Waiting for the Moon

The richness and romance of the lives of Alice B. Toklas and Gertrude Stein is poorly and bitterly portrayed in Waiting For The Moon. It is no wonder that the video went out-of-print before the ink was dried on the boxes.

The stately and mannish Gertrude is played by a pretty and starry-eyed Linda Bassett. Alice, her demure and gypsy-like lover and secretary, is played by a sharp-tongued, tantrum-throwing Linda Hunt - looking more like Gertrude's grandmother than her paramour.

This is not a happy film, although its intention may be otherwise, and for Stein-aholics and Toklas-aphiles it is a huge disappointment. One of the most beautiful romances of this century deserves a portrayal better than this.

We saw this on public television and thought that it was an excellent portrayal of the relationship between these two fascinating women. They lived openly as a couple in a time when it was a good deal more dangerous and unusual to do so than now.

Linda Hunt as always is a riveting actress, and Alice B. Toklas may have been the more interesting member of the couple. I certainly wouldn't call Linda Bassett "starry-eyed" - she's as masculine, egotistical, and commanding a presence as she was described in real life. This production is fairly true to Gertrude's autobiography, which she published under Alice's name.

What a gem this is. Out of the blue, a perfect partnership between Linda Hunt as Alice B. Toklas, and the far too underrated Linda Basset as Gertrude Stein. Watching this film is like a dream, and you completely suspend disbelief about some (deliberate) anachronisms. I have watched this so many times and cannot be bored. As well as being visually beautiful and intellectually witty, the two woman spar and jostle, sometimes angrily, for room in their relationship. But their love, devotion, and admiration for each other never wavers. Quite amazing. I am so glad that the DVD release offers a thorough commentary by Jill Godmilow the director --- we discover that Jacques Boudet's charming-cute diction as Appollinaire stems from the fact that he understands no English and learned his scripted lines phonetically!). The only negative: the soundtrack for some outdoor scenes is unclear. 10 out of 10. I will watch this lovely contemplation of Alice and Gretrude all my life.