Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 17:09:38 +1100

From: Andrew

Subject: Re: ok, who turned the lights out?

>Still here...just lurking!

>

>(envisage that dark back-room in the sauna :))

>

>

I know this is stupid, responding to my own posting, but I've done sillier

things.

Anyway, thanks to Eric and Kent for their replys (sent to me privately!!)

Cheers everyone.

Andy

 

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 20:06:30 +0100

From: jmcs

Subject: Re: ok, who turned the lights out?

At 17:09 10/10/97 +1100, Andy wrote:

>>Still here...just lurking!

>>

>>(envisage that dark back-room in the sauna :))

>>

>>

>I know this is stupid, responding to my own posting, but I've done sillier

>things.

>

>Anyway, thanks to Eric and Kent for their replys (sent to me privately!!)

>

>Cheers everyone.

>Andy

 

Hi Andy and all!!

Don´t worry, "They´re heeeere" (read this in Poltergeist accent).

I just wanted to wish to the fortunate people who´re fortunate enough to

make the trip to London a very happy gathering. If Glen´s there kiss him for

me!!! Have a great time and spare a thought for all the poor unfortunate

souls who´re brooding over their lack of luck (hey, I just made a play on

words!!). Anyway, have a good time, fellas!!

To my stay-in fellas, I have something for you. It´s something I wrote back

in June. I had thought to send it on my birthday as a humble present to my

BTfriends, but since the list went down, I couldn´t do it. BT´s Anniversary

is a better date to celebrate the inspiration and hope Beautiful Thing

brought to all our lives. What BT means to me cannot be described in words.

It transcends the celluloid and has become a way of life, it has entered my

ordinary life and my innermost dreams.

This is my way to celebrate what BT has brought to my life. Some of you have

read it already (Hi Kent, Mike, Todd,!!).

An idea: Why don´t we write something about BT? A small scene, a thought, a

joke... whatever about BT. This would be our way to celebrate BT´s

anniversary from our homes. Let´s do something special this weekend!!!

C´mon, fellas!!! Wake up!!

 

Take care all of you. HAPPY BT ANNIVERSARY TO ALL!!!

 

Sandra.

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 13:54:38 -0800

From: painter

Subject: Re: ok, who turned the lights out?

Hi guys,

I'm still here, too. Wish I had time to follow up on Sandra's suggestion of

writing a scene for BT. I'll think on it but know I won't have time just

now. Me and my new love, Thomas, are taking a three day vacation beginning

Sunday. We're going to Yosemite National Park, which is one of the most

scenicly beautiful spots on Earth. Thomas hasn't been there before so it

will be a treat to show him around. The valley is about 5,000 feet

elevation and autumn is well upon us so it will be cool, compared to our

relative warmth by the sea here in 'sunny' San Francisco. (Well, okay, it's

Oakland, but close enough.) We'll be doing a lot of hiking and will try to

get up to the high country. The only difficult thing about it will be that

Yosemite is where I and my previous lover, David, spent some of our most

precious times together. As many of you know, David died very unexpectedly

last February, just as the original BT list was getting started. I met

Thomas in May but wasn't ready for dating at that time. But one thing I

learned from David's death is that none of us know how much time we have so

we should make the best of it. So Thomas has come into my life as suddenly

and unexpectedly as David left it.

Sorry, this doesn't have anything to do with BT -- except that it has to do

with love between men. It's a bit of a stretch...but one of the things BT

did for me was bring a sense of love and passion back into my life. That's

why I went to see it over and over again. It helped heal some old wounds --

mostly about growing up gay and not feeling 'normal'. Not having the

opportunity to 'date' (at least who I wanted to date) the way hetero

teenagers do, for example. Even though that was a long time ago for me, it

has taken many years to come to terms with my own sexuality and the

emotional component of that. It feels so GOOD to be in love! (Especially

when I'm in love with someone who loves me as much as I do him!) Although

David's death was a very shattering and painful shock in my life, I'm happy

to see that love can continue.

The first time I saw Thomas our eyes met across the lawn at a party and

there was this 'electric arch' thing that happened. I played it cool, got

naked and climbed into the hot tub. This hot tub will easily hold 20 people

and there were a dozen or so guys, most of them friends of mine, in it

already. But within minutes Thomas was right next to me. I started the

conversation which was one of those you have with someone you don't know --

made slightly weider by the fact that you're both buck naked. I found out

that Thomas hasn't lived in California very long, what he does for a

living, that sort of thing. In the course of talking I told him about

David's recent death. Later I asked Thomas if he'd like to exchange phone

numbers -- which he did. I also told him it would be a while before I

called him to set up a date as I didn't feel ready just yet. He said he'd

wait. That made me feel very good! It was six weeks before I called him and

another week before we had our first date. That date was fantastic. Totally

blew me away. Actually freaked me out a little. I'll never forget our first

kiss. We'd had dinner and gone for a long walk and we were standing on a

street corner with people walking and cars whizzing by. I said, "Well, what

do you want to do now?" He looked right into my eyes, reached out and put

his arms around me and pulled me to him. Gave me a big kiss -- even 'stuck

his tongue in'. ;-) Afterward when I went home I sat down and 'talked' with

David about it. That is, I imagined David sitting beside me and I said,

"Well, Davie, what do you think about this?" Davie seemed to say, "Well,

Mikey, I want you to be happy, you know that, and Thomas seems like an

awfully nice guy. Don't worry about me, Mikey, I know you love me and I

know you always will. I also know there's room in your heart to love a lot

of people -- you always have, you always will."

So, for those of you who wonder whether or not gay love can happen, I'm

here to attest that it can. I have so many friends who can't seem to find

the right guy and I don't know what to say to them. On some level, you have

to be available; willing to accept yourself and the other person for who he

is. Then you have to work at it. The first weekend Thomas and I spent

together I had this dream in which Thomas was offered to me. The dream said

I could have him if I wanted -- only I had to accept him for exactly who he

was, imperfections and all. So I did. And so I have.

Love to you all,

MW>

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 11:52:54 -0400

From: Keith

Subject: Re: ok, who turned the lights out?

Andy,

If you're referring to how quiet the list has become - it certainly has been quiet. Maybe

it's 'cause everyone is getting ready for Coming Out Day this Sunday?

Anyway, its been at least a month since I've even watched BT, so I'm kinda at a

loss as what to bring up.

But I will say I'm getting lots of comments here at work about my Windows backdrop -

Jamie and Ste holding each other, "borrowed" from the US CD cover.

Keith

--

**************************************************************

From: Kent

Date: Fri, 10 Oct 1997 18:59:18 -0400

Subject: Mike's Recent Post

Mike,

Thank you for another thoughtful and heartfelt post. I always am

moved (emotionally, and moved to thinking, too) by what you write. May

I add my voice to yours in encouraging those who find it difficult to

believe that love can be in their lives. Love is something which we

*all* deserve to have. "Love is all around" is not just a lyric to me,

it is an observation of reality-- if we can open our eyes to see it. I

had a lover from my Senior Year in College, 1975, until we went our

separate ways in 1987. My present lover and I have been together since

1988. We recently attended a party our friends gave in honor of their

31st (!) Anniversary.

Love can enter your life when you least expect it, and sometimes when

you think you can't handle it... But "love will find a way". One of

the things I think Beautiful Thing shows, especially in its powerful

Finale, is that Love can conquer our fears because in Love we find

strength; we are not ever alone again.

 

 

On another (and more BT-related note), I am hopeful that we will be

able to enjoy the pleasure of long and detailed posts from our friends

on this list conveying their impressions of this Weekend's events in

London. (I personally feel everyone "here" is a friend-- I just haven't

been introduced to some of you yet!) It would be particularly nice to

hear from those who don't have a Homepage or Website to put that

information up on (and we wanna hear from you, too, guys-- Jay, Eric,

Andre...); consider this your other "Home" (I sure do)!

Kent

======================================

Don't say Mother Teresa died of heart failure; say rather, that at long

last, she had given it all away. --Letter to Time Magazine, 09/97

======================================

--

**************************************************************

Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 11:18:49 +1100

From: Andrew

Subject: How many BT Listers does it take to change a light bulb? (was: ok, who turned the lights out?)

 

Keith wrote:

>If you're referring to how quiet the list has become - it certainly has

>been quiet. Maybe it's 'cause everyone is getting ready for Coming Out

>Day this Sunday?

>

OOOOO, oooooo, ooooooh!!!!!!! (are there drinks involved??? !!!) :)

 

--

**************************************************************

From: matthew

Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 15:34:10 -0400

Subject: Curious

Is the poster named "Sandra" a female or a male? If female, is that your

real name, or is it just a pen name because of the name in the film?

--

**************************************************************

Date: Sat, 11 Oct 1997 20:50:03 +0100

From: jmcs

Subject: My personal homage to "Beautiful Thing"

Hello BTfriends!!

I just wanted to wish you a very happy BT Anniversary. May all your lives be

filled with magic!

I hope you like the scene. If you don´t, please, bear with me! Any review

will be very welcome. Thank you.

 

 

In the square brackets I´ve written the original screenplay by Jonathan

Harvey, the continuation is my humble homage.

 

[75. INT. JAMIE´S BEDROOM. NIGHT.

Jamie and Ste sitting side by side on the bed. Jamie has taken his hat off

and holds it in his hands, stroking it fondly. A pained look on Ste´s face.

STE: It just don´t feel right. Here. Your mum and Tony on the other side

o´that door. My ole man and Trevor next door. I got an aunty in Gravesend,

thought we could go there one night coz she´s deaf. But that don´t feel

right either.

Jamie sits up and smiles and goes under the mattress for the Gay Times. He

hands it to Ste. 'Have a butchers at that', he seems to say with his smile.

Ste takes it and tentatively looks through. He reads something he doesn´t

understand.]

 

"And this month´s special event: The release in London´s West End June, 14

at MGM Haymarket, MGM Tottenham Court Road, MGM Fulham Road, Ritzy Brixton,

Screen on Baker Street, Screen on the Green and in selected cities from

June, 21 of Hettie MacDonald´s delighful feature debut, 'Beautiful Thing'. A

wonderful 'urban fairytale' about the power of love between two teenage boys

living in Thamesmead. Only a hardhearted monster wouldn´t feel captivated by

Jamie and Ste´s love story."

Ste stops reading and looks at Jamie with his mouth agape.

"This´s a joke, right?", he mumbles, "This just can´t be..."

"Turn the page over", invites Jamie with a mischievous grin.

Ste complies. His mouth falls open when he sees a close up of his and

Jamie´s faces and next to it, frozen in time, another picture. In it,

Jamie´s rubbing very lovingly the peppermint foot lotion into his back.

Dizzy now, he looks at his friend.

"Am I dreaming? We´re in a movie? Inside a movie?"

"So it seems", Jamie smiles again.

"Our life´s a movie? We´re just characters played by these guys...?", he

looks again at the magazine, "... Glen Berry and Scott Neal?"

Jamie nods.

"I don´t understand. This life´s very real to me. I mean, I do remember all

my life. My first memories: my first day at school, the first time my dad

took me to the football, the matches, I do remember the other night...",

blushing, he looks at Jamie and both smile shyly at the memory, "I remember

everything so, how do I know I´m just a movie character? This life IS real.

You, I, everything´s REAL."

"D´you think it matters?", Jamie asks softly, "I mean, if we can´t tell

between reality and fantasy, who cares which side we´re in?"

Ste shakes his head in confusion.

"It´s like being inside a dream..."

The magazine beckons to him almost hypnotically. He reads again.

"... I also think it´s wonderful to have the opportunity to show what a

beautiful thing the love between two people can be, no matter what sex they

are." "That´s how Jonathan Harvey describes his..."

Blinking, he raises his eyes to Jamie.

"This Jonathan´s the one who made us up?"

Jamie nods again.

"Apparently."

"And we´re this... Beautiful Thing?", Ste´s voice´s a whisper now.

Jamie bends closer to him.

"Hmm."

Ste considers it for a moment. Then a naughty grin crosses his handsome face.

"So, if this´s a fairytale, we´ll live happily ever after no matter what,

right?"

"Hmm", Jamie´s smile broadens.

Looking back again at the magazine, Ste snaps it shut.

"Ya know, I like your eyes best than those o´that guy, Glen."

Jamie chuckles.

"And yours´re brighter."

Ste smiles happily.

"Maybe this IS reality, after all."

"Yeah, maybe."

"Somehow, I can feel it, can´t you?"

Jamie nods.

"I´ve known for so long. I was waiting for you."

Ste sobers a little.

"But now that you got me, what you´re gonna do?"

"Never let you go."

Ste laughs.

"I like the sound o´that! Well, I guess you already know I´ll never let you

go, either."

"Surely!"

They inch closer.

"Forever and ever.", Ste´s looking deeply into Jamie´s eyes. He sees himself

reflected in those dark pupils and for the first time in his life, he loves

himself.

Jamie feels Ste´s soft breath caressing his face. He smiles at him adoringly.

"Forever and ever.", he repeats, sealing their vows.

"Gee, I like fairytales!"

"Me too.", Jamie agrees, edging closer and closer.

Ste crosses the remaining distance and they kiss. A sweet, lingering kiss.

The magazine falls to the floor, completely forgotten.

 

THE END

 

 

 

 

Well, as they say: "That´s all, folks!" I desperately hope you liked it. If

not, at least it was short!

Take care of yourselves and be happy!!

 

Sandra.

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 01:40:01 +0100

From: jmcs

Subject: Re: Curious

At 15:34 11/10/97 -0400, Matthew wrote:

>Is the poster named "Sandra" a female or a male? If female, is that your

>real name, or is it just a pen name because of the name in the film?

>

Hello everybody!

 

Matthew, as strange as it may seem (I´m referring to the happy coincidence),

I´m a girl named Sandra, just like Jamie´s mother. It´s funny but when I was

a little girl I didn´t like my name but as the years passed, I discovered

that my name was a very 'international' one, so to speak, like Maria,

Victoria and many others. Now I´m very happy with my name and the fact that

BT´s character and myself share the same name is a really great thing, at

least for me.

BTW, please don´t tell anybody but my whole name is Maria Sandra. But if any

of you EVER calls me Maria, PREPARE TO DIE, like Iñigo Montoya!!! :))

I´m joking, just in case you´re in doubt. :) But please, I prefer being

called Sandra. Everybody I know calls me Sandra and my I.D. reads only

Sandra too, so forget the Maria thing, OK?

 

Take care.

 

Sandra.

 

--

**************************************************************

From: matthew

Date: Sun, 12 Oct 1997 05:46:02 -0400

Subject: Sandra

So, Sandra, what drew you to BT? Are you one of us? That is to say,

lavander. MATT

--

**************************************************************

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 12:41:28 +0100

From: jmcs@accessnet.es

Subject: Re: =?iso-8859-1?Q?Matt=B4s?= question

At 05:46 12/10/97 -0400, Matt wrote:

>So, Sandra, what drew you to BT? Are you one of us? That is to say,

>lavander. MATT

>

 

Hello everybody!!

Matt, about your question, no, I´m not gay. But I don´t think that makes any

difference. At least for me it doesn´t. I consider BT one of the most

beautiful love stories ever filmed. I laugh, I cry, I smile and I fly every

time I see it.

What drew me to BT? That´s a long story, but in short, my English Literature

teacher at the University told us to either read the play or watch the film.

I decided to watch the film but when I tried, the movie wasn´t on anymore. I

couldn´t find the play anywhere so one day, surfing the net I looked for BT

websites. I found Davie´s and I wrote him asking for help. Through him I

bought the film to Virgin and the rest, as they say, is history. My study

about BT had a good grade and I´ll be forever grateful to my teacher!!

After that, I joined the email list and made many of the best friends in my

entire life.

BT´s been a turning point in my life. It´s become a way of life. A new way

to see things, with optimism and joy. BT teached me that no matter how or

what you are, you can find happiness, and that´s something I had resigned

myself to never have; BT teached me that sometimes your dreams even come true!!

I suppose that´s what drew us all to BT, a the joy of living so contagious

that you can´t help but respond to it. That´s what BT means to me, hope,

love of life and that you can find love when least expected.

 

Take care.

 

Sandra.

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 22:49:08 +1100

From: Andrew

Subject: Movie Reviews for Beautiful Thing

There have been hundreds of film reviews for Beautiful Thing, both in print

form and electronic (world wide web). I set out in search of them,

expecting to find just two or three but found several dozen still available

on-line.

If you're interested in reading what the critics had to say about our much

loved film, the following links will get you started. Below you will find

the *first* page from a search I did at AltaVista.

If you're after the remaining search results, the search string is:

"Beautiful Thing" +review

The title is in quotations and the word 'review' as you can see, is singular.

___________________________________________________________________________

1. Film.Com Review: Beautiful Thing

Reviews. Gee, I Like Love. by Robert Horton. Beautiful Thing. 1996.

Here's a movie that cheerfully thumbs its nose at melodrama, tragedy,

and heaviosity...

[Preview] http://www.film.com/filma/reviews/flat/rev1156.htm - size 6K

- 9-Sep-97 - English

2. Review: Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing. A Film Review by James Berardinelli. United Kingdom,

1996 U.S. Release Date: variable (limited) Running Length: 1:30 MPAA

Classification:.

[Preview]

http://movie-reviews.colossus.net/movies/b/beautiful_thing.html - size

5K - 30-Aug-97 - English

3. MMI Review: Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing. "Movie Magazine International" Review. (Air Date: Week

Of 10/16/96) By Mary Weems. The ingredients in Beautiful Thing aren't

exactly a...

[Preview] http://www.shoestring.org/mmi_revs/beauthing.html - size 3K -

28-Jun-97 - English

4. EW MOVIE REVIEW -- Beautiful Thing

This Week's Reviews: Ransom Twelfth Night Mother Night Dear God Larger

Than Life Beautiful Thing. Also This Week: Spelling Disney's

Dalmatians. Current...

[Preview]

http://pathfinder.com/@@gM1J3gcA1rHwW1Sv/ew/961115/movies/mov-beautiful_thing.ht

ml

- size 5K - 30-Jul-97 - English

5. Movie Review: Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing. A film review by Christopher Null Copyright (c) 1996

Christopher Null. Director:Producer:Screenwriter: Stars:MPAA Rating:

RATING:...

[Preview] http://www.filmcritic.com/2c7e.htm - size 2K - 22-Jun-97 -

English

6. Movies for Africa - Review: Beautiful Thing

Review: Beautiful Thing. Starring Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal.

Written by Jonathan Harvey. Directed by Hettie Macdonald. Set in a

low-rise block...

[Preview] http://www.dbn.lia.net/users/iandoug/movies/970704/bte.htm -

size 3K - 1-Jul-97 - English

7. Planet Lunch: Movie Review -- Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing. Director: Hettie Macdonald Screenplay: Jonathan Harvey

With: Glen Berry, Ben Daniels, Tameka Empson, Linda Henry, and Scott

Neal Released.

[Preview] http://homearts.com/depts/pl/movie/07beauti.htm - size 5K -

28-Sep-97 - English

8. The Richmond Review, Film Review, Beautiful Thing

Beautiful Thing. A charming love story set over the course of a long,

hot summer on a south London council estate, Beautiful Thing is

Jonathon Harvey's...

[Preview] http://www.demon.co.uk/review/films/beautifu.html - size 3K -

6-Jul-97 - English

9. Review: Romeo and Beautiful Thing

Duncan's fabulous movie reviews... William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet

and Beautiful Thing. At first glance, one would think that these two

films had.

[Preview] http://geocities.datacellar.net/WestHollywood/1541/rb.htm - size 6K

- 15-Aug-97 - English

10. It's a Beautiful Thing - MOVIE REVIEW

Beautiful Thing. [ home * features * eclipse * guestbook * search *

index * mardi gras * new orleans * show me * the wall ] It's a

Beautiful Thing ... By..

[Preview] http://www.impactnews.com/118beautiful.htm - size 11K -

10-Jun-97 - English

___________________________________________________________________________

Happy reading

Andy.

 

--

**************************************************************

From: matthew ignoffo <mermatt3@webtv.net>

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 16:04:02 -0400

Sender: bt@highstreet.demon.co.uk

Subject: =?ISO-8859-1?Q?Re:_Matt=B4s_question?=

Thanks for the well-expressed comments on why you are drawn to BT. It's

great to know that it has a deep meaning to people other than just gay

folks -- just as the current film SOUL FOOD is a "cross-over" hit

because it appeals to everyone. Yes, BT is a beautiful love story.

Thanks again for your comments. MATT

--

**************************************************************

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 22:36:58 -0400

From: Keith

Subject: Guest book?!?

Hey everyone, just checked the guest book at Davie's web site - I can't

believe how many recent additions there have been! here must have been

several dozen just in the last month alone, and from all over the world,

especially Australia, and Europe. Isn't it great to know so many people

are getting to experience what a Beautiful Thing Beautiful Thing is?

(I just hope they're not trying to subscribe to Davie's email list - and

wondering where everyone else is!!!)

Keith

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 23:22:01 -0400

From: Keith

Subject: Re: question

Sandra,

Thanks so much for sharing this with us! (I still love you, even if you

are straight!) : )

Seriously, though, you gave me an idea- would any one else like to share

with the list how they first saw BT, and how it has changed their life? I

certainly would.

In my case, it was pure chance I heard about Beautiful Thing. I went to

the theater to see my (now) second favorite movie - the rerelease of the

Godfather, and the first preview was of BT (this was an art house theater).

I'm not sure how, but I instantly new the movie was somehow special. Just

a gut feeling maybe. Anyway, I debated going back a week later to see it,

but never made it. (I wasn't even remotely out of the closet yet, either)

Then, a few weeks later, I saw it on the video shelf, and instantly grabbed

it. As soon as I saw it, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I had

seen other gay-themed movies before, but they had never affected me like

this. I mean, for the first time I seriously thought about what it would

be like to be gay, and to be proud of it.

Then, a few days later, I came across the web site/email list, and joined.

This was a first for me also, so I was completely taken by surprise, when

the next day I checked my email. and had a dozen messages. I soon realized

that here was a bunch of friends that shared my love of this movie, but

who were also people I could feel comfortable sharing parts of myself with

that I never had before. It is this aspect of BT that has changed me more

than I can possibly describe. Through this list, I gather the strength to

realize it was time to accept myself for who I was, and hope other would

too. I mean, here was a whole bunch of guys who had already, or currently

were, or might some day, go through what I currently was. It was so great

to be able to discuss it, and here what others had to say about the

different aspects of BT, and what it meant to be gay, etc.

So now, I'm out to a few close friends, and on the internet

(that's my shameless plug for the

night). I still working up the strength to tell my family, and a few other

friends. I even went to the OutFest 97 activities this weekend here in

Philadelphia, and I still can't believe I did that. And I can truly say I

am a happier person today than I was 8 months ago. ( Now all I need is a

boyfriend to hold hands with at the next OutFest...) And I think back to

how none of this may have happened if I hadn't seen that one little

preview...

Keith

--

**************************************************************

From: Todd

Subject: Re: Keith's story/my story

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 08:25:25 -0400

I love hearing stories about other people's experience with this movie.

It's heart warming and touching.

I myself never heard of the movie till another couple asked us if we wanted

to go with them to see it in DC. Since I hadn't heard anything about the

movie, I wasn't really looking forward to it that much. But since it was

with friends and my bf wanted to see it to, I went and expected to say "OK.

That was a good movie." and leave it at that. I didn't expect it to be as

good as it was. I loved it! Right then, I wanted to go back and see it

again. There are so few movies I've been to and wanted to do that. And

even fewer that made me fell so good about myself and my relationship with

my bf. Two weeks later, I took a friend to see it. He wasn't as moved by

it, but it did give me the chance to see it again in the theater before it

left.

What's even more amazing is the movies lasting impact. For the first time,

I joined a mailing list and I started using IRC when I got a chance to chat

with other BT fans. No other movie has impacted me so much that I still

think about it over 1 year later and feel the emotional pull of the movie.

Todd

----------

From: Keith

Subject: Re: question

Date: Monday, October 13, 1997 11:22 PM

Sandra,

Thanks so much for sharing this with us! (I still love you, even if you

are straight!) : )

Seriously, though, you gave me an idea- would any one else like to share

with the list how they first saw BT, and how it has changed their life? I

certainly would.

In my case, it was pure chance I heard about Beautiful Thing. I went to

the theater to see my (now) second favorite movie - the rerelease of the

Godfather, and the first preview was of BT (this was an art house theater).

I'm not sure how, but I instantly new the movie was somehow special. Just

a gut feeling maybe. Anyway, I debated going back a week later to see it,

but never made it. (I wasn't even remotely out of the closet yet, either)

Then, a few weeks later, I saw it on the video shelf, and instantly grabbed

it. As soon as I saw it, I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I had

seen other gay-themed movies before, but they had never affected me like

this. I mean, for the first time I seriously thought about what it would

be like to be gay, and to be proud of it.

Then, a few days later, I came across the web site/email list, and joined.

This was a first for me also, so I was completely taken by surprise, when

the next day I checked my email. and had a dozen messages. I soon realized

that here was a bunch of friends that shared my love of this movie, but

who were also people I could feel comfortable sharing parts of myself with

that I never had before. It is this aspect of BT that has changed me more

than I can possibly describe. Through this list, I gather the strength to

realize it was time to accept myself for who I was, and hope other would

too. I mean, here was a whole bunch of guys who had already, or currently

were, or might some day, go through what I currently was. It was so great

to be able to discuss it, and here what others had to say about the

different aspects of BT, and what it meant to be gay, etc.

So now, I'm out to a few close friends, and on the internet

(that's my shameless plug for the

night). I still working up the strength to tell my family, and a few other

friends. I even went to the OutFest 97 activities this weekend here in

Philadelphia, and I still can't believe I did that. And I can truly say I

am a happier person today than I was 8 months ago. ( Now all I need is a

boyfriend to hold hands with at the next OutFest...) And I think back to

how none of this may have happened if I hadn't seen that one little

preview...

Keith

--

**************************************************************

Date: Mon, 13 Oct 1997 23:53:14 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

(i'm dutch, so sorry for my english!)

Haya there,

i saw Chris connected me to the mailserver,

so here i am. My name is Martijn , 19 years old, i live in Veenendaal,

a town in the Netherlands and together with 4

other people i am one of the founders of the

Offical Ducth Beautiful Thing Fanclub.

Last weekend i was in Londen, on the BT meeting

and that was really great, now seeing all the

things in real life, is better after watching them

over 40 a 50 times on video.

I will be off now,

Cheerio

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

From: matthew

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 12:23:43 -0400

Subject: My BT experience

I can't honestly say that BT changed my life, but I did find it

touching, painful, and amusing.

It reminded me of many of my own experiences in dealing with my

sexuality and in finally coming out -- the fear of myself, the fear that

others knew, the fear of what would happen if others knew. It also

reminded me of the awkwardness of first awareness -- the stumbling and

the probing to figure one's self out and realize who I am.

I think that self-discovery aspect of the film is what makes it

appealing to so many people.

I also liked the ordinaryness of the two boys -- they were real, not

Hollywood. In a typical Hollywood version, we'd have Tom Cruise and Brad

Pitt for example (as we saw in the Rice silly upsidedown version of BT

called "Interview with the Vampire" -- or, How I Learned to Give a Good

Hickey.)

I had come out a long time before seeing BT, so, as I said, it didn't

change my life. I just felt very comfortable seeing many things I had

gone through being played out in the film.

--

**************************************************************

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 18:43:38 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: Keith's story/Todd's Story / My story

Hiaya,

Now its my time to tell my storu about BT. It was November last year when i

first came in contact with Beautiful Thing. I was working at the

radiostation that time and a mailing from a moviecompany in Holland was

telling me that BT was in the cinema's in Holland. I took the press note and

made a item for the radio for it. Then i thought, i have to see it, but i

forgot it.

Life went on and for a few months i went to Mallorca. I came back in April

and things were starting to roll, i saw the movie and was thrilled. 2

friends of mine, Andre and Robertjan went to a meeting in June in Londen and

the came back. Andre and I were starting all the planns for a official Dutch

Beautiful Thing Fanclub, with 3 other peoples we should do it, and yes the

moviecompany in Holland agreed and now were busy preparing everything to

promote BT in Holland.

Beautiful Thing ment a lot for me. I felt good wile showing it to other

people, and after 40/50 times seeing it, i still like it. It also brought me

new friend, i went to the meeting last weekend in Londen and it was nice to

talk to other BT'ers from over the world. A specially one person, but i'm

not gonna say who that was. BT brought me love, friend and a very nice time

(and it's not over yet).

Goodbye from Holland for the time being!

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 15:19:10 -0400

From: Keith

Subject: Re: My BT experience

 

 

>>> matthew  10/14/97 11:23AM >>>

...It also

reminded me of the awkwardness of first awareness -- the stumbling and

the probing to figure one's self out and realize who I am.

I think that self-discovery aspect of the film is what makes it

appealing to so many people.

I also liked the ordinaryness of the two boys -- they were real, not

Hollywood. In a typical Hollywood version, we'd have Tom Cruise and Brad

Pitt for example (as we saw in the Rice silly upsidedown version of BT

called "Interview with the Vampire" -- or, How I Learned to Give a Good

Hickey.)

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Matt,

You put it so well - that voyage of self-discovery is painful, and wrought

with anxiety - at least for me it is, and going through it right now, I feel

as if I'm groping in the dark sometimes, but it is nice to here from others

who have gone down the road before me.

Oh, and Hollywood or not, I would LOVE to see Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt in a

romatic kissing scene ... ;)

Keith

 

--

**************************************************************

From: Chris

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 19:39:44 +0000

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

Priority: normal

Hiya Martijn,

Welcome to the list. I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us

do.

--

Chris

--

**************************************************************

From: matthew

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 16:50:34 -0400

Subject: Re: My BT experience

Keith, Glad you found my comments of help. If you wish to discuss coming

out, you can post or email me individually. My comment about Tom and

Brad doesn't mean I don't like looking at them -- I do! It just meant

that Hollywood would have glamorized the story to the point of losing

the simplicity of the film as it is. But I still think "Interview with

the Vampire" is a silly upsidedown version of BT -- Can two vampires

find happiness in a non-vampire world?

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 00:30:37 +0200

From: Andre

Subject: My story

Hiya!

Following Martijn's example, I thought it would be a nice thing to introduce

myself once more and tell my story about how I got involved with Beautiful

Thing.

My name irl is Andre , I live in Drachten, a small town up north in the

Netherlands, and was born on December the 3rd 1964, which makes me 32 years

old right now. Actually it was my birthday in 1996 that caused me to get

involved with BT, since Erik (Erik1967 for the IRC gang) kinda kidnapped me

from my home to present me with my birthday-gift., for which he drove me all

the way to amsterdam where, in a small cinema, BT was showing, and took me to

see the film. Since I was totally lost as to what the film would be about,

(I really did not have a clue) I just went in with an open mind, and was

pleasantly surprised. The film is so radiant, so down to earth even, I

immediately fell in love with it.

I felt really good when we left the cinema, and when we were sitting in the

lobby I realised that this film has the potential of reaching people whom

otherwise would have not even been reached out to.

So this is when I started thinking about doing something constructive.

Quite soon after that, I found out about Davie's site, and visited it several

times, leaving my e-mail address on the guestbook, so other ppl could contact

me. When Davie then contacted me and invited me to the june 14th do, I again

was very pleasantly surprised, and immediately decided that I wanted to go.

I asked Robert (BT_Robert for the IRC gang) to accompany me, and he more than

gladly accepted my offer. So we went to London, and met all those nice people

whom basically were feeling and thinking alike, yet were all so very

different. This was when I decided that I wanted more people to be able to

share in all this, and I started thinking about a fanclub-type of

organisation, to enable other (dutch) people to share their thoughts with me.

I knew it would be impossible to do on my own, I saw what that did to Davie,

he had to spend several hours a day on his BT-site alone, and decided I

wanted to ask Martijn if he would be interrested in joining me in this

project. Since Martijn works as a presenter/host at a radio-station, he is a

very smooth talker, and I decided that that specific capability was what I

lacked, and that was just what I needed for the project to be able to succeed.

Knowing Martijn he would not be able to refuse, and to my surprise (not!) he

indeed gladly accepted my offer, so he came over for the weekend, and together

we founded the fanclub.

Things kinda went on from there, and all seems to be going very well.

We are on first-name terms with the dutch distributor of BT (Cinemien/

Homescreen) and already have come to several agreements about techical stuff

like the rights for several photo's. Even merchandise has been discussed, so

maybe in the near future you just might be able to buy BT stuff other than

the vid, the soundtrack and the poster(s).

We set out to become a dutch fanclub, but as it seems about 30% of the members

is from outside the Netherlands, so it seems we are becoming an international

fanclub after all.... (YES, we DO like that!, YES, we ARE proud of that) :-)

At this moment we have not yet been able to interview Glen, we set up an

interview for Oct 11th, but that fell through due to the fact that Glen was

shooting a new film, and seemingly could not fit us into his tight schedule.,

We still intend to interview him though, and work is already underway to set

up a new interview... Ben Daniels actually gave us a call, and promised us to

send a fax to put on the website. He realised he kinda promised to be on the

meeting, so he was very sorry he had to cancel, but he too was very busy.

So, this is me in a nutshell (well, not really a nutshell, but hey, who said

I would be a shy, non-talkative, modest lad?) :-)

Hope to write to you all soon, or talk to you on IRC! I'm the op who used to

be always at the top of the nicklist (andre1964).

Not anymore though, I changed my nick to BTAndre. :-)

Love you all!

Andre

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 00:30:37 +0200

From: Andre

Subject: My story

Hiya!

Following Martijn's example, I thought it would be a nice thing to introduce

myself once more and tell my story about how I got involved with Beautiful

Thing.

My name irl is Andre , I live in Drachten, a small town up north in the

Netherlands, and was born on December the 3rd 1964, which makes me 32 years

old right now. Actually it was my birthday in 1996 that caused me to get

involved with BT, since Erik (Erik1967 for the IRC gang) kinda kidnapped me

from my home to present me with my birthday-gift., for which he drove me all

the way to amsterdam where, in a small cinema, BT was showing, and took me to

see the film. Since I was totally lost as to what the film would be about, (I

really did not have a clue) I just went in with an open mind, and was

pleasantly surprised. The film is so radiant, so down to earth even, I

immediately fell in love with it.

I felt really good when we left the cinema, and when we were sitting in the

lobby I realised that this film has the potential of reaching people whom

otherwise would have not even been reached out to.

So this is when I started thinking about doing something constructive.

Quite soon after that, I found out about Davie's site, and visited it several

times, leaving my e-mail address on the guestbook, so other ppl could contact

me. When Davie then contacted me and invited me to the june 14th do, I again

was very pleasantly surprised, and immediately decided that I wanted to go.

I asked Robert (BT_Robert for the IRC gang) to accompany me, and he more than

gladly accepted my offer. So we went to London, and met all those nice people

whom basically were feeling and thinking alike, yet were all so very

different. This was when I decided that I wanted more people to be able to

share in all this, and I started thinking about a fanclub-type of

organisation, to enable other (dutch) people to share their thoughts with me.

I knew it would be impossible to do on my own, I saw what that did to Davie,

he had to spend several hours a day on his BT-site alone, and decided I

wanted to ask Martijn if he would be interrested in joining me in this

project. Since Martijn works as a presenter/host at a radio-station, he is a

very smooth talker, and I decided that that specific capability was what I

lacked, and that was just what I needed for the project to be able to succeed.

Knowing Martijn he would not be able to refuse, and to my surprise (not!) he

indeed gladly accepted my offer, so he came over for the weekend, and

together we founded the fanclub.

Things kinda went on from there, and all seems to be going very well.

We are on first-name terms with the dutch distributor of BT (Cinemien/

Homescreen) and already have come to several agreements about techical stuff

like the rights for several photo's. Even merchandise has been discussed, so

maybe in the near future you just might be able to buy BT stuff other than

the vid, the soundtrack and the poster(s).

We set out to become a dutch fanclub, but as it seems about 30% of the members

is from outside the Netherlands, so it seems we are becoming an international

fanclub after all.... (YES, we DO like that!, YES, we ARE proud of that) :-)

At this moment we have not yet been able to interview Glen, we set up an

interview for Oct 11th, but that fell through due to the fact that Glen was

shooting a new film, and seemingly could not fit us into his tight schedule.,

We still intend to interview him though, and work is already underway to set

up a new interview... Ben Daniels actually gave us a call, and promised us to

send a fax to put on the website. He realised he kinda promised to be on the

meeting, so he was very sorry he had to cancel, but he too was very busy.

So, this is me in a nutshell (well, not really a nutshell, but hey, who said

I would be a shy, non-talkative, modest lad?) :-)

Hope to write to you all soon, or talk to you on IRC! I'm the op who used to

be always at the top of the nicklist (andre1964).

Not anymore though, I changed my nick to BTAndre. :-)

Love you all!

Andre

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 00:30:39 +0200

From: Andre

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

> (i'm dutch, so sorry for my english!)

/me too :-)))

Hiya Martijn and others!

> i saw Chris connected me to the mailserver,

> so here i am. My name is Martijn , 19 years old, i live in Veenendaal,

> a town in the Netherlands and together with 4

> other people i am one of the founders of the

> Offical Ducth Beautiful Thing Fanclub.

Great you're on the list Martijn, I have been on the list for as long as this specific list exists,

allthough I have not been a frequent writer, which I promise to try and become in the near future!

 

> Last weekend i was in Londen, on the BT meeting

> and that was really great, now seeing all the

> things in real life, is better after watching them

> over 40 a 50 times on video.

It sure is!

It was real neat to see all those new faces, and I was very glad to see some

familiar faces too: Chris (Hiya luv!), Gavin (I still think you're a swell

guy!), Joe (Love ya!) and of course Marc and Sarah (Marc: I admire your

strength, Sarah, you make the perfect wife for Marc!)

For all of you who haven't been able to attend this time, please make sure

you will be there the next time we set up a meeting, because I intend to set

up many more!

If all goes well with the release of the dutch BT vid, October 21st 1998

will definitely be a date to put in your diaries, because that's when we will

set up a celebration party for the 1st annual release of the dutch video. So

I will have no excuses, you'll have plenty of time to save up for this

happening! Make a not NOW and start saving up some money so you can all be

there!

The meeting was great, the Gloucester was small as ever (in the film it looks

much bigger) and the weather in Thamesmead was cold an d wet, as usual, but

even though Marc was very ill, he managed to talk the dutch contingent in,

and even showed his face when the BT party was having a drink at the

Southmere Swan. I was very sorry we could not persuade Marc to skip the tour,

because now we all have to feel very guilty for the fact that he prolonged

his illness by at least half a week, since he actually managed to do ALL of

the tour, despite his very apparent lack of breath.

Marc, I'm not sure if you'll be reading this, but I think what you did was

tremendous! Thank you very much, we all very much enjoyed and appreciated

your presence (and Sarah's of course) and I think you went way too far out of

your way to make our day! You really must be out of your mind to do such a

thing, but hey, it seems just not possible for you to ever give in to some

silly Bronchial Pneumonia, is it? :-) Hope you get well soon luv!

Currently I'm working on a full report of the meeting, which of course will

be posted to this list as soon as I've finished writing it.

Until then I will keep a low profile (need to do a lot of work on the website

too) but after that I promise to write on a more regular basis!

Love ya!

 

Andre

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 23:33:24 +0100

From: jmcs

Subject: A comment and a welcome.

Hi everybody,

First of all, Martijn, welcome to the list. BTW, your English is perfectly

understandable. I´m Spanish and I understand only too well the tribulations

we go through to write in a foreign language. But it´s great because in a

few months you´ll see how your level of English is improving and improving

and improving... and improving... (SLAP!!). It´s OK, now. :)

 

Keith, I´m glad you still love me. After all we have a lot in common, we

both like men!! <G> Gee, it´s great to have so many good friends!!!

 

Just one more thing. Yesterday I was reading an article about Trainspotting.

I knew the movie´s star was Ewan MacGregor but then I read the who the other

members of the cast were: Robert Carlyle (from "Priest" and the hillarious

"The Full Monty") and Johnny Lee Miller (BOING!!) The name was immediately

familiar to me and on a hunch s I checked it out. Exactly, there he was:

BT´s stageplay, first performance: Ste was played by Johnny Lee Miller. I

just wanted to tell you, in case you didn´t know.

 

Take care.

 

Sandra.

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Tue, 14 Oct 1997 20:38:06 -0400

From: Danny

Subject: NOMAIL 9404

 

 

Beautiful Thing Mailing List wrote:

> The mailing list system supports a number of commands, which are

> executed by writing to the list address  with

> the command at the start of the subject line.

>

> Remember to add your password to the end of the subject line.

>

> The following commands are available :-

> STATUS (Returns your current account settings)

> MEMBERS (Returns a list of the list members)

> SUSPEND | RESUME (Temporarily suspend or resume your subscription)

> SET MAIL | NOMAIL (Enables or disables receipt of ordinary mail messages)

> SET DIGEST | NODIGEST (Enables or disables receipt of list digests)

> SET RECBIN | NORECBIN (Enables or disables receipt of binary attachments)

> SET PASSWORD="mypassword" (Changes your password)

> SET DETAILS="new details" (Changes your published details)

> SET REC="address@host" (Changes your receipt address)

 

 

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 07:57:04 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

>Hiya Martijn,

>Welcome to the list. I hope you enjoy it as much as the rest of us

>do.

 

I sure do! Thanx for welcome me, hope to speak to you :-))))))

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:10:26 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: My story

Andre  (BT_Andre) wrote......

>I knew it would be impossible to do on my own, I saw what that did to

Davie, he had to spend several hours a day on his BT-site alone, and

decided I wanted to ask Martijn if he would be interrested in joining me in

this project. Since Martijn works as a presenter/host at a radio-station, he

is a very smooth talker, and I decided that that specific capability was

what I lacked, and that was just what I needed for the project to be able to

succeed. Knowing Martijn he would not be able to refuse, and to my surprise

(not!) he indeed gladly accepted my offer, so he came over for the weekend,

and together we founded the fanclub.

Now i see why you wanted me in...for the smooth talk.......:-)))))) He

already knew i couldn't refuse it. Andre knows me very well, with all my

grills and skills. I hope Chris does to...very soon.....

 

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:10:30 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

At 00:30 15-10-97 +0200, Andre  wrote:

Martijn: >> (i'm dutch, so sorry for my english!)

Andre : >/me too :-)))

Looks like we dutch guys are a bit blond?!?!?

 

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 18:10:33 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: A comment and a welcome.

Hiya Sandra,

>First of all, Martijn, welcome to the list. BTW, your English is perfectly

>understandable. I´m Spanish and I understand only too well the tribulations

>we go through to write in a foreign language. But it´s great because in a

>few months you´ll see how your level of English is improving and improving

>and improving... and improving... (SLAP!!). It´s OK, now. :)

Thank you, i already got my English book of the attic so when there is

something i wanna know or type i just look it up. I was at Mallorca this

year for almost 3 months and so i know a little bit of Spanisch, i did

entertainment and every night i said.

Buenos noches senores y senoras, vamos a dar los diplomas a todos los

ganaderos le activadivas deportives de hoy (or) de esta manana.

is this correct, saying it is easy than writting it, and it is a long time ago.

 

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Wed, 15 Oct 1997 23:14:11 +0200

From: Andre

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

Hiya Martijn!

> Martijn: >> (i'm dutch, so sorry for my english!)

> Andre : >/me too :-)))

> Looks like we dutch guys are a bit blond?!?!?

Yes dear, expecially me, haven't you ever noticed the word 'blonde' on my forehead?

I noticed yours! :-)

Love ya!

Andre

 

--

**************************************************************

Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 22:32:36 +0200 (MET DST)

From: Martijn

Subject: Re: Hi, a newbee on the mailinglist

>> Martijn: (i'm dutch, so sorry for my english!)

>> Andre : /me too :-)))

>> Martijn: Looks like we dutch guys are a bit blond?!?!?

>> Andre Yes dear, expecially me, haven't you ever noticed the word

'blonde' on my forehead? I noticed yours! :-)

Sorry, i didn't have my glasses on. Why should i??? I don't have them....

only a litlle pink one...thats my "Oh i am so deeply in Love"glasses.I'm

wearing them al day right know......Just kidding (about wearring them

ofcourse....i'm deeply in love....:-)))))

 

 

 

 

Martijn

--

**************************************************************

Date: Sat, 18 Oct 1997 18:31:33 -0500

From: Gary

Subject: Re: ok, who turned the lights out?

I don't know if my first message got through - all I got was a "bounce"

back and a set of mailing list instructions.

Anyhow, there's a young fellow on the P-FLAG list who has just come out to

his family (and pretty much to himself) _and_ he's just discovered BT.

I want to send him instructions as to how to subscribe to this list and

also the current URL for the web site, but I don't have either handy.

Could someone please e-mail them to me?

Thanks,

Gary

--

**************************************************************