A Face From Uranus Correspondence Between Tedd Burr and Henry Bellamann 1943-1945 edited by Lenny Pinna
It's 1943. As World War II commands the world's stage, nine-teen year old Tedd Burr struggles with his own private battle-gender identity. After receiving a draft notice, Tedd reaches out in desperation to Henry Bellamann, author of the best-selling 1940 novel Kings Row, for advice. Tedd imagines that the author who wrote sympathetically in his novel about a boy who was "too pretty for a boy" might be able to help him in some way. And he's right. Henry responds, initiating a warm correspondence that deepens into a relationship that lasts until Henry's death in 1945. This book publishes for the first time all the letters from Tedd and Henry's correspondence.
A 76-year-old androgynous man journeys through his past, revealing his early gender confused life. Letters to Uranus: The hidden life of Tedd Burr, a film by Lenny Pinna is a genre-defining, gender-bending type of cinema verité. Shot in mini DV, this docu-drama, reveals an unusual relationship as it unfolds in virtually unedited real time, blurring the line between life and art. Spending 1 hour and 54 minutes at home with the 76-year-old, androgynous actor, Tedd Burr is like experiencing an evening with Quentin Crisp, Katherine Hepburn and Norma Shearer all rolled into one. A one-of-a-kind film experience.