The Celluloid Closet: An Evolution of Queer Depiction in Cinema - Bryan Cabral
It is inherently
interesting, at times heartbreaking how the culture for cinema changed when depicting
LGBTQ+ characters. I like to think that, in a way, production companies and those
of higher authority in Hollywood in the past have been playing this game of “Cat
& Mouse”, where the higher-ups are the oppressive ‘Cat’ trying to catch the
‘Mouse’, that being, an element of LGBTQ+ being depicted in such a magnitude
where the queer-coding begins to lose its effect, and is classified as inappropriate;
therefore, condemned to further perpetuate the heteronormative agenda for that
time period.
Part of what makes this documentary highly effective was
its sheer honesty accommodated by multiple perspectives. From the 1920s, gay
and lesbian characters were often depicted as a punchline to a joke about
opposing behaviors of the hetero norm regarding gender expression. I was intrigued
by Harvey Fierstein’s perspective of “any exposure is good exposure” when it
came to representation of gay and lesbian characters back then. It was a bit refreshing
to see how a member of the LGBTQ+ community identified with being a “sissy”, regardless
of if that term was used in a negative connotation. It adds to the many layers of
the conversation being had, including layers that may invite discomfort; Just
like the discomfort I felt during the parts featuring the Hayes Code era of
queer cinema.
I feel that from the movies that were conveyed from that
era in this documentary, Cruising was the one that I found a bit hard to
take in, based on the cruel reality on how violent blatant homophobia can get. It
is understandable that at the time of the movie’s release, protests ensued
among the LGBTG+, calling for the cancellation of the film. On the other hand, I
found the film Making Love a pleasant entry, for its controversy in
calling out the idea that society should be okay with queer people being the
status quo and not taboo. Albeit it was a bit sad to know that heavy
discretions were implemented at the start of the film, taking that risk did create
a significant impact on how those depictions would be utilized in modern media.
Overall, I felt that this was an honest take on the history of queer cinema,
and a necessary conversation to have that could benefit to many.
What impressed me about Thursday's class was the fact that the subject of Queer representation sort of expanded out of the documentary itself. Therefore, I felt a bit more open and engaged when sharing my exposure to queer representation in modern media. Honestly, I had already watched the documentary in a class last year, but I was unaware that it was the same title. I had already known the logic behind queer-coding in cinema, but the added historical context of the definition of "queer" and looking more into the behavioral zeitgeist of the queer community left me appreciating the documentary a bit more. Looking further into the documentary, I've learned that it the release was in 1995 (one year before the Broadway debut of "Rent". We stan!) The extra layer of backstory made a lot of sense, given that my exposure to queerness--in the point of view of an ally, if that makes any difference--it was a bit difficult for me to connect with the old norms and values of queerness, since it seemed a bit obsolete to me.
ReplyDeleteI was also impressed with how versed in media you (Dr. McRae) were in, the moment you started referencing shows like "She-Ra" or "The Legend of Korra" that I got ahead of myself with trying to include in "Kipo" in the kit, since it is a show literally all about celebrating diversity, since we were on the topic about using diversity as of means of profit than as a way to express actual beliefs and values for the culture they represent. Overall, I feel that everything that was discussed in class was a incredibly engaging, "The Celluloid Closet" provided an incredible foundation for the class narrative, and I'm just left excited from here on out.
So, yeah. I can definitely vibe with this!
Yay! Glad it's connecting for you! And I'm always on the lookout for contemporary representation, so keep the suggestions coming! One note about the higher-ups and their cat and mouse game (which is nice phrasing). Hollywood was a very queer place in the '20s and '30s--sometimes openly so, including actors and directors. Everybody knew it--it just wasn't publicly discussed. The game wasn't always squashing representation or erasure (which I'm not sure is what you're saying--maybe I'm misreading you?), but rather sometimes coded representations--putting queerness right out in plain sight for anybody who could read the codes, and flying right past the censors.
ReplyDelete