Y200 Politics and Film, Lecture #13 March 22, 2011

1. March 22, 2011

2. The Politics of Difference in Films
 Race
 Gender
 Sexual Preference
The issue here is whether Hollywood-made or
other types of films can directly confront these
types of issues -- and, if so, under what conditions.

3. The Politics of Sexual Preference in
Films
 How are gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transsexuals
(GLBTs) represented in films?
 What sorts of stories about GLBTs get made into
films?
 Do GLBTs have positions of power in the making of
Hollywood films (or other types of films)?

4. Lesbian/Gay Stereotypes
 The Sissy (male with effeminate mannerisms)
 Girls in Prison (thinly veiled allusions)

5. Serious Films That Deal with
Male Homosexuality
 The Boys in the Band
(1970)
 Kiss of the Spider
Woman (1985)
 Maurice (1987)
 Philadelphia (1993)
 The Bird Cage (1996)
 Midnight in the Garden
of Good and Evil (1997)
 Wilde (1997)

6. Common Themes in Serious Films
about Gays
 Risk of AIDS
 monogamous relationships vs. promiscuity
 violations of civil rights of gays
 change in the legal environment
 staying in the closet vs. defiance of laws outlawing
homosexuality
 coming out of the closet in a more permissive
environment

7. Films about Lesbians
 The Children’s Hour (1961)
 Personal Best (1982)
 Lianna (1983)
 Basic Instinct (1992)
 Claire of the Moon (1992)
 Chasing Amy (1997) <>

8. Famous Gay Actors
 Peter Lorre
 Laurence Olivier
 Tony Curtis
 Rock Hudson
 Raymond Burr
 Anthony Perkins
 Ian McKellen

9. Famous Lesbian Actresses
 Greta Garbo and Marlene Dietrich
 Tallulah Bankhead
 Louise Brooks
 Lily Tomlin
 Anne Heche
 Drew Barrymore
 Angelina Jolie

10. Openly Gay Directors
 John Waters
 Pink Flamingos
 Female Trouble
 Polyester
 Hairspray
 Serial Mom
 Andy Warhol Edith Marshall
Divine
 Heat

11. Openly Lesbian Directors
 Dorothy Arzner (Working Girls, The Bride Wore Red)
 Sally Potter (Tango Lessons, Orlando)
 Rose Troche (Go Fish)
 Patricia Rozema (Personal Best, Lianna, Desert
Hearths)
 Monika Treut (Seduction: The Cruel Woman, My
Father is Coming)

12. Issues in the Politics of Difference in
Hollywood Films
 Misrepresentation
 Under-representation
 Too many cliches about the group in stories chosen
for films
 Need for a greater variety of voices in the media
generally vs. the essentially commercial motivations
of the industry