Matters Cinematic: Good Morning, Baltimore! (1 of 2)
As previously threatened, this is the review of "Fabulous! The Story of Queer Cinema," a documentary by Lisa Ades and Lesli Klainberg. I enjoyed it a lot--and it's going to be on IFC I daresay several times this month and is available from Netflix, those of you who regret not being able to make the showing last night. Lots of very cool talking heads and film clips, concentrating on clips of female couples in a state of undress. I did not find this to be a problem in any way whatsoever. The directors clearly shared the many interviewees' fondness for "Bound" as a Guilty Pleasure. (I think the audience did too. As for me, I find Gina Gershon to be Sex on Legs--I think it's the buck teeth; they draw attention to lippage.)
However, although I found it a very likeable film and I recommend it, I have some arguments with its thesis that (pause to pick up those who have collapsed on the floor in a dead faint of surprise) have fannish meta implications. (Cut for length)
On a basic level, I thought the film was uncertain about exactly what its range was--a lot of important films weren't discussed (OK, I can understand "no clips because that would cost too much") presumably because they were mainstream Hollywood movies (or because they turned up in "The Celluloid Closet" so there was a bit of feeling of deja vu?).
A lot of the events in the timeline used to structure the film had to do with TV--but in a sense, TV representation is always intended to be different from movie representation, with a need for broader and perhaps blander acceptability on broadcast TV. Even though cable TV often takes a truly 12-year-old pride in its own outrageousness, telling a story in 17 hours rather than 2 1/2 inevitably makes a difference in impact.
Mostly, though, "Fabulous!" is about indie film, which is certainly a worthwhile subject BUT....nearly all of the interviewees talked about how important queer film was to them because of their hunger to see someone like themselves represented on the screen. Yet most of the indie films that got serious discussion are designedly Out There--I mean, it's true that many of the various odd, monstrous, and/or murderous characters in, say, "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Poison" or "Heavenly Creatures" are queer. But there are a lot more RL gay people who are like the characters in "The Broken Hearts Club" or "Bar Girls" than like Hedwig or Frank'n'Furter, even though those movies are fairly sappy.
However, although I found it a very likeable film and I recommend it, I have some arguments with its thesis that (pause to pick up those who have collapsed on the floor in a dead faint of surprise) have fannish meta implications. (Cut for length)
On a basic level, I thought the film was uncertain about exactly what its range was--a lot of important films weren't discussed (OK, I can understand "no clips because that would cost too much") presumably because they were mainstream Hollywood movies (or because they turned up in "The Celluloid Closet" so there was a bit of feeling of deja vu?).
A lot of the events in the timeline used to structure the film had to do with TV--but in a sense, TV representation is always intended to be different from movie representation, with a need for broader and perhaps blander acceptability on broadcast TV. Even though cable TV often takes a truly 12-year-old pride in its own outrageousness, telling a story in 17 hours rather than 2 1/2 inevitably makes a difference in impact.
Mostly, though, "Fabulous!" is about indie film, which is certainly a worthwhile subject BUT....nearly all of the interviewees talked about how important queer film was to them because of their hunger to see someone like themselves represented on the screen. Yet most of the indie films that got serious discussion are designedly Out There--I mean, it's true that many of the various odd, monstrous, and/or murderous characters in, say, "Rocky Horror Picture Show" or "Poison" or "Heavenly Creatures" are queer. But there are a lot more RL gay people who are like the characters in "The Broken Hearts Club" or "Bar Girls" than like Hedwig or Frank'n'Furter, even though those movies are fairly sappy.