Film Suggestions?
Don Goldberg
for social justice which are available for rental?
Thanks.
--
Don Goldberg
Mathematics Dept
Occidental College
Los Angeles CA 90041
Internet (including NeXT mail): d...@oxy.edu
Roy Radow
>Can motssers suggest the most excellent few films on lesbigay movements
>for social justice which are available for rental?
Here's a great place to start looking.
Yours in Liberation,
Roy
Roy Radow r...@panix.com ...rutgers!cmcl2!panix!roy
North American Man/Boy Love Association -For a packet containing a sample
Bulletin, publications list and membership information send $1.00 postage
to: NAMBLA Info, Dept.RR, PO Box 174, Midtown Station, NYC NY 10018.
From soc.motss Sat Mar 13 17:23:04 1993
From: Mino...@cup.portal.com (A Frank Swilling)
Date: Tue, 9 Mar 93 22:10:19 PST
Newsgroups: soc.motss
Subject: Re: The GLBO-Film List
The GLBO-Centered Film List
compiled by Frank Swilling
March 1993 Edition
***** GLBO-Centered U.S. Documentaries *****
Alternative Conceptions - 1985 (Lesbian: Documentary concerning artificial
insemination for lesbians.)
American Fabulous - 1990 (Gay - 103 minutes of a gay man named Jeffrey
Strouth, who recently died of AIDS, sitting in the back seat of an
old car telling boring stories about his life.)
Before Stonewall - 1984 (GLBO - Documentary: Gay and lesbian culture
before the Stonewall uprising.)
A Bigger Splash - 1974 (Gay - Documentary: 4 years with David Hockney
and friends.)
A Celebration of Lesbian and Gay Life and Love - 1990 (Gay/Lesbian -
Music Video celebrating the ubiquity and strength of the gay and
lesbian experience.)
Choosing Children - 1985 (Lesbian - Documentary concerning the issues
surrounding lesbians who became parents after coming out.)
Common Threads - Stories From the Quilt - 1991 (Gay/Bisexual - Several
random stories of people represented by squares on the AIDS memorial
quilt.)
A Conversation with Brian McNaught on Being Gay [On Being Gay] - 1986
(Gay - Documentary: Activist, lecturer counselor, and author
McNaught discusses being gay in a straight world.)
Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon - 1975 (Lesbian - Documentary wherein the
founders of "The Daughters of Bilitis" speak their minds.)
Dry Kisses Only - 1990 (Lesbian - Documentary: Lesbian subtexts of Holly-
wood movies are revealed through inventive editing, hilarious commen-
taries and interviews.)
The Families We Choose - 1985 (Lesbian - Documentary: 4 lesbian families
and other women talk about their lives.)
For Love and For Life: The 1987 March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay
Rights - 1988 (GLBO - Documents the March on Washington.)
Framing Lesbian Fashion - 1992 (Lesbian - A look at the evolution of
lesbian attire and identity, featuring interviews with Sally Gearhart,
JoAnn Loulan, Arlene Stein, Kitty Tsui, and others.)
Gay for a Day/Costumes on Review - 1976 (GLBO - "Gay for a Day" documents
the 1976 Gay Pride Parade, & Costumes on Review" is a funny look at a
gay Halloween party.)
Gay Games II: Highlights - 1986 (GLBO - Documentary)
Gay Games II: Women's Physique - 1986 (Lesbian - Documentary of the
women's bodybuilding competition.)
Gay, Proud, and Sober - 1978 (Gay - Documentary about alcoholism and its
treatment in the gay community.)
Gay Voices, Gay Legends - 1988 (Gay - Famous and lesser known gay men talk
about their lives.)
Gay Youth - 1992 (Gay/Lesbian - The stories of two teens: Bobby Griffith,
who killed himself at the age of twenty, and Gina Gutierrez, a
17-year-old high school senior who received acceptance and support
for her sexual identity.)
Greetings from Washington, D.C. - 1981 (GLBO - Documentary about the 1987
March on Washington.)
The Historic March on Washington: The Largest Gay Rights Demonstration
Ever - 1987 (GLBO - Documentary about the March on Washington.)
Homo Promo - 19?? (GLBO - A collection of trailers for GLBO films from
the 30s to the 80s.)
Honored by the Moon - 1990 (Gay/Lesbian - Documentary about homosexuality
among Native Americans.)
If She Grows up Gay - 1983 (Lesbian - Documentary about the life of a
19-year-old black lesbian who talks her pregnancy and about raising
her daughter with her new lover.)
In the Best Interests of the Children - 1977 (Lesbian - Documentary with
8 diverse lesbian mothers talking about parenting and child custody.
Also gives the children's views.)
Juggling Gender - 1992 (Lesbian - Savvy documentary about a bearded
lesbian performance artist.)
Just Because of Who We Are - 1986 (Lesbian - Documentary about physical
and psychological violence and harassment directed against lesbians.)
Kim - 1988 (Lesbian - Documentary about the coming out process of a young
Puerto Rican lesbian in New York.)
Labor More Than Once - 1983 (Lesbian - Documentary about Marianne Mac-
Queen, a lesbian mother who's trying to regain custody of her son.)
Last Call at Maud's - 1992 (Lesbian - Billed as a "work-in-progress",
this film focuses on the closing of the world's oldest lesbian bar
in the world, Maud's in San Francisco. Tracking lesbian history from
the WWII lesbian bar scene, to the birth of The Daughters of Bilitis,
to the closing of Amelia's in 1991, Last Call at Maud's documents the
lives and histories of some of the major figures in San Francisco's
lesbian community.)
Lesbian Mothers - 1979 (Lesbian - Documentary about the social stigma of
lesbian motherhood.)
Lesbian Tongues - 1989 (Lesbian - Documentary: Prominent lesbians talk
about love, sex, and coming out.)
Lifetime Commitment: A Portrait of Karen Thompson - 1988 (Lesbian -
Documentary about the legal struggles between Ms. Thompson and her
lover's family over visitation rights after Sharon Kowalski is
critically injured in a 1983 auto accident.)
Male Couples: How Relationships Develop - 1985 (Gay - Documentary:
Discussion of the stages of a male couple's relationship, using
dramatized vignettes of a male couple's life.)
The Male Escorts of San Francisco - 1992 (Gay - Thoughtful, unsensational,
this tape answers almost all the questions you might ever have about
male escorts.)
Meet Bradley Harrison Picklesimer - 1987 (Gay Transvestite - Documentary:
The profile of a Kentucky drag queen.)
Nitrate Kisses - 1992 (GLBO - Lesbian filmmaker Barbara Hammer's
"experimental" (read:non-traditional filmic styles) film explores
the history of lesbian and gay culture. Part oral history, part
collage, part film montage, the film might sometimes get unwieldy,
but it remains interesting throughout.)
No Need to Repent: The Ballad of Rev. Jan Griesinger - 1989 (Lesbian -
Documentary: Reverend Jan Griesinger is an "out" minister in the
United Church of Christ who has integrated her ministry, her politics
and her personal life. The story of a courageous contemporary
feminist, this film reveals some of the many levels of her activism.)
Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien - 1992 (Gay - Through music, poetry, and, at
times, chilling self-disclosure, five serio-positive black gay men
speak of their individual confrontation with AIDS. Marlon Riggs
directs.)
Not All Parents are Straight - 198? (Gay/Lesbian - Documents parent-child
relationships in several gay or lesbian-parent households.)
Paris Is Burning - 1991 (GLBO - A look at the drag balls of Harlem and
interviews with some of people who enter them, in which drag of every
description is featured.)
Part of the U.S.A.: The Official National March on Washington for Lesbian
and Gay Rights Video - 1987 (GLBO - The only video endorsed by the
organizers of the event.)
Pink Triangles: A Study of Prejudice against Lesbians and Gay Men - 1982
(Gay/Lesbian - Historical view of homophobia from the Nazi era through
the present.)
Portrait of Jason - 1967 (Gay - Interview with hustler Jason Holliday.)
Pride - 1989 (Gay/Lesbian - ACT-UP New York's DIVA TV [Damned Interfering
Video Activists] celebrates events of Lesbian and Gay Pride Weekend
1989.)
Pride and Prejudice - 1992 (Gay - A primer about homophobia, the closet,
and coming out today - nicely spliced together with visual jokes and
in-the-know references.)
The Queen - 1968 (Gay Transvestite - Outlandish documentary of the 1967
Drag Miss All American Beauty Queen Contest.)
Ray Navarro Memorial Tape - 1990 (Gay: A tribute to the AIDS activist and
videomaker, who died while making a work about Latino gay male
assimilation into white gay culture.)
Resident Alien - 1990 (Gay - Documentary: A look at the life of Quentin
Crisp as an aging gay man living in New York City.)
Rights and Reactions: Lesbian and Gay Rights on Trial - 1988 (Gay/
Lesbian - Documents the passage of the 1986 Gay and Lesbian Rights
bill in N.Y.)
The Salt Mines - 1990, (Transvestite - A group of homeless, urban,
Hispanic drag queen prostitutes on crack live in a junk yard in a
secluded area alongside the Hudson River known as the Salt Mines.
Powerful and grim.)
She Don't Fade - 1991 (Lesbian - A self-reflexive look at the sexuality,
love life, and friendships of a young urban black woman.)
Silent Pioneers - 1984 (Gay/Lesbian - Interviews and profiles of six gay
and lesbian senior citizens. Also examines services available to gay
seniors around the U.S.)
The Sluts and Goddesses Video Workshop, or How To Be A Sex Goddess In 101
Easy Steps - 1992 (Lesbian - Learn how to have more sensual and sexual
pleasure in your life. Follow along as Annie Sprinkle catalogs the
joys of sex, along with her "Transformation Facilitators", which
include Diviana Ingravallo, Jocelyn Taylor, and Carol [Scarlot Harlot]
Leigh.)
Sonia Johnson: Going Farther Out of Our Minds - 198? (Lesbian - Author
Sonia Johnson explores how women can leave patriarchy behind and
begin living in a new world right now.)
The Times of Harvey Milk - 1984 (Gay - The life and death, by assassina-
tion, of San Francisco Supervisor Harvey Milk.)
Tiny and Ruby: Hell Divin' Women - 1988 (Lesbian - Biography of jazz
trumpeter Ernestine "Tiny" Davis and her lover/partner of over 40
years, drummer Ruby Lucas, aka Renee Phelan.)
Tongues Untied - 1989 (Gay - Director Marlon Riggs uses poetry, rap,
interviews and dramatic situations to express the oppression faced
by black gay men in America today.)
Voices of Life - 1991 (Gay - A clever deconstruction of conventional AIDS
documentaries, which alerts us to how appearances can be deceiving.)
War on Lesbians - 1992 (Lesbian - Drawing on various pop culture conven-
tions and referents, director Jane Cottis poses as a gallery of char-
acters and incorporates the subject of lesbianism into every imagin-
able area.)
We Are Ourselves - 1976 (Lesbian - Tee A. Corinne and Honey Lee Cottrell
discuss their relationship and sexual orientation. Explicit sex
scenes show them making love.)
We Are Family - 1987 (Gay/Lesbian - Examines daily life of parents and
children in gay and lesbian families.)
Who Happen to Be Gay - 1979 (Gay - Six openly gay professional men talk
about their lifestyle and its impact on them, their families, friends,
and colleagues.)
Wild Life - 1985 (Gay - Examines the social milieu of two 15-year-old
Latinos in LA, mixing documentary-style interviews with vignettes
about their fantasy lives.)
A Woman's Place Is in the House - 1976 (Lesbian - Portrait of Elaine
Noble, first woman and self-avowed lesbian elected to the Massachu-
setts legislature.)
World of Light: A Portrait of May Sarton - 1979 (Lesbian - Interviews
with and readings from the works of 70-year-old author May Sarton.)
Word Is Out: Stories of Some of Our Lives - Conversations with 16 Gay Men
and Women - 1977 (Gay/Lesbian - Interviews gays and lesbians from
different backgrounds and discusses how they deal with their sexuality
and with society's attitude towards them.)
You Can Fight City Hall - 1986 (GLBO - Details the struggle of the
Columbus, Ohio gay community to add the words "sexual orientation
to existing job protection legislation.)
***** GLBO-Centered Non-U.S. Documentaries *****
Absence of Us - 1986, Canada (Lesbian - Examines the public and private
realities of being a lesbian in Canada today.)
All Out Dancing in Dulais - 198?, U.K. (Gay/Lesbian - Recounts the
formation of an unusual alliance between a group of young gays and
lesbians from London and a group of miners from Wales during a Welsh
miner's strike in 1984-85.)
Armisted Maupin is a Man I Dreamed Up - 1992 (Gay - A Made-for-BBC look
at San Francisco, and the man whose "Tales of the City" series have
inspired thousands to move there.)
Army of Lovers, or Revolt of the Perverts - 1978, West Germany (Gay -
Rosa von Praunheim's highly subjective, heavy-handed view of the gay
movement in America, telling its story through a series of interviews
interspersed with newsreel footage, still photo montages, snippets of
marches and rallies, and agitprop gay theatre.)
Bright Eyes - 1986, U.K. (Made-for-British-TV 3-part video which examines
the historical and social factors influencing current reactions to
homosexuality and AIDS.)
Corps de Parole - 1989, Canada (Lesbian - Documentary centering on French
writer Michele Causse.)
Cover Comrades in Arms - 1990, U.K. (Gay/Lesbian - Documentary: Six
lesbians and gay men recall living, loving and serving in the British
armed services in World War II.)
Daddy and the Muscle Academy - 1992, Finland (Gay - Combines interview
material with Tom of Finland, and hundreds of his drawings, with
testifying "Tom's men", from Drummer Daddies to fellow artists. This
controversial film also includes some steamy invented sequences - a
sort of "journey to the center of Tom's psyche".)
Derek Jarman, Know What I Mean - 1988, U.K. (Gay - An overview of the
controversial artist's life and work.)
Desire - 1989, U.K. (Gay - A view of gay life in Germany before the
Holocaust.)
Every Conceivable Position: Inside Gay Porn - 1992, U.K. (Gay/Lesbian:
A fresh and thoughtful look at the modern gay and lesbian porn
industry, including behind-the-scenes interviews with stars,
producers, and commentators. This documentary was commissioned by
the BBC, who allowed the filmmakers to include clips, so long as
genitals weren't visible.)
Eunuchs: India's Third Gender - 1991, U.K. (Gay - A made-for-BBC look at
some of the more than half a million eunuchs - or hijiras - in India
today. This film captures the pleasures and contradictions of a
living alternative to Western ideas about gender.)
Female Misbehavior -1992, Germany (Lesbian - Documentary: A series of
portraits of "misbehaving" women: an ex-porn star (Annie Sprinkle),
a lesbian S&M-er, a female to male transexual, etc.)
Flesh & Paper - 1990, U.K. (Lesbian - Documentary: The life and writings
of the lesbian writer and poet Suniti Namjoshi who is from an Indian
royal family and resides in England. Includes interviews with her
friends and with the young Indian women who take her as a role model.)
Flowing Hearts: Thailand Fights AIDS - 1992 (The White Line Dance Troupe
uses Thai and modern dance to enact AIDS awareness. Thai gay/AIDS
activists are interviewed.)
Forbidden Love - 1992, Canada (Lesbian - Documentary: Lesbian pulp
novels of the 50s and 60s serve as the setting for a film on the
history of lesbians in Canada during this era. Women ranging in
age from 40 to 70 share their experiences.)
Framed Youth - 198?, U.K. (British teens confront straights in London
about their views on homosexuality with amusing, revealing, results.)
In the Out Tray - 198?, U.K. (Gay/Lesbian - Examines the issue of lesbian and
gay employment rights.)
Handel und Wandel - 1983, West Germany (Lesbian - Loving docudrama about
the filmmaker's girlfriend, a vital, energetic lesbian.)
Improper Conduct [Mauvaise Conduite] - 1984, France (Gay - Documents all
persecution in Castro's Cuba, including that of gays.)
A Kind of Family - 1992, Canada (Gay: Documentary profiling the rela-
tionship and family life of a gay city counselor and his street kid
foster son.)
Legal Memory - 1992, Canada (Gay: Plodding but still interesting docu-
drama about the last man hanged in British Columbia, for the 1958
murder of his sailor boyfriend.)
Lesbians Against the Right - 1981, Canada (Lesbian - Addresses the
attempts by the New Right to blame society's ills on gays,
immigrants, and the women's movement.)
Looking for Langston - 1988, U.K. (Gay - Documents the life and times
of gay black poet Langston Hughes.)
The Making of "Monsters" - 1991, Canada (Gay - George Lukacs is a Marxist
literary critic and has made films such as Star Wars, about American
Imperialism in the space age. Berthold Brecht is a catfish and
renowned playwright. They team up to film the musical "Monsters",
about 4 Toronto schoolboys who killed a gay highschool teacher.
Indescribable, absurd, and hilarious.)
Memoire de notre hystoire 1972-1987 - 1987, Canada (Lesbian - Depicts
lesbian history in Canada through the years 1972-1987 as seen by two
lesbian feminists.)
Michael, A Gay Son - 1981, Canada (Gay - Explores the feelings and
experiences of gays coming out to their families by following one
man through the process.)
Minoru and Me - 1992, U.K. (A brutally honest real-life-while-it-happens
drama of a man with cerebral palsy trying to come out to the film-
maker, his friend. As the filmmaker becomes increasing obsessed with
portraying the physically challenged man as disabled and dependent,
the man with cerebral palsy becomes increasingly disgusted and unable
to state what he's traveled all the way from Japan to say.)
Montgomery Clift - 1985, Italy (Gay - Biography which deals extensively
with the actor's homosexuality.)
Over Our Dead Bodies - 1991, U.K. (GLBO: Documentary examining the direct
action gay movement, including ACT-UP, Queer Nation and OUTRAGE in the
United States and the United Kingdom.)
A Place of Rage - 1991, U.K. (Lesbian - Documentary: Lesbian filmmaker
Pratibha Parmar directs this tribute and celebration of African-
American women and their accomplishments.)
Positive - 198?, West Germany/USA (Gay/Lesbian - A documentary about the
rise of the AIDS activist movement in the US. The focus is on New York
City. Footage of GMHC, ACT-UP etc.)
Prison for Women [P4W, Pan Canadian Prison for Women] - 1981, Canada
(Lesbian - A film about a woman's prison in which lesbians, among
others, are jailed.)
Rasen No Sobyou [Sketch of spiral] - 1991, Japan (Gay - Documentary: A
group of gay men in Osaka prepares a theater play.)
Saturday Night Out: the Gay Rock'n Roll Years, 1954-1991 - 1992, U.K.
(GLBO: A history of the gay/lesbian movement from 1954-1991 as seen
from clips from the BBC archives and set to the rock'n roll music of
those years.)
Sharing the Secret - 1981, Canada (Gay - The lives and feelings of several
gay men are explored as they go through their day to day lives.)
Silence=Death - 198?, West Germany,USA (Gay/Lesbian - A documentary about
several New York-based performance artists, including Diamanda Galas,
David Wojnarowicz, and Emilio Cubeiro, whose work discusses issues
related to AIDS.)
Susana - 1980, Argentina, United States (Lesbian - Autobiographical
sketch of a young Argentine lesbian who has to deal with her
family's disapproval as well as her emerging lesbian identity.)
Thank God I'm a Lesbian - 1992, Canada (Lesbian - A film about lesbian
identity: issues ranging from coming out, racism, feminism, bisex-
uality to S&M and outing.)
That's Masculinity - 1991, U.K. (Gay - Documentary: Campy and erotic
answers to the ever pervasive questions about sex and gender.)
Trojans - 1990, U.K. (Gay - Documentary: A look at nineteenth century
Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, whose work is loaded with homoerotic-
ism and motifs from Greek history. The film reflects the same heady
ambience using sexy Derek Jarmanesque super-8 visuals and the poet's
work on the soundtrack.)
Veronica 4 Rose - 1985, U.K. (Lesbian - Made-for-British-TV documentary
about teenage lesbians growing up in several diverse English cities.)
We've Been Framed - 1991, U.K. (Lesbian - Documentary: Lesbians talk about
the best, worst, and first lesbian film they've seen.)
What Shall We Do Without Death - 1980, West Germany (Lesbian - A female
couple who have vowed to spend the rest of their lives together are
the focus of this film about a retirement home in Hamburg.)
Whoever Says the Truth Shall Die - 1981, Netherlands (Gay - Made-for-
Dutch-TV film about the life and murder of filmmaker/poet Pier Paolo
Pasolini.)
Witches, Dykes, Faggots, and Poofters - 1979, Australia (Gay/Lesbian -
Documents the oppression of gays and lesbians throughout history,
focusing on Sydney and New South Wales.)
A Woman of My Platoon - 1989, Canada (Lesbian - Juxtaposes the experiences
of lesbians serving in the Canadian armed services during WWII against
a modern debate in the Canadian parliament concerning a bill which
would prevent discrimination against lesbians and gays in the armed
services.)
***** Gay-Centered U.S. Films *****
Abuse - 1983 (Gay - Drama: A young boy, abused at home, finds love with
a gay filmmaker.)
As Is - 1986 (Gay - Drama: A man who has contracted AIDS from a lover
who then abandoned him moves in with his caring ex-lover.)
The Boys in the Band - 1970 (Gay - Drama: The first Hollywood movie to
feature male homosexuality, in which a straight man is the accidental
guest at a birthday party with one of each of the major gay male
subgroups except for leather.)
Buddies - 1985 (Gay - Drama: A gay activist who has AIDS starts out
hating the yuppie volunteer who comes to take care of him out of a
sense of duty, but their brief relationship is both poignant and
intense.)
The Christine Jorgensen Story - 1970 (Transsexual - Biography: the world's
most famous male-to-female sex change story.)
Citizen Cohn - 1992 (Gay - Biographical Drama: Made-for-HBO movie about
infamous lawyer Roy Cohn, a Jew who prosecuted the Rosenbergs, a
queer-hating homosexual who was the prime shaker behind Senator Joe
McCarthy's anti-communist & homosexual witch-hunt in the 1950's.
Includes such delightful scenes as Cohn being entertained after
dinner at J. Edgar Hoover's home by Hoover's true love, Deputy FBI
Director Clyde Tolson, at the piano, and a restaurant scene with Cohn
eating from the plate of one the other most influential right-wing
closet-cases of the day: renowned chicken-hawk Francis Cardinal
Spellman.)
Consenting Adult - 1985 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about a teenage
boy who comes out to his parents. Mom eventually comes around, but
Dad would rather die, and does.)
Cruising - 1980 (Gay - Drama: Extremely negative film about gay murders
and the undercover cop trying to solve them, but who turns into a
killer faggot himself from exposure to the New York leather scene.)
The Dead Boys' Club - 1992 (Gay - Drama: Toby's cousin gives him a pair
of shoes previously owned by the cousin's deceased lover. When Toby
wears the shoes, he's transported to the 70s pre-AIDS world of disco,
hot guys, and glitter balls, juxtaposing the generational differences
that AIDS has wrought.)
A Different Story - 1978 (Gay - Drama : A gay man and a lesbian are
thrown together by circumstances, come to feel great affection for
one another, fall in love, get married, and have a baby.)
The Disco Years - 1992 (Gay - Drama: Set in the times of pet rocks, gas
lines, and macrame, a high school student's sexual passions are
stirred in his gym class.)
Dog Day Afternoon - 1975 (Gay - Drama: A gay man robs a bank to pay for
his male lover's sex-change operation. Based on a true story.)
Doing Time on Maple Drive - 1992 (Gay - Drama: A teenager comes to grips
with his gay identity and tries to come out to his dysfunctional
suburban family in this made-for-TV movie.)
Drum - 1976 (Gay - Drama: A white plantation owner and his gay pal rape
black men.)
An Early Frost - 1985 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about a family
having to deal with their son's AIDS.)
Fortune and Men's Eyes - 1971 (Gay - Drama: A tough, tragic story
involving violence, sex roles, and epic bitchiness in a men's
prison.)
Fun Down There - 1988 (Gay - Drama: The life and loves of a guy who
leaves his home in upstate New York for Manhattan.)
The Genesis Children - 1972, USA, Italy (Gay? - Drama: A joyous
celebration of innocent youths on a journey of self-discovery.
Controversial even today because of its uninhibited naturist
sentiments.)
Horror Vacuii - 1984 (Gay - Drama: A gay man tries to save his lover
from a religious cult.)
Kiss of the Spider Woman - 1985 (Gay Transvestite - Drama: A gay prisoner
falls in love with the revolutionary he's supposed to be spying on
for the prison authorities.)
The Living End - 1991 (Gay - Drama: Two fatalistic L.A. boys - one an
impulsive, on-the-edge psycho cutie, the other a lover of Godard
movies who listens to The Smiths a lot - discover they're HIV
positive and set off on an unplanned, unhinged cross-country spree
of violence and abandon.)
Longtime Companion - 1990 (Gay - Drama: In 1970s New York, a bunch of gay
friends are having wonderful lives, until one by one, most of them
start getting sick with AIDS.)
Making Love - 1982 (Bisexual/Gay - Drama: A handsome young doctor leaves
his beautiful young wife for a handsome young writer.)
Mala Noche - 1985 (Gay - Drama: A well-adjusted young gay grocery clerk
falls in love with a 16-year-old Mexican illegal alien who doesn't
return his feelings.)
Mountains of the Moon - 1990 (Gay - Biographical Drama: Epic about
explorers Richard Burton and John Hanning Speke. The film makes it
quite clear that Speke is homosexual, and, in fact quite taken with
Burton. This storyline is not the main thrust of the film however.)
My Own Private Idaho - 1991 (Gay - Drama: A narcoleptic hustler looking
for some love in his life and a bisexual hustler who'd do anything
to outrage his father go on a search for their own identities.)
Nocturne - 1989 (Gay - Drama: Mark Harris's contemplative coming of age
story about Martin, a shy pianist new to New York, who meets the
handsome Gino. Martin thinks he's found his match, but Gino only
wants a casual sexual liaison. As Martin slides into obsession he
is forced to deal with a terrible secret from his past.)
Norman, Is That You? - 1976 (Gay - Comedy: A butch gay black youth is
in love with a nelly white youth, and the black youth's parents are
both about to have a heart attack over it.)
Our Sons - 1992 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about the mothers of
two gay sons who are lovers; one of the sons is dying of AIDS.)
Parting Glances - 1986 (Gay - Drama: Lovers find their relationship is
falling apart because one is getting ready to take a job in Africa;
the other has to also cope with his ex-lover and dear friend, who has
contracted the AIDS virus.)
Partners - 1982 (Gay - Comedy: Insulting, homophobic, and crude story of
a straight cop posing as a gay man along with a real gay man in order
to solve some murders in the gay community.)
Pink Narcissus - 1970 (Gay - Drama: Caballeros and bike boys, striptease
and tearoom sex. This film delves beneath the surface of gay sex
fantasies.)
Poison - 1991 (Gay - Drama: A trio of stories based on the writing of
Jean Genet, which explore patricide committed by a young boy, the
influence of horror films on American society, and sex in a men's
prison.)
Rock Hudson's Home Movies - 1992 (Gay - Comic pseudo-documentary: A Rock
Hudson look-alike impersonates the star as he takes us through an
array of cleverly-edited clips of Hudson's films and confesses to all
the homosexual connotations.)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show - 1975 (Gay Transvestite -
Horror/Comedy/Musical: An innocent young couple take refuge in
the castle of Dr. Frank 'n' Furter, that sweet transvestite from
Transsexual, Transylvania.)
The Sergeant - 1968 (Gay - Drama: A deeply repressed Sergeant Major falls
in love with a company clerk, and is unable to deal with his homo-
sexual desires.)
Sergeant Matlovich vs. U.S. Air Force - 1978 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV
movie about Matlovich's fight to stay in the Air Force despite his
revealed homosexuality.)
Some of My Best Friends Are... [The Bar] - 1971 (Gay - Drama: One night
in the life of a pre-Stonewall bar in Greenwich Village.)
Summer Kiss - 1987 (Gay - Drama: Falling in love story about two young
men who go to the same school, meet on a Provincetown Ferry, and
begin to build a relationship. Recalls much of the universal pain,
confusion, and embarrassing foolishness of first love.)
Swoon - 1991 (Gay - Drama: A reexamination of the infamous Leopold and
Loeb murder case, focusing on their homosexuality and its relevance
to their crime.)
That Certain Summer - 1973 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about a
father trying to establish a relationship with his son after leaving
the boy's mother for another man.)
Tidy Endings - 1988 (Gay - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about the aftermath
of a man dying of AIDS: his male lover and his ex-wife have to come
to legal and emotional terms.)
Thundercrack - 1976 (GLBO - Comedy: A bizarre black comedy wherein the
visitors to an "old dark house" are terrorized by a bunch of perverts
who sexually assault them.)
Torch Song Trilogy - 1988 (Gay/Gay Transvestite - Comedy/Drama: Harvey
Fierstein wrote and stars as a professional drag queen looking for
love and respect all through the '70s in New York.)
A Very Natural Thing - 1973 (Gay - Drama: This film tries to explore gay
male relationships first from the point of view of trying to maintain
a monogamous relationship and when that fails, from the POV of having
a lot of empty, meaningless sex.)
Victor, Victoria - 1982 (Gay - Comedy: Female to male cross-dressing
is featured in this farce about a woman pretending to be a man
pretending to be a woman in 1920s Paris, but there's male-to-female
cross-dressing too.)
***** Gay-Centered Non-U.S. Films *****
The Affairs of Love - 1990, Spain (Gay - Drama: The life of a gay man
in the 1940s and the power of music are the intertwined themes of
this film which follows the lives of three vaudeville performers;
a gay man, a straight man, and a straight woman.)
Angel [Angelos] - 1982, Greece (Gay - Biographical Drama: This violent
but moving account of a handsome young gay man accused of murder is
based on a true story and contains explicit love scenes.)
Another Country - 1984, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: Romanticized
version of the Guy Burgess and Donald MacLean story, in which homo-
sexual love among upper-crust English schoolboys causes them to grow
up to be notorious traitors to their country.)
Apartment Zero - 1989, U.K./Argentina (Gay/Bisexual - Drama: Politics,
murder, and sexual repression ignite the screen when a gay cinema
owner picks a mysterious stranger to be his roommate in Buenos Aires.
Lots of sexual tensions develop between the two, but the plot centers
around the mystery of recent news headlines and the new tenant's
relationship to them.)
Bad News Bachelors - 1990, Australia (Gay - Comedy/Drama: A gay man and
his straight female friend trade stories (in flashbacks) of their
romantic misadventures. Cheerful.)
Behind Glass - 1981, Netherlands (Gay - Drama: Two lovers from different
backgrounds fight about class, money, education, and sex.)
Being at Home with Claude - 1991, Canada (Gay - Drama: A student and
a handsome street hustler fall in love, and one is murdered by the
other. The relationship between the two young men unfolds during
the murderer's confession.)
The Best Way [La Meilleure Facon de Marcher, The Best Way to Walk] - 1982,
France (Gay Transvestite - Drama: A butch athletic coach scorns the
advances of the transvestite drama teacher, but an eventual confron-
tation causes the jock to look at his own suppressed sexuality.)
Beyond Gravity - 1988, New Zealand (Gay - Drama: Flamboyant rebel Johnny
meets shy glass technician Richard in this offbeat love story.)
Black and White [Noir et Blanc] - 1986, France (Gay - Drama: A shy
accountant gradually enters into a bizarre sadomasochistic rela-
tionship with a black masseur.)
Blue Jeans - 1982, France (Gay - Drama: A young boy suffers from an
unrequited love for an older teen.)
La Cage Aux Folles [Birds of a Feather] - 1981, France (Gay/Gay Trans-
vestite - Comedy: Renato's son is bringing his fiance's conservative
parents home to meet the family: Renato, his gay father, and Albin,
Renato's lover, an aging female impersonator who raised the boy as
"her" son.)
La Cage Aux Folles II - 1983, France (Gay/Gay Transvestite - Comedy:
Renato sets out to prove to Albin that he still has sex appeal, and
they accidentally get involved in espionage.)
La Cage Aux Folles III - 1985, France (Gay/Gay Transvestite - Comedy:
Albin has to get married and father a son within 18 months if he is
to inherit a family fortune and save his and Renato's nightclub.)
Caravaggio - 1986, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: Life and times of the
famous Renaissance painter.)
Caught Looking - 1991, U.K. (Gay - Comedy: A new virtual reality home
computer game soon becomes a sex toy for use in gay men's stereo-
typical sexual fantasies.)
The Clinic - 1985, Australia (Gay - Comedy: A gay doctor at an Australian
VD clinic has to cope with a lot of wild goings on.)
Colonel Redl - 1985, Hungary (Gay - Drama: The head of the Austrian
imperial secret service gets outed as a homosexual and a spy.)
Coming Out - 1989, East Germany (Gay - Drama: The story of a young school
teacher who is confronted with his sexuality after a chance encounter
with an old friend.)
Compromised Immunity - 1985, U.K. (Gay - Drama: A filmed version of one
of the earliest stage dramas about AIDS, this is an English "Normal
Heart"; about the developing friendship between Britain's first AIDS
patient - a gay man - and a straight orderly in a typical London
hospital.)
The Consequence - 1977, West Germany (Gay - Drama: The world is unkind to
two gay lovers.)
The Crying Game - 1992, U.K. (Gay Transvestite - Drama: Well, now that
I've spoiled the film's "big surprise", what is left to say except
that the big surprise was no surprise to me, and that the film's
main strength is not the little shock of finding out about you-know-
who, but the fine performances of everyone involved, especially
Stephen Rea as the IRA assassin with no heart for the job.)
Death in Venice [Morte a Venezia] - 1971, Italy (Gay - Drama: In turn-of-
the-twentieth-century Venice, an aging artist falls obsessively in
love with a beautiful young boy but never tells him, and ends up
dead of cholera.)
The Deputy [El Diputado, Confessions of a Congressman] - 1983, Spain
(Gay - Drama: A rising young gay politician is the target of black-
mail, and gets romantically involved with the hustler his enemies
send to do the job.)
Different from the Others [Anders als die Anderen] - 1919, Germany (Gay -
Drama: A silent film about a concert violinist being blackmailed
because of his sexual orientation.)
Dona Herlinda and Her Son [Dona Herlinda y Su Hijo] - 1985, Mexico (Gay/
Bisexual - Comedy: A doctor has a male lover, but to please his
mother, he marries a woman, and everyone ends up living happily
together under one roof.)
Drifting - 1982, Israel (Gay - Drama: An aspiring Israeli filmmaker
works in his grandmother's store while dreaming of making gay films.)
Dubbel Leven - 1978, West Germany (Transvestite - Drama: Events in the
life of a young man, told mostly in flashback, as he and those around
him slowly discover that he really wants to become a woman.)
Edward II - 1992, U.K. (Gay - Historical Drama: Derek Jarman retells the
story of Edward II and his despised low-born lover using Christo-
pher Marlowe's language, sparse sets, and modern dress and imagery.)
Encore [Once More] - 1987, France (Gay - Drama/Musical: A gay husband
and father comes out in mid-life and is caught between his passion
for men and his family relationships.)
Ernesto - 1983, Italy (Gay - Drama: A middle-class Italian Jewish
teenager has an affair with a dock worker and then falls in love
with a fellow violin student.)
The Flavor of Corn - 198?, Italy(?) (Gay - Drama: Gentle, compassionate
story of a handsome young high-school teacher, who, in spite of his
best (and explicitly shown) attempts at a heterosexual relationship,
helplessly drifts into an intense and emotionally devastating rela-
tionship with a 12 year old male student.)
Forbidden Passion: Oscar Wilde - 1976, U.K. (Gay - Biography: The whole
tragic story of the famous wit's life and ruinous love affair with
Lord Alfred Douglas.)
Forever Mary - 1991, Italy (Gay Transvestite - Drama: A young gay reform
school student teaches a straight teacher something about dignity.)
The Fourth Man [De Vierde Man] - 1983, Netherlands (Bisexual - Drama: A
bisexual novelist finds out that the thrice-widowed hairdresser who
seduces him is engaged to a fourth man, and together the men discover
her deadly secret.)
Fox and His Friends - 1975, West Germany (Gay - Drama: A working class
gay man is victimized for both his sexual and social status.)
Friends Forever - 1986, Denmark (Gay - Drama: A charming, exuberant
story of friendship and sexuality between three 16-year-old school-
boys. It's sexy, funny, and guiltless.)
A Hard God - 1980, Australia (Gay - Drama: A depressing made-for-
Australian-TV movie wherein a working class Catholic family in
Sydney endure tough times and misery in the 1940s. In the middle
of it all, the 16-year-old son tries to cope with falling in love
with a male friend.)
The Heart Exposed - 1986, Canada (Gay - Drama: A middle-aged teacher
starts a relationship with an actor fifteen years younger who also
has a young son.)
The Hours and the Times - 1992, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: This is
more or less a fantasy dealing with Beatle manager Brian Epstein's
unrequited love for John Lennon, centering on a week-end they spent
together in Barcelona.)
It Is Not the Homosexual Who Is Perverse But the Society in Which He
Lives - 1971, West Germany (Gay - Drama: A gay man in the process
of coming out examines all the options. Political, dogmatic, and
anti-bourgois, this film assails media-created romantic illusions,
capitalist principles, and sexist role playing.)
Kira Kira Hikaru - 1992, Japan (Gay - Drama: An emotionally instable
woman who has problems with alcohol tries to cope with her gay
husband and his young male lover.)
The Last of England - 19??, U.K. (Gay - Drama: A post-nuclear fantasy
about England with many bootboys and other luscious types.)
Law of Desire - 1987, Spain (Gay/Transsexual - Comedy/Drama: Screwball
tragicomedy centering on a gay film director, his transsexual brother
[now a sister, who is played by a born-female actress], and two of
his young lovers.)
Lawrence of Arabia - 1962, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: Epic story
of T. E. Lawrence, the flamboyant British officer who helped to weld
together disparate Arab tribes and then led them in successful
guerrilla warfare against the Turks who were allied with the Germans
in WWI. There isn't much overt gay content in this film -- Lawrence
gets raped by a Turk, and he has a very chummy relationship with two
Arab boys who attach themselves to him -- but historically, Lawrence
is said to have been homosexual, and this film is a masterpiece, so
here it is.)
The Leather Boys - 1964, U.K. (Bisexual/Gay - Drama: Against his better
judgment, a gay man marries a girl who is bored with her life. The
marriage falls apart and the gay man goes to bed with a buddy whom he
doesn't know is also gay. Complications ensue.)
The Lost Language of Cranes - 1992, U.K. (Gay - Drama: A properly reserved
middle-class British family is thrown into turmoil when the son
announces he's gay. Mother doesn't want to know about it, and Father
starts coming apart because he's been hiding his gay double-life for
years, and the guilt and self-loathing finally catch up to him.
Adapted from David Leavitt's novel about an American family.)
Macho Dancer - 1988, The Philippines (Gay - Drama about the lives of boy
prostitutes in Manila.)
A Man Like Eva [Ein Mann wie Eva] - 1983, Germany (Gay Transvestite:
During the shooting of a Fassbinder movie, gender-bending star Eva
ditches an ex-lover, marries the leading lady, and seduces the
leading man.)
Maurice - 1987, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Two upper-crust English boys are drawn
to one another, but one insists on keeping the relationship platonic,
while the other one wants someone he can go to bed with.)
Mikel's Death [La Muerte De Mikel] - 198?, Spain (Gay - Drama: A married
basque activist discovers his latent homosexuality, and his friends
and relatives desert him.)
My Beautiful Launderette - 1985, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Race, social class,
and sex are some of the issues that need to be dealt with when a
British street punk and a young Pakistani entrepreneur fall in love.)
The Naked Civil Servant: The Autobiography of Quentin Crisp - 1975, U.K.
(Gay - Biography: Quentin Crisp is *way* ahead of his time when
he outs himself in a era where ostracism and intolerance were
rampant.)
Nighthawks - 1980, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Realistic, gritty story about the
day-to-day life of a gay school teacher who is eventually outed by
his class. Grim.)
Night Out - 1989, Australia (Gay - Drama: When Steve leaves town for a
few days, his lover Tony decides to cruise the beach one night, and
is brutalized by a gang of thugs. The event triggers an examination
of the couple's supposedly wonderful relationship.)
Nijinsky - 1980, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Focuses on the famous ballet dancer's
disintegrating sanity as his love affair with Sergei Diaghilev becomes
an exercise in manipulation on both their parts.)
North of Vortex - 1991, U.K. (Bisexual - Drama: A studied black and white
road movie about a bisexual poet, two hitchhikers, and the American
landscape.)
Okoge [The Fag Hag] - 1992, Japan (Gay - Drama: Realistic and sensitive
depiction of gay life in Tokyo. The life and loves of one gay man,
and his friendship with a young straight woman. Highly erotic sex
scenes.)
The Outcasts - 1986, Taiwan (Gay - Drama: An older photographer tries to
make a home for a group of gay teens who've been abandoned by their
families because of their sexual orientation.)
Outrageous! - 1977, Canada (Transvestite Drag - Comedy/Drama: A gay hair-
dresser has an interesting relationship with a schizophrenic girl on
his way to stardom as a drag queen who does impressions of all the
usual gay icons.)
Pink Ulysses - 1989, The Netherlands (Gay - Drama: The inner struggle of
"pink Ulysses" is entwined with a loose adaption of The Odyssey in
this sensual film featuring footage from a 1950s bodybuilding show,
Eisenstein, and a TV version of "Sleeping Beauty" by the Dutch
National Ballet.)
Prick Up Your Ears - 1987, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: The life and
death of playwright Joe Orton, who was murdered by his lover at the
height of his fame.)
Privates on Parade - 1982, U.K. (Gay Transvestites - Comedy: The bitterly
satirical adventures of a theatrical troop of drag queens during war-
time.)
Querelle - 1982, West Germany/France (Gay - Querelle is a devastatingly
handsome gay sailor who is also a cold-hearted killer.)
The Rainbow Serpent - 1987, France (Gay - Comedy/Musical: Investigating
a bodybuilder suspected of murder, a rookie cop is propelled into the
erotic world of gyms and G-strings. A strange relationship develops
between the cop and the suspect.)
Relax - 1991, U.K. (Gay - A remarkably electric, imaginative, and intense
short film in which Steve, a young gay man, explores his feelings
leading up to the result of an HIV test.)
Salome's Last Dance - 1988, U.K. (Gay - Drama: A Ken Russell extravaganza,
wherein Oscar Wilde is invited to a bordello to view a wildly decadent
version of his banned play "Salome".)
Salo, or the 120 Days of Sodom - 1975, Italy (Gay S&M - Drama: Pasolini's
last film before his murder is powerfully anti-Fascist. During WWII,
a group of powerful Fascists play S&M games with a group of young
people, culminating in murder.)
Salut Victor! - 1988, Canada (Gay - Drama: Two elderly gay men who are
complete opposites befriend one another in an old age home.)
Sebastian [Sebastiane] - 1977, U.K. (Gay - Biographical Drama: The story
of St. Sebastian, who was sent to be outreaches of the Roman Empire
after objecting to the murder of a young Christian page. There he
carries on an affair with his commanding officer, whereupon he is
brutally murdered by his jealous fellow soldiers.)
Staircase - 1969, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Rex Harrison and Richard Burton are
a couple of gay barbers trying to adjust to the onset of old age, but
they are both just walking stereotypes.)
The Summer of Miss Forbes - 1988, Spain (Gay - Drama: A made-for-Spanish-
TV movie about a frustrated and slightly unhinged teutonic governess
with a passion for Greek Tragedies and alcohol who is hired to mind
two children at a beach house for six weeks. She becomes obsessed
with Achilles, a beach boy reminiscent of a Greek God, adopted by the
family; then goes bananas when she eventually discovers that he is
gay. Not for those who like happy endings.)
Summer vacation 1999 [1999 NO NATSU YASUMI] - 1988, Japan (Gay - Drama:
In a school in Hokkaido, three boys have to stay during summer vaca-
tion. The summer before also three boys stayed and one of them died.
One of the remaining boys was in love with the one who died. A guy
who looks like the dead boy appears. (All the characters are played
by female actors.)
Sunday, Bloody Sunday - 1971, U.K. (Bisexual/Gay - Drama: A bisexual man
carries on an affair with a woman and man at the same time, and claims
to love them both.)
Tall Dark Stranger - 1987, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Starts off as a salty tale
of casual sex and cross-purposes, and settles down into the classic
tale of a new boy in town, which is London in this case.)
Taxi zum Klo [Taxi to the Toilet] - 1981, West Germany (Gay - Dramatic
Autobiography: Escapades of a gay man who wants as much sex as he can
get, while his lover just wants them both to stay home.)
Taxi to Cairo - 1987, West Germany (Gay - Comedy: Our hero stages a
marriage to a woman to remain in his mother's will, but he and his
bride fall in love with the same man.)
The Terence Davies Trilogy - 1976-1984, U.K. (Gay - Autobiographical
Drama: Director Terence Davies tells the story of his life as a
character named Robert Tucker in three films. Part One (Childhood)
focuses on scenes from his childhood: bullying at school, a violent,
sick father, early sexual fantasies. Part Two (Madonna and Child)
is a portrait of Tucker in middle age, trapped between his public
and private personae. In Part Three (Death and Transfiguration),
Tucker revisits his lifewith a new and less tortured perspective.
He seems to accept his sexuality, which is transfigured by the love
between his mother and himself.)
This Special Friendship [Les Amities Particuliers] - 1964, France (Gay -
Drama: A relationship between an older boy and a younger boy at a
strict Catholic boy's school ends in disaster when the priests keep
voicing their disapproval with heavy-handed tactics.)
Together Alone - 1991, Canada (Gay - Drama: Brian and Bryan talk after
sex, about honesty, safety, sexuality, fidelity, power, companionship
and more.)
Too Outrageous! - 1987, Canada (Gay Transvestite - Comedy/Drama: Sequel
to "Outrageous!".)
To Play or Die - 1991, Netherlands (Gay - Drama: An introverted school-
boy, bullied by his handsome schoolmates, invites the ringleader
home with plans of revenge, but the other boy gets the upper hand.)
Two of Us - 1986, U.K. (Gay - Drama: Made-for-British-TV show about two
working class teens who become lovers.)
Un Chant D'Amour - 1950, France (Gay - Drama: Jean Genet's only film - a
notorious fantasy set in a French prison.)
Urinal - 1988, Canada (Gay - Comedy/Drama: Surrealistic portrayal of
famous gay artists from the past reassembled to discuss various
aspects of public washroom sex.)
Via Appia - 1992, Germany (Gay - Drama: A Lufthansa steward goes to Rio
de Janeiro, trying to find a hustler named Mario who purposefully
infected him with the AIDS virus during a one-night stand and left
behind the message, "Welcome to the AIDS club.")
Victim! - 1961, U.K. (Gay - Drama: A respected barrister gets involved
with a lonely young drifter and is forced to confront his own homo-
sexuality.)
A Virus Knows No Morals - 1986, West Germany (Gay - Comedy: A gay bath-
house owner finds AIDS a drag on business in this funny, campy satire
on society's attitudes toward homosexuals and AIDS.)
You Are Not Alone [Du Er Ikke Alene] - 1982, Denmark (Gay - Drama: Coming
of age love story about two adolescent boys in a boys' school.)
Westler: East of the Wall - 1986, Germany (Gay - Drama: A West Berlin
boy falls in love with an East Berlin boy on a day trip. The border
guards start getting suspicious when the West Berliner starts making
frequent trips, and the boys plan an escape for the East Berliner.)
We Think The World of You - 1988, U.K. (Gay/Bisexual - Drama: In the
1950s, an uptight Londoner is pushed around by his bisexual lover's
family and wife.)
We Were One Man [Nous Etions un Seul Homme] - 1978, France (Gay - Drama:
In occupied France during WWII, an escaped mental patient nurses a
wounded German soldier back to health and they have a highly erotic
love affair.)
Where the Sun Beats Down - 1989, Portugal (Gay - Drama: A haunting film
of a young man determined to break the sexual and class taboos of his
culture, modern day Portugal. Nuno returns from the city to his
sister's farm where a relationship develops between him and Alberto,
a young farm worker, which threatens the stability of Nuno's snobbish
family.)
Wonderland [The Fruit Machine] - 1988, U.K. (Gay - Drama: The surrealistic
adventures of two gay working class teens.)
The Wounded Man [L'Homme Blesse] - 1985, France (Gay - Drama: A teenage
boy stops an attack in a toilet, gets passionately kissed by the
attacker, finds he is drawn to homosexual sex, and becomes infatuated
with a sociopathic hustler.)
***** Lesbian-Centered U.S. Films *****
Because the Dawn - 1988 (Lesbian - Drama: An alluring, upbeat, modern day
vampire musical comedy set to swing tunes. Sax-playing Vampire Marie
seduces sports photographer Ariel from behind the camera.)
Becoming Colette - 1992 (Bisexual - Drama: In the process of becoming a
writer, the young Sidonie Colette endures the coldness of her philan-
dering husband and eventually enters into a menage a trois with him
and his mistress.)
Born in Flames - 1983 (Lesbian - Drama: After a socialist revolution
goes sour, a diverse group of women unite to spread the truth about
the government.)
A Certain Grace - 1992 (Lesbian - Drama: Zelda and Alice are working
together on a photography project, and as their relationship develops,
Zelda's boyfriend starts to think the women are spending too much
time together.)
The Children's Hour - 1962 (Lesbian - Drama: Two female teachers at a
girl's school are accused of lesbianism by a vindictive student.)
Claire of the Moon - 1992 (Lesbian - Drama: Claire, an irreverent
humorist given to one-night stands with men discovers the emotional
fulfillment she has been seeking when she and a controversial, openly
lesbian psychologist are thrown together at a picturesque beachside
writer's retreat.)
Desert Hearts - 1985 (Lesbian - Drama: An English professor goes to Reno
to get a divorce, and falls in love with a young woman who works at
a dude ranch.)
Desperate Living - 1977 (Lesbian - Drama: John Waters's most outrageous
movie ever, in which a housewife and her maid enter the fictitious
kingdom of Mortville after the woman kills her husband. Enough blood,
guts, and camp acting/dialogue to make it a cult favorite.)
The Fox - 1968 (Lesbian/Bisexual - Drama: Two women running a remote
chicken farm in Canada are lovers until a man comes along; then one
of them discovers heterosexuality, and the other ends up dead.)
Fried Green Tomatoes - 1991 (Lesbian - Comedy/Drama: Some may quibble
about whether or not Idgie and Ruth count as lesbians, since it is
never spelled out, but *we* know, don't we? Straight, middle-aged,
middle class frump Evelyn Couch gets lessons in personal liberation
from elderly Ninny Threadgoode, who tells her the story of Idgie's
and Ruth's unconventional friendship.)
Illusions - 1982 (Lesbian - Drama: A black woman who passed as white in
Hollywood during the 1940s has a relationship with a black woman
singer who provides the voice for a white movie star.)
The Killing of Sister George - 1968 (Lesbian - Drama: An aging lesbian
actress loses everything, including her young lover, when the char-
acter she plays on a BBC soap opera gets killed off. Note that
although this film is a U.S. production, it takes place in London -
and features a famous British lesbian bar - and almost everyone in
the cast is British.)
Lesbionage - 1988 (Lesbian - Drama: Two detectives who are also lovers
investigate a blackmail plot against a lesbian congresswoman.)
Lianna - 1983 (Lesbian - Drama: A young mother falls in love with her
psychology professor and slowly comes to terms with her sexuality
and independence.)
Long Awaited Pleasure - 1987 (Lesbian - Comedy/Drama: Two lesbians leave
their emotional baggage behind and start over.)
Love Game - 1990 (Lesbian - Comedy: A famous lesbian tennis player meets
a girl she wants to get to know.)
My Father is Coming - 1991, USA/Germany (Lesbian/Gay - Comedy: A lesbian
living in New York has to prepare for her father's sudden arrival from
Germany with the help of her gay male friend.)
Out of Our Time - 1989 (Lesbian - Drama: This film contrasts the personal
choices, experiences, and desires of a contemporary lesbian couple
named Valeri and Marilyn with those of Valeri's grandmother in the
1930s.)
Personal Best - 1982 (Lesbian/Bisexual - Drama: Two female jocks training
for the Olympics fall in love and have an affair, but at least for
one, lesbianism is just a phase she's going through.)
A Question of Love - 1978 (Lesbian - Drama: A made-for-TV movie about a
lesbian mother's fight for custody of her son. Her homophobic ex-
husband drags her through the mud and the courts.)
She Likes Girls - 1992 (Lesbian - Comedy: A few days in the life of a
young New York lesbian - without a cliche in sight!)
She Must Be Seeing Things - 1987 (Lesbian - Drama: A lawyer and a film-
maker are lovers, and while the lawyer has a jealous fit over the
filmmaker's diaries, which describe her past exploits with male
lovers, the movie juxtaposes scenes from the filmmaker's film, which
is about a nun fighting sexual repression in a 17th century convent.)
Two in Twenty: A Lesbian Soap Opera - 1988 (Lesbian - Comedy: A 5-part
lesbian soap opera which focuses on the day-to-day problems of two
lesbian households. Includes satirical lesbian/feminist commercials
and outtakes.)
Vegas in Space - 1991 (Lesbian - Musical Comedy: The four-man crew of the
U.S.S. Intercourse races on a secret mission to the planet Clitoris,
a 23rd-century all-female pleasure planet where men are forbidden to
touch down. Ordered by the Empress of Earth to swallow gender-
reversal pills, the spacemen swap their sexes to go undercover as
20th-century showgirls and are propelled into a dizzying caper to
capture the perpetrator of a heinous crime that has hurled the
orbiting resort on its path to doom.)
Waiting for the Moon - 1983 (Lesbian - Biography: Beautifully filmed
but emotionally uninvolving exploration of the relationship between
Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas.)
Waking Up: A Love Story - 1988 (Lesbian - Drama: A young woman gets a
taste of lesbian love and soon becomes the town's number one lesbian.)
The War Widow - 1976 (Lesbian - Drama: Made-for-TV movie about a woman
who falls in love with another woman while her husband is off
fighting WWI. When he returns, she has to decide whether or not to
leave him and her child to be with her lover.)
***** Lesbian-Centered Non-U.S. Films *****
Anna und Elisabeth - 1933, Germany (Lesbian - Drama: A peasant girl's
touch heals the paralysis of the lady of the manor, and the lady
soon discovers that she can't live without the girl.)
Anna und Edith - 1975, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama: Made-for-German-TV
movie about two clerical workers who fall in love while trying to get
better working conditions.)
Anne Trister - 1986, Canada (Lesbian - Drama: An Israeli artist goes to
Montreal, stays with a psychologist friend, and falls in love with
her.)
Another Way [Egymasra Nezve] - 1982, Hungary (Lesbian - Drama: Two
journalists fall in love against the backdrop of the 1956 Hungarian
uprising.)
The Banker [La Banquiere] - 1980, France (Lesbian - Drama: The rise and
fall of a masculine self-made bank president in the 1920s in Paris.)
The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant [Die Bitteren Tranen der Petra von
Kant] - 1972, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama: A decadent fashion
designer plays the dominant role in a sado-masochistic relationship
with one of her employees, but she meets someone who turns the tables
on her.)
By Design - 1981, Canada (Lesbian - Comedy: A lesbian couple who decide
to have a baby "the old-fashioned way" encounter humorous obstacles.)
Can't You Take a Joke? - 1989, Australia (Lesbian - Comedy: A woman
cartoonist, with the help of pet character Lady Dick, sets about
recovering her mysterious female client's lost sense of humor.)
Celine and Julie Go Boating [Celine et Julie en Bateau] - 1974, France
(Lesbian - Drama: A magician and a librarian meet in Montmartre.)
Daughters of Darkness [La Rouge aux Levres, Blud an den Lippen, Bloed and
de Lippen] - 1970, Belgium, West Germany, France (Lesbian - Horror:
Campy cult lesbian horror film which features a lesbian vampire as
its most sympathetic character and makes heterosexuality seem abnor-
mal.)
Depart to Arrive [Weggehen um Anzukommen] - 1981, West Germany (Lesbian -
Drama: The story of the separation of a photographer and a journalist
from the photographer's point of view.)
Domestic Bliss - 1984, U.K. (Lesbian - Comedy: Made-for-British-TV soap
opera about a lesbian couple and their chaotic adventures.)
Entre Nous [Between Us, Coup de Foudre] - 1983, France (Lesbian - Drama:
In 1950s Lyons, France, two married women meet, develop a friendship,
and leave their husbands for one another.)
Entre Tinieblas (Among the Darkness?) - 198?, Spain (Lesbian - Drama: In
a convent in Madrid, the Mother Superior has fallen in love with the
female singer Yolanda.)
Erika's Passions [Erikas Leidenschaften] - 1978, West Germany (Lesbian -
Drama: A butch lesbian and her femme lover are accidentally locked
in a room together after a long separation and are forced to confront
each other's differences and complaints.)
Extramuros - 1985, Spain (Lesbian - Drama: A dark story of love and
ambition behind convent walls. Sister Angela decides to fake
stigmata to save her convent from ruin; her devoted lover reluctantly
agrees. But Angela's scam brings them unexpected fame as well as new
enemies who could destroy their relationship.)
The Farewell [Jaahyvaiset] - 1982, Finland-Sweden (Lesbian - Drama: In
the 1930s, a young Finnish woman defies her tyrannical father to have
a relationship with a young German woman.)
Flaming Ears - 1992, Austria (Lesbian - Drama: A fragmented and bizarre
tale of lust, jealousy, and revenge among three lesbians in the far,
far future. Technically innovative, staking out a new lesbian
aesthetic for the 90s.)
La Fuga - 1967, Italy (Lesbian - Drama: Well-to-do wife finds fulfillment
with a lesbian interior decorator.)
Full Moon in New York - 1989, Hong Kong (Lesbian - Drama: Three Chinese
women immigrants in New York, one from mainland China, one a Taiwanese
actress, and one a successful entrepreneur and restaurateur from Hong
Kong. The film can be taken as a symbol of the struggles of the three
Chinas to come together.)
The Getting of Wisdom - 1977, Australia (Lesbian - Drama: A gifted
young pianist becomes inseparable with a classmate in an oppressive
finishing school in turn-of-the-century Melbourne, Australia.)
Girls in Uniform [Madchen in Uniform] - 1931, Germany (Lesbian - Drama:
Considered by many to be the first radical lesbian-feminist film,
in which a student at a repressive authoritarian Prussian boarding
school finds comfort only in the companionship of a sympathetic
teacher. It was remade in 1958 in English. See the original German
version.)
The Gold Diggers - 1983, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: An actress and a
mysterious woman on horseback come together while searching for
social roots.)
In This House of Brede - 1975, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: A young nun gets a
crush on older one who wants to reciprocate but cannot.)
I've Heard The Mermaids Singing - 1987, Canada (Lesbian - Comedy: An
"organizationally-impaired person Friday falls in love with her
boss, the sophisticated curator of an art gallery.)
I, You, He, She [Je, Tu, Il, Elle] - 1974, Belgium (Lesbian - Drama:
Conflict-ridden relationship between a woman and her lover and a
strange man. Features an 18-minute love scene between the two women.)
Johanna, D'Arc of Mongolia - 1988, West Germany (Lesbian - Adventure: Our
heroine is invited on a trip by an affluent older woman. They travel
to Mongolia where they are kidnaped by Mongolian Amazons, and the
adventure begins.)
The Life that We Dreamt [Het Leven dat we Droomden] - 1981, Belgium
(Lesbian - Drama: Two women fall in love with the same man, but soon
discover that they love each other.)
Madame X - Eine Absolut Herrscherin - 1977, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama:
Women cannot resist the pirate Madame X, and board her ship in quest
of gold, love, and adventure.)
Mano Destra - 1985-86, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama: A relentless
physiological experience of cinematic bondage and sensory manipu-
lation. A European lesbian cult classic, *this* is S&M cinema.)
Miss A and Miss M - 1987, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: A young girl slowly
becomes aware of the true nature of the relationship between two
school teachers.)
Night Visions - 1989, Canada (Lesbian - Drama: Racism and homophobia
are explored in two overlapping stories, one about a Native American
single mother fighting social welfare authorities and her white
ex-husband for custody of her daughter, the other about a lesbian
photographer whose erotic photographs have been seized by the police.)
Nocturne - 1990, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: Joy Chamberlain's film of a woman
who returns home for her mother's funeral and meets memories which
are the key both to her self-repression and her desire.)
November Moon [Novembermond] - 1985, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama:
During WWII in France, a Frenchwoman hides her lover, a German Jew,
from the Nazis.)
Olivia [Pit of Loneliness] - 1951, France (Lesbian -Drama: Set in the
latter half of the 1800s, an English schoolgirl falls deeply in love
with one of her headmistresses in the French boarding school she
attends.)
On Guard - 1983, Australia (Lesbian - Drama: An aerobics instructor, a
disillusioned nurse and two other lesbians conspire to sabotage a
reproductive engineering facility and alert the media to a Brave New
World bioproduction line. A heist movie which incorporates frank
portrayal of the characters' domestic and sexual, personal and
political struggles.)
Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit - 1989, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: Coming of
age story about an iron-willed young woman who's been raised in a
strict evangelical rural environment, and whose lesbianism scandal-
izes her equally iron-willed adoptive mother, and pretty much the
rest of the town, too.)
Pepi, Luci, Bom - 1982, Spain (Lesbian - Drama: An angry lesbian declares
war on the Madrid police.)
Richard's Things - 1980, U.K. (Lesbian- Drama: Made-for-British-TV movie
about a dead businessman's widow and mistress, who go from open
hostility to falling in love with each other.)
Salmonberries - 1991, Canada (Lesbian - Drama: A woman searches for
meaning in her life and makes contact with another woman in the
bleak North.)
Simone - 1984, France (Lesbian - Drama: Simone, a mysterious stranger,
enters the life of Francoise, a suicidal woman, and the two explore
their fantasies.)
Therese and Isabelle - 1968, United States-West Germany-France (Lesbian -
Drama: A woman reminisces about a love affair she had with a girl in
boarding school.)
To Forget Venice [Dimenticare Venezia] - 1979, Italy (Lesbian/Gay - Drama:
In 1920s Italy, Anna and Claudia live in the country with Anna's Aunt
Marta. Anna and Claudia have become bored with each other, but one
day Aunt Marta's brother Nicky shows up with his young lover Picchio,
and things start to change.)
Twice a Woman - 1985, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: A man becomes obsessed with
the young female lover of his ex-wife.)
The Twin Bracelets - 1990, Hong Kong,Taiwan (Lesbian - Drama: A young
woman in an oppressive Chinese fishing village seeks love and escape
in the arms of her childhood girlfriend against a backdrop of customs
and mores that treat women as property with no human rights.)
Vera - 1987, Brazil (Lesbian - Drama: A young woman believes she is a man
trapped in a woman's body in this intense investigation of sex roles.)
The Virgin Machine - 1988, West Germany (Lesbian - Drama: A naive German
journalist searches for love in San Francisco's lesbian underground.)
Wild Flowers - 1989, U.K. (Lesbian - Drama: Two women discover love for
each other in a fairly repressed corner of Scotland.)
A Woman in Transit [La Femme de l'Hotel] - 1984, Canada (Lesbian - Drama:
A director and her leading lady search for someone to play the cen-
tral figure in their movie and find her in the hotel where they're
all staying.)
A Woman Like Eve [Een Vrouw als Eva] 1979, Netherlands (Lesbian - Drama:
On vacation in France, a married Dutch woman falls in love with a
French lesbian. When she attempts to divorce her husband, a bitter
custody battle ensues.)
***** Directory of GLBO Film and Video Distributors *****
Back Porch Productions Cambridge Documentary Films
113 E. Whiteman St. P.O. Box 385
Yellow Springs, OH 45387 Cambridge, MA 02139
(617) 354-3677
Charis Video Cinema Guild
P.O. Box 797 1697 Broadway, Suite 802
Brooklyn, NY 11231 New York, NY 10019
(718) 855-4458 (212) 246-5522
(Many Lesbian Videos)
Cinevista Direct Cinema Ltd.
353 W. 39th St. P.O. Box 69799
New York, NY 10018 Los Angeles, CA 90069
(212) 947-4373 (213) 652-8000
Exportfilm Bischoof & Co. Facets Multimedia, Inc.
Isabellastrasse 20 1517 West Fullerton Ave.
D-8000 Munich 40, West Germany Chicago, IL 60614
(800) 331-6297, (312) 281-9075 in IL
Filmmakers Library First Run Features
124 East 40th, #901
New York, NY 10025
(212) 355-6545 (800) 229-8575
Frameline Insider Video Club
P.O. Box 14792 P.O. Box 93399
San Francisco, CA 94114 Hollywood, CA 90093
(415) 861-5245 (800) 634-2242
International Film Exchange Ishtar Films (West Coast)
201 W. 52nd St. 6253 Hollywood Blvd., Suite 623
New York, NY 10019 Hollywood, CA 90028
(212) 582-4318 (213) 461-1560
Ishtar Films (East Coast) Kartes Video Communications
P.O. Box 51 P.O. Box 68881, 7225 Woodland Dr.
Patterson, NY 12563 Indianapolis, IN 46278
(914) 878-3561 (800) 582-2000, (317) 297-1888
Ladyslipper Lambda Rising
P.O. Box 3130 1625 Connecticut Ave., NW
Durham, NC 27705 Washington, DC 20009-1013
(919) 683-1570 (202) 462-6969
Maya Vision Moonforce Media
43 New Oxford St. P.O. Box 2934
London, WC1 A1BH, England Washington, DC 20012
ATTN: Joan Biren
(202) 526-0049
Moonlight Productions New Yorker Films
2243 Old Middlefield Way 16 W. 61st St.
Mountain View, CA 94043 New York, NY 10023
(415) 948-0199 (212) 247-6110
Polyglot Productions Pop Video
136 Brattle St. P.O. Box 60862
Cambridge, MA 02138 Washington, DC 20039
(617) 491-3541 (202) 726-1650
La Reseau Vide-Elle Tapestry Productions
4013 Rue des Erables 924 Broadway
Montreal, Quebec H2K 3V7, Canada New York, NY 10010
(514) 525-8456 (212) 677-6007
Third World Newsreel Water Bearer Films
335 W. 38th St., 5th Floor 205 West End Avenue, Suite 24H
New York, NY 10018 New York, New York 10023
Winds of Change Productions Wolfe Video
12 Grove Ave. P.O. Box 64
Toronto, Ontario M6J 3B6, Canada New Almaden, CA 95042
(408) 268-6782
Womankind Books, Inc. Women in Focus
5 Kivy St. 849 Beatty St.
Huntington Station, NY 11746 Vancouver, BC V6B 2M6 Canada
(800) 648-5333, (516) 427-1289 (604) 682-5848
Women Make Movies, Inc. Yoyo Film, Video & Theatre Prods.
225 Lafayette St., #212 108 Grove Park
New York, NY 10012 London SE5, England
(212) 925-0606
Please note that I have arbitrarily established a 30-minute minimum length
requirement for films to be included on this list. This is because I view
this list primarily as an entertainment resource, and feel that if you're
looking for a couple of films to watch with your loved one(s) on a weekend,
you're going to be more more interested in feature-length films than you
are in experimental short subjects. There are literally hundreds of film
shorts from 1 minute in length to 29 minutes in length which do not appear
on this list, although if a film is, say, 25 minutes long it just might
find its way onto the list. Many, if not all, of the distributors above
will provide you with a catalog of their films, including film shorts.
For more information regarding these and other GLBO-centered materials,
notably books, periodicals, music, and some film shorts, get yourself a
copy of this outstanding reference book:
Gay and Lesbian Library Service
edited by Cal Gough and Ellen Greenblatt
MacFarland and Company, Inc., Publishers
Many thanks to Ellen Greenblatt for giving me access to the film lists
from this excellent resource book.
Another book I used to compile this list is "The Celluloid Closet" by
Vito Russo. Russo's book is mostly about Hollywood's mistreatment of
gay characters in films, but by the last chapter, films featuring
accurate, sensitive, or at least interesting portrayals start showing
up with more regularity.
Thanks for the contributions from Sim David Aberson, Diane Bailey,
Hector Bellmann, Ron Buckmire, Mary Cardenas, Thomas Carlin, Vince
Cavasin, David Peter Coster, Jeff Dauber, John DeSantis, Mike Drayton,
James Drew, Michael Dunn, David Edelsohn, Michelle Elliott, William
Tsun-Yuk Hsu, Curtis Johnson, Tracey McCartney, Robert Marshall, Bret
Marquis, Valerie Mead, Steve Misek, Manuel Pece, Tim Pierce, Jeff
Shaumeyer, Glenn Slayden, Mike Shepherd, Tane' Tachyon, Max Meredith
Vasilatos, and David Wyatt.
Thanks for e-mailing any GLBO-centered films that you don't find on
this list, folks, but please try to provide as much information about
them as you can, including a capsule plot summary, and don't forget to
sign your name to your letters so that I can acknowledge your contri-
bution.)
Frank Swilling
Mino...@cup.portal.com
--
Roy Radow r...@panix.com ...rutgers!cmcl2!panix!roy
North American Man/Boy Love Association -For a packet containing a sample
Bulletin, publications list and membership information send $1.00 postage
to: NAMBLA Info, Dept.RR, PO Box 174, Midtown Station, NYC NY 10018.