Reel romance? Not if you're gay or black; -- The Gay and Silver Screen

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Date Posted: 15:09:57 06/12/02 Wed
Author: Mitchell
Subject: Reel romance? Not if you're gay or black;
In reply to: Mitchell 's message, "I originally didn�t think I would have anything to add to this board because, my movie reviews are either, �It was good, I liked it.� Or �It sucked, I hated it.� This article was in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution today and it seems to fit the topic of this board." on 15:07:31 06/12/02 Wed

Jay Croft

The images flickered by -- timeless, iconic depictions from almost a century of American movies about romance. Bogie and Bergman in "Casablanca." Gable and Leigh in "Gone With the Wind." Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant, and Redford and Streisand in "The Way We Were."
Great movie memories covering the gamut of passion, right?

But Tuesday night's broadcast of the American Film Institute's ranking of the 100 best love stories left out plenty of viewers: gays entirely, and African-Americans almost so.

Not a single gay movie was included -- and no, you can't count "Funny Girl." Only two about blacks made the list: "Porgy and Bess" and, in a stretch, "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which focuses at least as much on the liberalization of an elderly white couple than on the supposed spark between their daughter and Sidney Poitier.

Still, the AFI found room for "Beauty and the Beast," "Lady and the Tramp" and even "King Kong." So animated characters made movie-lovers swoon at least twice, and fantasy bestiality did the trick once -- twice if you count "Beast."

But gay men or lesbians? Scratch.

Not to begrudge the AFI entirely. Most great movies really are about straight people. "Desert Hearts" will never compete with "From Here to Eternity," the AFI's No. 20. And while only a handful of gay movies can compare to Hollywood's best, who doesn't remember "The Crying Game" more than "The American President" (No. 75)?

We all learn about love at the movies, and long to see characters that reflect our own lives and fantasies up on that big screen. For decades, gay viewers (and blacks) grew up mostly watching straight, white folks fall in love -- an important lesson for parents who fear "Will & Grace" will inspire their children to become gay.

Rather than get too serious about this, let's take off on a water-cooler discussion about what should've been on the list, or what would comprise such a tally of the most passionate gay movies. Forget the AFI's world, in which no gay man ever had a "Longtime Companion" (and poor Stella can forget about ever getting her groove back).

I never swooned at the screen as drunkenly as I did watching Daniel Day-Lewis empty champagne into his boyfriend's mouth in "My Beautiful Laundrette."

No bank robber ever was as passionately motivated as hapless Al Pacino in "Dog Day Afternoon," going to such an extreme to pay for his lover's sex-change operation.

"Maurice" is the most moving of the Merchant-Ivory movies. Everybody, especially lesbians and straight men, had to be turned on watching the felonious women of "Bound." And the dizzying kiss on the beach in "Priest" swept me away as much as Carrie's prom dance that inspired it.

Similarly, you can tick of a quick list of movies about African-Americans in love that could've been there: "Carmen Jones," "Claudine," "Mahogany." Anything with Denzel and a woman.

Mainstream movies weren't allowed to depict the sexuality of gay people and African-Americans until pretty recently. So maybe it's no surprise that the AFI -- reaching all the way back to 1920's "Way Down East" (No. 71) -- didn't find much to pick from (although Dietrich does kiss a woman briefly in "Morocco," AFI pick No. 83).

In the past few years, we've had a slew of low-budget, often iffy pics about gay romance. Even gay viewers will grudgingly admit forking over ticket fare for "our" movies more out of obligation and desperation than a faith in finding top-quality entertainment.

So, yes, I suffered through "Relax ... It's Just Sex" and "Trick" and "Edge of Seventeen."

But I still get misty thinking about that beautiful laundrette.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few passionate movies with gay themes or characters:
"Apartment Zero"
"Get Real"
"Beautiful Thing"
"My Beautiful Laundrette"
"Sunday, Bloody Sunday"
"Desert Hearts"
"The Hunger"
"Longtime Companion"
"Making Love"
"The Broken Hearts Club"
"Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss"
"The Crying Game"
"Hedwig and the Angry Inch"
"God and Monsters"
"Priest"
"In and Out"
"Jeffrey"
"Kiss of the Spider Woman"
"Dog Day Afternoon"
"Six Degrees of Separation"
"The Talented Mr. Ripley"
"Bound"
"The Incredible Adventures of Two Girls in Love"
"Maurice"

And a few about African-Americans:

"Porgy and Bess"
"Carmen Jones"
"Lady Sings the Blues"
"Mahogany"
"Claudine"
"Mississippi Masala"
"Mo' Better Blues"
"Jungle Fever"
"Boomerang"
"Loves Jones"
"Monster's Ball"

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Replies:

Mitchell is the only person I know who would rate a gay porno with these words, "It sucked." (well ...DUH!) ROTFLMCLAO!! (NT) -- Sergio, 20:59:24 06/19/02 Wed

OHHH!!! Think yer funny don�t ya!!! You know, you�re just about the right heigh to where you wouldn�t have to stoop very much to a... Well you know! As for porno. Innocent little-o-me? I wouldn�t know ANYTHING about that! ;-) (NT) -- Mitchell, 07:44:55 06/21/02 Fri

"That f**king movie really sucked" ~Mitchell's Down Home GAY Porno Review. ROTF -(still)-LMCLAO! -- Sergio, 09:04:35 06/21/02 Fri
- How about making a movie of yourself, I�ll be glad to review it!!!! -- Mitchell, 11:35:29 06/22/02 Sat