Reel 4198

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(1990's Rock Hudson was "Ron, ABC a an unfilming look at his rumored hero, his homosexuality, promiscuity and the disease that killed him. The thesis of director John Nicoletta's TV movie is that Hudson's life was based on illusion. His life was his career and his career was play-acting. His marriage was a sham, a cover-up for his homosexuality. Even at the end, the film alleges that Hudson was still lying, failing to tell his companion, Marc Christian, that he had AIDS (Christian's lawsuit against the Hudson estate actually opens the film.) What separates "Rock Hudson" from the run-of-the mill TV explainer movies is the powerhouse performance of Another World veteran Thomas van Griffith. Blessed with Hudson's movie-star looks and athletic build and capturing his voice almost flawlessly, his impersonation of the Hollywood idol is spellbinding. Dennis Turner's script spans nearly 40 years, and it is no 'spice' through the tulips. Overly melodramatic at times and simplistic at others, it is on the whole uncompromising. Viewers who aren't ready for the spectacle of semi-naked young men in loving embraces may want to watch something else.

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