"The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin," Jennifer Kroot's bio-documentary (with co-director Bill Weber), is several films in one. First, a funny, ironic account of how a "son of the old South," with a rock-rib conservative dad, initially does all the dutiful things expected of a first son: Navy service in Vietnam; jump-starting a journalism career in a stint with a Marin weekly; and finally, adopting a Dickensian style for a diary-like column, "Tales of the City," making witty fiction of Maupin's nightly sexcapades. It led to a daily San Francisco Chronicle series filled with increasingly explicit queer content, and resulted in a wildly popular PBS TV series. That show, despite its huge audience, would be driven off the air by a vengeful witch-hunter - ironically, Maupin's first employer, North Carolina Senator Jesse Helms.
The film offers candid audio snapshots of the subject from his adopted/non-biological family, including Neil Gaiman, Laura Linney, Olympia Dukakis, Sir Ian McKellen and Amy Tan, weaving these personal insights with a humorous cultural history of this Left Coast city from the mid-70s on. It's an eloquent portrayal of an urban community moving from the highs of sexual freedom in the 70s (including Maupin's relationship with a Hollywood superstar, the hyper-closeted Rock Hudson) to the devastating reality of AIDS, to a "post"-AIDS world where freedom and prudence are lovingly if precariously balanced. (Wed., Nov. 1, Castro Theatre)
Laura Linney and Armistead Maupin ride in the gay pride parade in co-directors Jennifer Kroot and Bill Weber's "The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin." Photo: Courtesy the filmmakers