CHICAGO – Excelsior! Comic book legend Stan Lee’s famous exclamation puts a fine point on the third and final play of Mark Pracht’s FOUR COLOR TRILOGY, “The House of Ideas,” presented by and staged at City Lit Theater in Chicago’s Edgewater neighborhood. For tickets/details, click HOUSE OF IDEAS.
Via Zoom: Actor Tom Prior of ‘Firebird.’ Opening in Theaters on April 29, 2022
CHICAGO – With the subject of Russia at the top of the news, the roots of their oppressive attitudes are revealed in the new film “Firebird,” opening this Friday April 29th. The fascinating based-on-truth story is set in the Cold War era Soviet Union, and was co-written – with director Peeter Rebane – by Tom Prior, who also portrays Sergey, one of the lead roles in the film.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
Sergey is a private in the Soviet Air Force in the 1970s, working in a flight group that is anchored by pilot and senior officer Roman (Oleg Zagorodnii), while at the same time becoming a confidant and friend to a woman officer named Luisa (Diana Pozharskaya). When Roman and Sergey begin an illegal (in the Soviet Union at the time) love affair, the opportunity for blackmail and expulsion floats to the surface. To divert attention, Roman begins an affair with Luisa, and this love triangle casts a pall over all the relationships.
The film is expressly acted, which makes it work, especially between the three principals involved in the love triangle. In all the oppressive eras of anti-gay governments and societies, individuals risked their lives and careers for the nature of who they were/are, and this film provides an honest assessment of what that was about.
Tom Prior (center) in ‘Firebird’
Photo credit: Roadside Attractions
“What really fascinated me about this story is how could such a relationship have existed in the Soviet Air Force at the time, at the height of the Cold War?,” said director Rebane in an email. “It seemed almost impossible and fantastical, but as we researched and confidentially interviewed some other men who served in the Soviet Army in the 1970s, we discovered a fascinating secret subculture.”
In Part One in a interview with Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com, Tom Prior talks about developing the story and positioning himself in the Cold War era Soviet Union …
In Part Two, a broader view of LGBTQ+ issues …
The trailer for Firebird …
By PATRICK McDONALD |