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Breach of Immunity
On the trail of the transvestite rapist who has been targeting random members of Hinton's gay community, Lieutenant Anna Blessing and Detectives Mike Annunzio and Scilla Carmody begin to suspect that the suspect's modus operandi includes more than rape.
- GenresMystery
248 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1992
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 19, 2023
When I first read Breach of Immunity, it was as an unbound galley in 1991, because I was working as an intern to Molly Hite's publisher at St. Martin's Press in NYC back in 1991. That was about a year before the novel was actually published in 1992. When I was asked to give feedback on it, (as a gay man who'd recently come out myself back at the time), I proclaimed that the novel "MUST BE PUBLISHED" because of its social relevance and that it would change people's perceptions of people living with HIV/AIDS.
Back at that time, BOI was RIVETING. Given it's subject matter and plot, it broke new ground and pushed limits BECAUSE of the inherently taboo nature of HIV/AIDS being put front and center. I read it as Hite's response to the Reagan Administration's mis-handling of the AIDS Epidemic by denying Big Pharma the right to develop further ARV medications (other than AZT) to treat AIDS patients; as well as that administrations furthering of the "othering" of AIDS patients and creating deeper societal stigma.
I don't think I was off-base either given the political climate of when BOI is set (which is the early 90's) and we were just then shifting from the Bush administration to Clinton's. This was also prior to the 1996 pharmaceutical breakthroughs that produced the class of Antiretroviral Regimens (ARV's) drugs that we know of today that treat HIV and inhibit it's progression to full-blown AIDS and keep people living with HIV longer, healthy and fully active lives.
I believe BOI would have made a FANTASTIC full-length motion picture. In the Spring of 1994, when I was in my first year of college, I took a Screenwriting course at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and wrote a short (only a few scenes) spec script based directly on Hite's novel, and began fantasizing about being able to Direct & Produce a full-length feature of it. It was also out of that class as well that I started the writing process of the full-length script.
It was presented as a staged reading (which we made a Super 8mm Film recording of) at the end of the semester, and I was pleased at the outcome of my work. I'd emailed back and forth with Molly Hite (who lives in Ithaca, NY) and she attended the staged reading, and it was a HUGE pleasure to be able to meet and chat with her in person. Anna Blessing was by FAR & AWAY my FAVORITE character in the novel, and I imagined Shelly Winters (if I'd been able to cast it my way) in the role.The TV show, Picket Fences, was also HUGELY popular at that time, and I saw Lauren Holly & Costas Mandylor (in my mind anyway) as Detectives Scilla Carmody & Mike Annunzio.
I was living out West in Portland, Oregon later on from 1995-1996 during my Academic Leave from the east coast college in Massachusetts that I was attending (& I thought Portland would have made an EXCELLENT location for Hinton) and I spent a HUGE amount of time scouting (during the Summers of 1994 & 1995) possible filming locations in and around Portland. I also partnered with the Oregon Film & Video Office, The Northwest Film Center and Portland State University's School of Film to ATTEMPT to obtain the necessary permits, equipment and post-production editing facilities & assemble a creative team to start pre-production, begin the auditioning/casting process and then begin shooting and being in production, BUT, it was a VERY daunting and expensive process, which unfortunately NEVER came together. HOWEVER, I gave it: "the ol' college try."
I was also doing a lot of Theatrical production work around Portland (and at PSU) at that time, and I had the fully finished full-length shooting script for BOI ready to go after moving out West (I'd actually completed it during my second year of college in a second UMass/Amherst Advanced Screenwriting class I took and we did another, longer staged reading scene workshop which we again made a second, longer Super 8 filmed version of); BUT it didn't ever find the financial support it TRULY needed to push pre-production (which would have then led to auditions/casting then into actual shooting production) forward.
Rather than make an amateurish "student film" version of BOI which I didn't want to do, I shelved the project (and my ambition along with it unfortunately) and moved on in favor of my other work. I also applied for EVERY independent filmmaking grant I could find at the time, BUT, alas, securing funding is the #1 MOST difficult part of the independent feature process. And back in 1994/1995 (in order to go into production during 1995/1996) independent filmaking was NOT where it is today and the grants available were slim to none. ESPECIALLY for what would have been a VERY edgy and gritty LGBTQ+ indie film tackling controversial subject matter, BUT, I ❤️ pushing boundaries in my work, and I was SO READY to Direct & Produce BOI as it SHOULD have been -- a sophisticated well-made indie "film noir" psychological thriller film. My biggest cinemotgraphic influence was Tak Fujimoto's work on Jonathan Demme's Directed adaptation of Thomas Harris' Silence of The Lambs. I wanted BOI's film adaptation to have a similar patina & polish to it, which meant: 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲.
To this day it saddens me, because I think it would have made a REALLY amazing film. I did also send script samples of the full-length finished script product (as well as copies of the filmed UMass/Amherst workshop readings) to a couple of Studio Agents in Los Angeles (whom NEVER responded) while I was still living out in Portland, but I never got to the: "fly down to LA to take a meeting" stage. ☹️
Molly herself was in FULL support of the film, and my agent in NYC & her agent in Boston were in constant communication with each other, and they even tried following up with the Studio Agents I'd sent the script samples/videos to in LA, ALL to NO AVAIL. 🙄🤬 I'll ALWAYS ❤️ the experience I did have with it though, and it will ALWAYS occupy a space on my bookshelf, autographed by Molly herself (OF COURSE); when she came to the original first staged reading of the spec script in Massachusetts back in 1994.
Back at that time, BOI was RIVETING. Given it's subject matter and plot, it broke new ground and pushed limits BECAUSE of the inherently taboo nature of HIV/AIDS being put front and center. I read it as Hite's response to the Reagan Administration's mis-handling of the AIDS Epidemic by denying Big Pharma the right to develop further ARV medications (other than AZT) to treat AIDS patients; as well as that administrations furthering of the "othering" of AIDS patients and creating deeper societal stigma.
I don't think I was off-base either given the political climate of when BOI is set (which is the early 90's) and we were just then shifting from the Bush administration to Clinton's. This was also prior to the 1996 pharmaceutical breakthroughs that produced the class of Antiretroviral Regimens (ARV's) drugs that we know of today that treat HIV and inhibit it's progression to full-blown AIDS and keep people living with HIV longer, healthy and fully active lives.
I believe BOI would have made a FANTASTIC full-length motion picture. In the Spring of 1994, when I was in my first year of college, I took a Screenwriting course at the University of Massachusetts/Amherst and wrote a short (only a few scenes) spec script based directly on Hite's novel, and began fantasizing about being able to Direct & Produce a full-length feature of it. It was also out of that class as well that I started the writing process of the full-length script.
It was presented as a staged reading (which we made a Super 8mm Film recording of) at the end of the semester, and I was pleased at the outcome of my work. I'd emailed back and forth with Molly Hite (who lives in Ithaca, NY) and she attended the staged reading, and it was a HUGE pleasure to be able to meet and chat with her in person. Anna Blessing was by FAR & AWAY my FAVORITE character in the novel, and I imagined Shelly Winters (if I'd been able to cast it my way) in the role.The TV show, Picket Fences, was also HUGELY popular at that time, and I saw Lauren Holly & Costas Mandylor (in my mind anyway) as Detectives Scilla Carmody & Mike Annunzio.
I was living out West in Portland, Oregon later on from 1995-1996 during my Academic Leave from the east coast college in Massachusetts that I was attending (& I thought Portland would have made an EXCELLENT location for Hinton) and I spent a HUGE amount of time scouting (during the Summers of 1994 & 1995) possible filming locations in and around Portland. I also partnered with the Oregon Film & Video Office, The Northwest Film Center and Portland State University's School of Film to ATTEMPT to obtain the necessary permits, equipment and post-production editing facilities & assemble a creative team to start pre-production, begin the auditioning/casting process and then begin shooting and being in production, BUT, it was a VERY daunting and expensive process, which unfortunately NEVER came together. HOWEVER, I gave it: "the ol' college try."
I was also doing a lot of Theatrical production work around Portland (and at PSU) at that time, and I had the fully finished full-length shooting script for BOI ready to go after moving out West (I'd actually completed it during my second year of college in a second UMass/Amherst Advanced Screenwriting class I took and we did another, longer staged reading scene workshop which we again made a second, longer Super 8 filmed version of); BUT it didn't ever find the financial support it TRULY needed to push pre-production (which would have then led to auditions/casting then into actual shooting production) forward.
Rather than make an amateurish "student film" version of BOI which I didn't want to do, I shelved the project (and my ambition along with it unfortunately) and moved on in favor of my other work. I also applied for EVERY independent filmmaking grant I could find at the time, BUT, alas, securing funding is the #1 MOST difficult part of the independent feature process. And back in 1994/1995 (in order to go into production during 1995/1996) independent filmaking was NOT where it is today and the grants available were slim to none. ESPECIALLY for what would have been a VERY edgy and gritty LGBTQ+ indie film tackling controversial subject matter, BUT, I ❤️ pushing boundaries in my work, and I was SO READY to Direct & Produce BOI as it SHOULD have been -- a sophisticated well-made indie "film noir" psychological thriller film. My biggest cinemotgraphic influence was Tak Fujimoto's work on Jonathan Demme's Directed adaptation of Thomas Harris' Silence of The Lambs. I wanted BOI's film adaptation to have a similar patina & polish to it, which meant: 💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲💲.
To this day it saddens me, because I think it would have made a REALLY amazing film. I did also send script samples of the full-length finished script product (as well as copies of the filmed UMass/Amherst workshop readings) to a couple of Studio Agents in Los Angeles (whom NEVER responded) while I was still living out in Portland, but I never got to the: "fly down to LA to take a meeting" stage. ☹️
Molly herself was in FULL support of the film, and my agent in NYC & her agent in Boston were in constant communication with each other, and they even tried following up with the Studio Agents I'd sent the script samples/videos to in LA, ALL to NO AVAIL. 🙄🤬 I'll ALWAYS ❤️ the experience I did have with it though, and it will ALWAYS occupy a space on my bookshelf, autographed by Molly herself (OF COURSE); when she came to the original first staged reading of the spec script in Massachusetts back in 1994.
March 17, 2022
Rating: 1 Star!!
Review:
This was my first time reading a book by Molly Hite so i wasnt sure what to expect tho i thought i'd like it since it was set in an Inn but sadly this one fell very flat for me.
The Characters were interesting to read about. Anna Blessing was the only character i really enjoyed.
The Setting was okay but very dull with very little explanatoryness of the area surrounding the Mystery.
The Storyline had too much explaining and not alot about the mystery within the storyline.
Overall ive read better Mysteries set in Inn's before!! I'll give Molly's other books a try but i hope they all arent dull like this one was!!
Review:
This was my first time reading a book by Molly Hite so i wasnt sure what to expect tho i thought i'd like it since it was set in an Inn but sadly this one fell very flat for me.
The Characters were interesting to read about. Anna Blessing was the only character i really enjoyed.
The Setting was okay but very dull with very little explanatoryness of the area surrounding the Mystery.
The Storyline had too much explaining and not alot about the mystery within the storyline.
Overall ive read better Mysteries set in Inn's before!! I'll give Molly's other books a try but i hope they all arent dull like this one was!!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews