The servant slowly takes control and manipulates his "master," and it's a wilddddd ride.
10.Victim (1961) is centered around a closeted lawyer in London who's blackmailed for being gay, which was illegal in England until 1967. The two men become romantically involved as they take over and manage a launderette originally owned by Omar’s uncle.
My Beautiful Launderette deals with the complex issues of race and class struggles.
Of course, chaos ensues when she falls for another of the applicants.
Michael, 1924 (dir. This film has everything you’d want a period piece about a bisexual woman to have. Kenneth Anger claimed on his book Hollywood Babylon that the entire cast was made of queer actors, and while that’s impossible to prove now, it’s a nice thought.
Grandpa’s Girl, 1924 (dir.
It is so moody and beautiful to watch that it resonates with many viewers.
You can read my review of Happy Together here.
Edge of Seventeen (1998)
Edge of Seventeen is a gay romantic comedy about coming of age in 1984.
If you have an interest in gender, Virginia Wolf, or queer cinema, this film should not be missed.
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
In The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, three drag queens set out on a road trip through the dessert to perform a four week gig at a casino.
According to Girls Will Be Boys author Laura Horak, critics at the time cited Mackaill’s costumes as one of the growing signs of sexual perversity in cinema.
Paramount Pictures
Wings, 1927 (dir. It's rough and tough and has a lotttt of queer subtext.
An Early Frost received 14 Emmy nominations, including Best Original Teleplay, a Peabody Award, and multiple Golden Globe nominations.
The Boys in the Band (1970)
The Boys in the Band directed by William Friedkin is a must-see for anybody interested in gay cinema.
Parting Glances (1986)
Parting Glances is a romantic comedy set in New York City in the 1980s.
William Dieterle)
After accidentally killing a man who was accosting his wife, Franz Sommer (Dieterle) is sentenced to three years in prison. During his flight he shares an incredibly flirtatious moment with Buster Keaton that makes you wish these two would just get together already!
Ich möchte kein Mann sein (I Don’t Want to Be a Man), 1918 (dir.
Leontine Sagan)
One of the earliest films to feature an all-female cast, this German film is set in a boarding school and follows a 14 year-old-girl who falls passionately in love with one of her teachers. D. W. Griffith)
Based on the deuterocanonical Book of Judith, historian Susan Stryker made the case for the film’s transness in the documentary Disclosure.
The Danger Girl, 1916 (dir.
It has the look, feel, and music of the 1980s. The women are styled after prominent lesbians of the time like Radclyffe Hall and Jane Heap. It’s considered the first pro-gay film ever made.
Good Night, Nurse!, 1918 (dir. Clarence G. Badger)
Gloria Swanson disguises herself as a man in order to prove to her brother and his friends that they are being taken in by a vamp.
Support the independent films, because they started it all for any minority groups, but with smaller budgets.
There's a few good gay directors, etc, that stick with the gay genre and don't sell out. The book was later adapted into a 1951 French film of the same name directed by Jacqueline Audry.
Viktor und Viktoria, 1933 (dir.
Dorothy Arzner)
Director Dorothy Arzner was not only the only woman working within the studio system at the time, but was also a lesbian. Bowie plays a vampire who is rapidly aging, Deneuve is Bowie’s wife and Sarandon is the woman Deneuve is planning to use as Bowie’s replacement. When he starts advertising for a new grandson, Jean disguises herself as a boy and applies for the job.
If you’re a fan of film noir or tense thrillers, this is for you.
You can read my review of Bound here.
Wilde (1997)
Wilde is the biopic of Oscar Wilde, starring Stephen Fry as Oscar Wilde and Jude Law as Lord Alfred Douglas, his homosexual lover.
