Groundbreaking Gay Films- Page 2

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 10:31am

"Well...ROPE would be villians, no?"

Yes. I missed that part. No pansies or villains allowed.



EDIT: I wish we could have something like that on BWW!

Updated On: 2/20/07 at 10:31 AM

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 10:31am

Oops, double post.

Updated On: 2/20/07 at 10:31 AM

[SueleenGay]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 10:32am

I assume they did not consider TV films, otherwise I would think you would see Brideshead Revisited, Doing Time on Maple Drive and An American Family listed.

[Mister Matt]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 10:54am

I'm also surprised by the omissions of Longtime Companion and Making Love. Though I loved Maurice and My Beautiful Laundrette, I'm not completely convinced they were "groundbreaking", but perhaps Prick Up Your Ears should be there as a brilliant early gay biopic.

The Living End was groudbreaking? Really? I guess it is, but I hated it so much, I probably never thought of it that way.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:18am

Oh...I hated it, too. But I do think it is probably the most popular representation of the new wave of queer cinema. It also portrayed people with AIDS in a very different light.

Still didn't care for it. But I get why it's here.

[Luscious]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:27am

I agree with most, but they definitely missed the boat not including Long Time Companion. And if they're eliminating films that are "Dated portrayals of gays as pansies or villains", how did The Boys in the Band make the list? (Although, I do consider it to be a groundbreaking gay film.)

Updated On: 2/20/07 at 11:27 AM

[best12bars]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:34am

"And if they're eliminating films that are "Dated portrayals of gays as pansies or villains", how did The Boys in the Band make the list?"


Exactly.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:44am

This is coming from someone who has never seen BOYS IN THE BAND (why no dvd???), but who knows the play.

I'd have a hard time characterizing this work as something that only shows pansies being...well...pansies. Certainly, several characters are have pansy-like qualities. But I think Crowley created far more complex characters than just one-dimensional stereotypes. The play may be dated. It may very much be a product of its time. But, I feel, it is also about compelling, three-dimensional characters that are experiencing very complex issues of that time.

[DG]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:52am

Robbie - I agree - and you really should see it.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 11:59am

Ever since I switched to DVD, I have no idea what to do with a VHS tape, which is what my local Blockbuster has of BOYS. I mean...I don't even own a VCR anymore. The last one I had ate my favorite porn tape and now...well...I'm just a DVD man now.

I'd also love to do a production of Boys in the Band. The piece absolutely fascinates me.

[DG]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:04pm

Oh, honey - you would KILL as Emory!

"Who d'ya have to fu*k to get a drink around here?!?"

[D2]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:11pm

THE BOYS IN THE BAND may seem dated and cliched, and it may appear to tackle some things that are regarded as non-issues now, but it IS a fascinating piece, and truly groundbreaking. There are also many, many things about it that are not dated, particularly the bitchy, gossipy interplay the men have with each other. The issues may have changed, the topics may have changed (or not) but the behaviour hasn't. While I think we are better off than the characters portrayed, there are still many gay men (and women) who remain closeted, who suffer from self-loathing and who are just downright unpleasant people. Hell, there are many straight people like that as well. And that's what makes THE BOYS IN THE BAND still relevant. Ultimately it is about human beings coming to terms with themselves and their lives. (Is it a coincidence that it is from the same era as FOLLIES?) I would love to see it staged again, with a fresh eye and respect for the material - and not just as a camp-fest.

[DG]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:27pm

D2 - I absolutely agree. I think much of the attitude about it being dated boils down to wishful thinking.

And the first act is STILL one of the funniest things I've seen or read!

[TheatreDiva90016]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:33pm

AND THE BAND PLAYED ON.....



Can't forget that one.

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:34pm

I haven't read it in a while, but I'm wondering if the script could withstand an entirely different take on it...and a very modern one at that. Could the histrionics and melodramatics of the self-loathing actually be portrayed from a slightly distanced, irionic (and therefore, very current) viewpoint? I actually am trying to convince a dear friend who is a brilliant director to give it a re-think. Here's hoping!

For those of you who know me and what I've done, he's the director of the production of Corpus Christi I was in.

[DG]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:35pm

Diva - I think that falls into the category of 'made for tv,' which apparently wasn't in the running (but I really think it's excellent.)

[SonofMammaMiaSam]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:38pm

Robbie, sweetie, it needs to be a one-man show. You'd be brilliant!

[robbiej]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:51pm

My cowboy hustler will be definitive.

[DG]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 12:58pm

"You shouldn't wear heels when you do chin-ups!"

[doodlenyc]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 1:45pm

The Ritz

[MargoChanning]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 3:17pm

A few years ago I invited a bunch of friends over to my place to watch BOYS IN THE BAND. Most had never seen it and I was curious what their reaction would be. The funny thing is that while one or two of the "older" gay men in the crowd (not old, but late 30s) found themselves a bit bothered by what they saw as the stereotypical way the characters were portrayed (though they enjoyed it overall), the younger ones (early 20s) not only weren't bothered, but thought it was a still a pretty accurate portrait of many of the gay men they knew in their age group. Although, these "kids" had never experienced any real homophobia and all had been out to their families and friends since high school, they thought that the group dynamic in the film -- the mock bitchiness, the alcohol and drug usage, the vanity, the obsession with getting older, the open relationship and discussion of fidelity to a partner and the promiscuity, the need to be closeted in certain situations -- was very reflective of the behavior in some of the social circles they went around in. They even spent time comparing the characters to people they knew ("Oh, so-and-so is just like Michael and so-and-so is exactly like Emory and such-and-such couple remind me of Hank and Larry....."). While they didn't personally identify with the self-hatred and self-loathing, they said they completely understood it and still saw it among some of their 20-something friends (especially those still in the closet).

I saw the last NY revival of the play that ran about 10 years ago at the Lortel with David Drake and David Greenspan and while I had a problem with some of the casting, I thought that the material itself still works for the most part. Though some of it may be a bit dated, it's still very funny and the last act still packs an emotional wallop.

Updated On: 2/20/07 at 03:17 PM

[touchmeinthemorning]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 3:51pm

I am glad that those films that normalize gay life made this list. I wish films that problematize gay life were fewer, but...alas, I'm sure they help some people in some way. They've just never done that for me.

[Clayford27]

Posted: 2/20/07 at 6:26pm

Man...I'v eonly seen 2 of those (Rocky and Hedwig). I feel kind of guilty about that lol I'm trying to think of movies that coudl have made the list. Maybe Torch Song Trilogy? I don't think the movie was big (I was like 2 when it came out lol), but I know the play had success. And it certainly meant a lot to me when I first saw it. It's one of my favorite movies.