The drag queen as acceptable controversy, being ‘female’, has been resurrected as often as Dracula. From Cary Grant in ‘Bringing Up Baby’ to Tony Curtis in 'Some like it Hot’; to Rock Hudson & Doris Day to Philip Seymour Hoffman to Patrick Swayzee & Wesley Snipes, this ‘reel’ character will not die! ‘Wigstock’ with ’real’ drag queens took back the camera and used traditional premières (Castro Theatre) as well as the Web/ DVD/online viewing to make sure we saw the ‘real’ world of men pretending to to be even more woman than ‘reel’ women! Think about it for a NY minute.
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The book, The Celluloid Closet was written to be made into a film. Hollywood LOVES a story about ‘HOLLYWOOD’, the more titillating the better. How much of Marlene Dietrich’s intriguing kiss in 'Morocco' was Marlene’s, how much of it was Josef van Sternberg’s? Screenwriters are still using girl/girl kissing and scripted male 'rescue' as a guaranteed source of acceptable controversy. From ‘Morocco’ to ‘Basic Instinct’ not much has changed. (Goggle both Joe Esterhouse & Josef von Sternberg). In the film, 'The Celluloid Closet', did you notice how all of the films made before the Hayes Code, included all types of sexual innuendo as a matter of fact. It was presented in a light hearted, happy-go-lucky, wink-wink kind of way. Mae West was sexual innuendo. Sex sells no matter how or why it is defined. To see silent sexual innuendo at it’s Hollywood best Google 'Our Dancing Daughters' the silent film that made Joan Crawford a star! Enquiring minds still want to know if she was a he pretending to be a she?
Did you notice how the content of film was wrestled from small studios and independent filmmakers beginning in the early 1890 and becoming law in the 1930’s? The Hayes Code and the Catholic League of Decency are the great grand parents of right wing conservatives today who attempt to legislate visual & print media, ban gay marriage as a civil union, deny gay adoption, delay the release of medicines to treat aids, burn abortion clinics, and deny their very own GLBT children.
Is it any wonder that ‘Cruising’ and ‘Basic Instinct’ required psychotic slashers to kill THEM all!
The Time Magazine article from 1992 sums up this phenomenon.
The fact that 'The Celluloid Closet' was ever produced and distributed was an act of political defiance and heroism.
The last twenty odd years of the 1900’s were very conservative in the USA. The political power of the ‘religious right’ threatened everyone defined as ‘gay’; LGBT inclusive. This was at a time when Aids was a ‘gay’ disease and ‘God’s punishment’ for ‘sinful’ sexual behavior; behavior that ‘Christ will cure!’
Americans burnt down the homes of children with aids.American schools denied entry to students with aids acquired from blood transfusions. (Google Ryan White & Elton John)
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2010/04/22/AR2010042203658.html
http://www.ejaf.org/
Lily Tomlin, narrator of this film was one of the first, self identified, Lesbian celebrities accepted by mainstream America; and Whoopi Goldberg? Never underestimate the power of women who can make you laugh!
What If? is no longer the question. This film is being used as teaching forum for a university class!
‘The Celluloid Closet’ is re-released today in a digital/internet culture.Fact; it IS on YouTube, we ARE Blogging about it. We redefine it’s relevance in ways the author of the book by the same name, Vito Russo, could never have imagined; he died from aids before the film was made.
Today we are redefining control of content and access on an individual basis. ‘We will control the audio and the visual’
to paraphrase the opening lines from ‘The Outer Limits’ (-1960’s sci-fi TV show).
Cisco & Ebert live on in a K-mart website reviewing this film! OMG!
I was so pleased to read that a DVD Special edition exits with extended interviews & an interview with Vito Russo.The power of a DVD to present both the 'reel' & 'real' story is amazing
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This revolution will be televised/webcast/podcast
(thank you ‘Last Poets’).
Fantastic post!!! Now all we need is a video mashup of Celluloid Closet to demonstrate your key points about emerging technologies re-invigorating content with new relevance. You are exactly right that What If is not the central question here anymore - old films have new lives and new power to catalyze audiences beyond the theater - in community, on cell phones, on demand, anytime, anywhere. And the audience is talking back like never before.
ReplyDeletePS: "Cisco and Ebert?" The late Gene Siskel might be bummed to see his name butchered ;)
Sorry about the mis-spelling. I am in the UK and was working really late...Thank you for your response
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