is raw and real, which makes every song hit even harder. The movie really explores the complexity of its characters, showing how their pasts shape them. The songs reflect Hedwig’s journey, blending her life and history seamlessly. The band’s loyalty to Hedwig was one of my favorite parts—they stand by her no matter what, even defending her when others insult her. They’re not just her band; they’re sharing her past and present, including the struggles with the lawsuit. Hedwig’s story is heartbreaking. She endured so much pain trying to escape her past, only to find herself trapped in a cycle of hurt. It’s tough to watch, but so powerful. If you’re into life stories or historical narratives, this one’s for you. Plus, it’s packed with incredible songs, making it an unforgettable musical experience. See more Zac M 12/20/2024 Hedwig and the angry inch is a film released in 2001 there’s a story about a foreigner from Germany, residing in a trailer in the US and falls victim to a sex change operation, the movie is adopted from off Broadway rock theater show Hedwig and the angry inch. This musical starts off with a song, captivating the audience with the lead characters, Corky, charm and impressive and bold fashion style. In a performance, we can see different personality traits of the artist/character of the film. The speech and the song shows us about how they came to be and how different the world was then before the European world had any influence on the western world. This movie representing queer artist has multiple people representing society progressing at the time for more acceptance. This film makes brings an artistic light on the idea of immigrants moving to America, especially for queer people for example they found their way by following the rainbow gummy bears. The film gets very philosophical as they discuss some parts of religion and the story of Adam and Eve and his specific view on it. When the two finally reunite, no words were spoken for the first two minutes as it gives time for the audience to be in shock. The final song is performed in front of people throughout the whole film people who have supported them and people who have betrayed them. This movie successfully tells a story and personal life of this character that wants to rise to stardom and find love and acceptance. See more Ryan W @ryanwo3 12/13/2024 It feels like the protagonist is trying to find themselves, but other than that it honestly just feels more so like a total lawsuit movie. I think I wouldn’t like to watch this film again. I am not a huge fan of films like these in general. Maybe it’s just how it looks because it is far better executed than how it looks. The characters in this film are just very well written. The film also kind of reminds of another film, Forrest Gump, the reason I say this is because both films have a major storytelling aspect to them. This film kind of feels like a musical with all of its singing and such, but the music goes perfectly along with the storytelling. It is not some huge cheesy mob flash. Just the band members telling a story through song, which I honestly like so much better. We learn so much about Hedwig’s past life through her band on tour. When the lyrics come on the screen, it is really inviting the audience to sing along. It kind of invites you to go to the theater to watch this film. I just love how Tommy Gnosis finally decided to make up with Hedwig and add their name to the album. I just love the closer. What a happy ending. All in all, the more I think about this film the more I think about how well done each part is and how I turned me around to like it even more than I thought I would. See more Madison G 12/11/2024 Hedwig and the Angry Inch, a musical comedy/drama, is an hour and a half film available on Amazon Prime. The film, which was released in 2001, and directed by John Cameron Mitchell follows a story about Hedwig and her rock and roll band on tour. While on tour viewers learn about the entire story of Hedwig’s life, through music and storytelling alike. We learn about Hedwig’s childhood in Berlin, her parent’s relationship, her marriage, her forced sex change, and her journey to becoming a musician. While the story itself is captivating, it was pretty easy to get lost in it. However, I feel this was intentional as Hedwig herself is trying to figure out her own life. So while Hedwig and the Angry Inch was confusing, it was confusing in the right ways. The performances in the film were extremely captivating, especially Hedwig’s, played by John Cameron Mitchell. For a film like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, where we have a very strong and captivating narrator, having the director also play the main lead, is a great decision. This is because the story is so much more personal, and adds depth to the narration. You can tell that Mitchell really knew his character. As a viewer, you could feel the pain, the experience, the hurt, and the want from Hedwig. This isn’t surprising for Mitchell, as he has an extensive and diverse acting resume. Playing a character like Hedwig definitely wasn’t easy, as she is so multidimensional, but Mitchell was the right person to do it. Another actor that I found very captivating was Maurice Dean Wint, who played Sergeant Luther Robinson. Sergeant Robinson was Hedwig's first husband that forced her to go through a sex change so they could be married. On the outside, viewers see Sergeant Robinson as some masculine macho man. But through Hedwig’s eyes and narration, viewers can really see that Sergeant Robinson is just as feminine as Hedwig, but more ashamed. By seeing how Sergeant Robinson is in the real world (tough macho man), and then through Hedwig’s eyes (lying naked on a candy mountain), this shows the extent of his diverse ability to play two characters that are the same person. This though is no surprise because his resume is just as impressive as Mithcell’s when it comes to acting. When it comes to directing though, obviously Mitchell is the one with the experience. Mitchell has directing experience in nine films, as well as earned three academy awards. For a film like Hedwig and the Angry Inch, the story needed to be told by someone who really could get inside of Hediwg’s head and tell her story, so who better than the actor themselves? Mitchell did a phenomenal job at portraying the inside of Hedwig’s mind. The story was perfectly confusing, but that was made to be an evident point, as Hedwig herself had a confusing life that she is also trying to figure out herself. John Cameron Mitchell also chose to move the story through major points in Hedwig’s life through music, which I thought was a brilliant idea. Music is a huge part of this film not just because it’s a musical, but also because Hedwig herself is part of a band on tour. We follow the band on tour through the film, and after each song, viewers are transported to another city to hear another story. Mitchell’s choice to do this was phenomenal because it meant Hedwig was developing as a character, she was literally leaving cities behind with the bad memories she had. This is true character development, portrayed on screen in a “show don’t tell” way. Great job on Mitchell’s part for this detail that moves the plot and acts of the story forward. The best part of this film was definitely the production design which was done by Thérèse DePrez. DePrez has done production design on four other films: Stoker, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, High Fidelity, and Premium Rush. The production design of Hedwig and the Angry Inch was extremely theatrical and edgy, which matched the style of narration that Hedwig provided her viewers with. Something that was extremely memorable was the production design during Hedwig’s performance when her husband left her to the song “Wig in a Box”. The production design added so much more depth to the story and meaning behind the song. In a song about being trapped in a life situation where someone has little control over, DePrez designs a set that takes viewers through the beginning, middle and end of the song. At first Hedwig is trapped inside the trailer. In the middle she is greeted by her band members who begin to free her by handing her a wig. Then at the end, the trailer opens up and becomes a rock and roll stage. Hedwig always dreamed of becoming a rockstar, so having the trailer open up to a stage, shows that Hedwig is finally gaining control of her life. These details provided by DePrez may seem confusing to some viewers. But to the viewers that understand Hediwg’s story, they can understand the correlation between set design and character development in a film like this. Hedwig and the Angry Inch, is a phenomenal film. However viewers must pay close attention to it to really understand the true depth and meaning behind the story. Otherwise, it’s not for everyone. Viewers must appreciate the work done by John Cameron Michell to really grasp the story of Hedwig. Hedwig is a confusing film, but if watched with the right mindset, Hedwig and the Angry Inch is confusing in the right way. 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Hedwig and the Angry Inch

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