Representations of Homosexuality (inc Negative) in Cinema

[didi-5]

There's a kind of gay beach heaven at the end of Longtime Companion (1989), one of the best AIDS-era films. All those who died come back in a celebratory coda. Although the film has moments that are emotionally draining, it is the hope and the humour you remember as well. As far as I know all the actors used were straight - Bruce Davison, Campbell Scott, etc - but it was 100 times more convincing than Philadelphia. Philadelphia was just junk with a half-baked message.

[CaptainWaggett]

Stephen Bourne is one who comes to mind, also Richard Dyer.

I've read Stephen Bourne's book and I don't remember him suggesting that gay actors are always subconciously playing gay though it may well inform their interpretation of the script and also the audience perception of the character (Anton Walbrook in Life and Death of Colonel Blimp being an obvious example), though there's no reason to suppose it's always subconscious. I've never understood why anyone assumes that one aspect of a person's life should over-ride every other - do people get so worked up when a Jew plays a Catholic or a Brit plays an American?

[Brief Encounter]

Is his book good?

I do agree that gay directors tend to add subtexts (for those of us who can see them) to their films. Ie. Anthony Asquith and Brian Desmond Hurst.

[CaptainWaggett]

Is his book good?

I do agree that gay directors tend to add subtexts (for those of us who can see them) to their films. Ie. Anthony Asquith and Brian Desmond Hurst.

It's interesting and the first of its kind so obviously there are lots of films he misses (rather surprisingly, The Lady Vanishes is one of them ). But it's hard to argue with his analyses of the subtexts in P and P films and it's essential reading for anyone who thinks there's no homosexuality in British films before Victim)

[Steve Crook]

It's interesting and the first of its kind so obviously there are lots of films he misses (rather surprisingly, The Lady Vanishes is one of them ). But it's hard to argue with his analyses of the subtexts in P and P films and it's essential reading for anyone who thinks there's no homosexuality in British films before Victim)

Except that he tries a bit too hard with some of his examples and he seems to assume that any male-male friendship must have a gay subtext.
But apart from that, it is a good book

Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema, 1930-71

Also very good is another of his books Black in the British Frame about "people of colour" and how they have been represented in and appeared in British film & TV

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

Except that he tries a bit too hard with some of his examples and he seems to assume that any male-male friendship must have a gay subtext.
But apart from that, it is a good book

Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema, 1930-71

That's clearly not true or he'd not have missed out The Lady Vanishes I think there's probably now a better book to be written on the subject (possibly by him but he seems to be concentrating on black artists nowadays) but it was certainly pioneering back in the day. But of course we've all seen a lot more films and read a lot more similar works since those days. I would have thought it fairly essential reading for anyone with even a slight interest in the subject though - I don't know of any other books that cover the same ground.

[Brief Encounter]

Thanks, I'll try to read it at some point

[Steve Crook]

That's clearly not true or he'd not have missed out The Lady Vanishes

OK, not any male-male friendship. But quite a few. Like that between Sabu & David Farrar in Black Narcissus

I think there's probably now a better book to be written on the subject (possibly by him but he seems to be concentrating on black artists nowadays) but it was certainly pioneering back in the day. But of course we've all seen a lot more films and read a lot more similar works since those days. I would have thought it fairly essential reading for anyone with even a slight interest in the subject though - I don't know of any other books that cover the same ground.

Andy Moor (from the P&P group) has written a few papers and articles about it. His main book Powell and Pressburger: A Cinema of Magic Spaces is mainly about P&P and is very "film studies academic" in tone & language. He seems to use the word hegemony on just about every page

As the page about him at MMU says:
Research interests
British film history, queer cinema, and sexuality studies more broadly.

My chief area of interest has been the work of Powell and Pressburger. Emerging from this study, I have an interest in transnational and cross-cultural film, with a particular emphasis on the work of exiles. Running alongside this, I am the author of various chapters and articles looking at gay/queer culture, and I am interested in cross-currents between expressions of exile and of queerness. I have an ongoing interest in modes of queer viewing / reception studies, and am currently preparing a book proposal on gay, lesbian and queer cinema.


So maybe we should drop a few hints his way

Steve

[CaptainWaggett]

OK, not any male-male friendship. But quite a few. Like that between Sabu & David Farrar in Black Narcissus

Andy Moor (from the P&P group) has written a few papers and articles about it. His main book Powell and Pressburger: A Cinema of Magic Spaces is mainly about P&P and is very "film studies academic" in tone & language. He seems to use the word hegemony on just about every page

But I don't want something clever - I want something I can understand (and which doesn't cost £40 )

[Steve Crook]

But I don't want something clever - I want something I can understand (and which doesn't cost £40 )

We'll have to include mention of that in the hints we give him

The cost does depend on who he can get to publish it & how many they think they can sell. A more populist & easily readable approach should be a help to that

Steve

[Brief Encounter]

Or write to Stephen Bourne, he does reply to emails...
Stephen Bourne

[didi-5]

How about Flaming Classics: Queering the Film Canon, by Alexander Doty? Found that on my bookshelves today when I was looking for the Bourne book. Doty really does make some ridiculous assumptions IMO. But no more so than Frightening the Horses: Gay Icons of the Cinema, by Eric Braun, which does go a bit too far down the 'x was gay, so the character they played must be' line.

[Brief Encounter]

I've also read Frightening the Horses. It's definitely "light reading". My recollection is that a large part of the book is actor biographies and film synopses. Not bad for a beginner to the topic I suppose.

[moonfleet]

Hard (1998) by John Huckert is a very good and unusual thriller including a (very scary) homo serial killer and an homo detective (who have also some problems with his colleagues) looking after him.