How the Homosexuals Saved Civilization - Cathy Crimmins [41]
Director Todd Haynes (Velvet Goldmine, Far from Heaven) was asked by the Seattle Intelligencer if it was fair to say that the fifties melodramas of Douglas Sirk and others had a gay sensibility. “Yes, homosexuality, while behind-the-scenes, was indeed evident in the making of the films—as it was, arguably, in the aesthetics of many directors of ‘women’s films,’ like George Cukor and Vincente Minnelli,” said Haynes. “While thematically restricted, a gay or ‘feminine’ aesthetic was free to pervade the profuse visual style: the clothes, the colors, the lavish decor.”
Has anyone ever noticed how Todd Haynes speaks in full paragraphs? As difficult as it is to define a gay aesthetic, he comes closest of all the gay directors working today.
“Women’s films” is only one category in which to explore a film’s gayness, but let’s start with that and add a few more.
When Films Scream Gay, Gay, Gay: A Genre Guide
Strong women, crybaby situations:
Women’s films were not too far away from what are now dismissed (or cherished) as chick flicks. Early and more recent movies with strong female characters and tear-jerking sensibilities include Mildred Pierce, Stella Dallas, Mrs. Miniver, Little Women, The Best Years of Our Lives, All About Eve, Sunset Boulevard, Picnic, Splendor in the Grass, and Magnificent Obsession. Newer versions include Steel Magnolias, Terms of Endearment, Thelma & Louise, Stepmom, and One True Thing.
Anything starring Judy Garland:
Yes, younger gay men would rather die than be a Judy Queen, but it’s true that Garland’s movies project some sort of gay essence. The Queer Masterpiece The Wizard of Oz is among them, as well as A Star Is Born, Meet Me in St. Louis, and all those “Hey, kids, let’s put on a show!” pictures with Mickey Rooney.
Anything featuring Joan Crawford or Bette Davis:
These gals are the undisputed queens of gay cinema, and their legacy continues because of two rather late developments: First, their appearance together in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane? in 1964 was a high-camp romp that solidified their larger-than-life images for future generations. Second, Faye Dunaway’s performance as Joan Crawford in Mommie Dearest was more Crawford than Crawford, and succeeded in making “No more wire hangers!” a gay battle cry for domestic civilization. Mommie Dearest was in 1981—thank goodness the wire hanger phrase came along and replaced another line that was parodied all the time from The Goodbye Girl (1977), Richard Dreyfuss’s hammy heterosexual line, “And I don’t—like—the panties—hanging—on—the rod.”
Anything starring Madonna:
She was the “It” girl of the 1980s, starting with Desperately Seeking Susan, progressing through the dismal Who’s That Girl?, and then moving on to Evita. Madonna’s ultimate fag-hag movie, The Next Best Thing, where she got to nail the only gay leading man in show business, Rupert Everett, was a really stinky picture. She was so bad that she almost made Rupert look like a heterosexual. But I guess it was just to even things out: Madonna made Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy gay just by singing that fabulous song “Sooner or Later” by Stephen Sondheim. And Madonna’s documentary, Truth or Dare, was postmodern gay at its finest.
All movie musicals:
At eleven I attended a slumber party where we watched the MGM musical Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. All those boys in tight trousers turned me on. But now, when I look back at that film, it seems homoerotic. Likewise, Kismet, South Pacific, Singin’ in the Rain, An American in Paris, Gigi, My Fair Lady, and all the Fred Astaire movies. White Christmas, starring Bing Crosby and Sir Laurence Olivier’s boyfriend, Danny Kaye, features that wonderful drag number, “Sisters.” Venturing into more contemporary territory, the movie of the musical Cabaret, starring Michael York and Liza Minnelli, is very gay, as is the