October 20, 2011
Diversity Rules Magazine: Help to Get Diversity Rules Back in Print!
Diversity Rules Magazine: Help to Get Diversity Rules Back in Print!: Diversity Rules needs your help to spread the word about the new IndieGoGo campaign to raise money to get the publication back in print! ...
October 17, 2011
Just a heads up, but after a few false starts, I was able to succesfully upload and post a new cartoon that I've been developing for awhile over at The Queerest Selections From the Library of Babel.
Check it out here: The Amazing Sassy - 01
Check it out here: The Amazing Sassy - 01
October 4, 2011
Queer Review: Citizen Kane (1941)
Citizen Kane
Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, Roger Q. Denny, John Houseman, Mollie Kent
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Orson Welles, Harry Shannon, Ray Collins, Everett Sloane, William Alland, George Coulouris, Paul Stewart
Overview
The Big Kahuna. Frequently cited as one of the greatest films of all time due to it's superb cinematography, astounding technical achievement, beguiling story, and larger than life characterization, Citizen Kane is among the few pictures that can be considered truly legendary.
Synopsis
When the mighty newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) passes away, his dying word, "Rosebud", motivates journalist Jerry Thompson (William Alland) to investigate its' meaning. Thompson starts by tracking down and reading the unpublished memoirs of Kane's adopted father, banker Herbert Carter (Erskine Sanford). Later, during the course of this investigation, Thompson interviews Kane's second wife, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), business manager Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane), close friend Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and lastly, Kane's shady butler Raymond (Paul Stewart). During these interviews, we are shown the trajectory of Kane's life, with the accounts often overlapping, each providing a different perspective into the actual Charles Kane. From these interviews we learn that when Kane was a child, he was sent away by his mother to live with a cold hearted banker. Later, at age 25, Kane took over The New York Enquirer and used it to build a media empire.
However, Kane's attempt at becoming Governor of New York State, which he intended to use to run for president, crashes and burns when rival Jim Getty uncovers an affair Kane was having with Susan Alexander. When Kane divorces his first wife, Emily Monroe Norton Kane (Ruth Warrick) and marries Susan, he spends the rest of his life trying to earn her love, first by buying an opera house so she can reluctantly pursue a singing career and then by building the expensive and elaborate palace Xanadu. However, none of this is enough to keep Susan from leaving him and so Kane dies alone, a faint shadow of his former self.
The Queering
For various reasons, I usually avoid reading reviews of a movie during the time between viewing a movie and completing a review of that movie. Citizen Kane I not only watched twice but during the time in between those screenings, I took the time to read several reviews from other critics. So legendary is the reputation Citizen Kane that nearly every review opened with some variation of what I now like to refer to as the Citizen Kane Standard Disclaimer which can be summed up as follows: "So great is the reputation of Citizen Kane and with so much written about it, that this critic will not be able to offer any new or original insight". All things considered, I cannot pretend any differently.
On Citizen Kane Orson Welles and the crew were either able to pioneer or popularize numerous early innovative cinematic techniques. Most notable was the deep focus method, where both the foreground and background could be filmed in perfect clarity, allowing for some truly astounding shots.
The most notable for me were:
-The shot of a miniscule child Kane playing outside through a window, while his domineering mother signs him over to the wealthy Carter in the foreground and in the midground, his poor father attempts to persuade Mrs. Kane not to go through with the deal. Note how each character's position and the amount of space they occupy on the screen perfectly corresponds to their relative influence and importance to what is occurring.
-When Kane signs his declaration of principles for the fledgling newspaper he recently acquired,
his face falls into complete shadow.
-After Kane gives his rousing campaign speech where a large portrait his face dominates the entire scene, there is a shot of Boss Getty overlooking the proceedings, while everything else, including Kane's portrait now appear in miniature.
-Shortly afterwards, there is a long take while Boss Getty confronts Mrs. Kane with her husbands duplicity in his dalliance with Susan Alexander, that uses perfect timing and staging to demonstrate the shifting power and allegiances of the characters involved.
From beginning to end, every shot in Citizen Kane is a piece of a larger puzzle to the main character's life. Not a frame goes by when there is not some metaphor or symbolism on display. But what does the larger puzzle represent? What sort of person is Charles Foster Kane really? The literal revelation of the term rosebud provides the biggest clue, but it's symbolic meaning is open to interpretation.
There is also a subtle queer subtext in the character of Kane's friend Leland. Jebidiah Leland never marries or expresses interest in any female character. Throughout the time he is being interviewed by Thompson, Leland aggressively tries to get the reporter to sneak into the convalescence home where Leland now lives some cigarettes, which he is forbidden by his doctor who cites the health risks of tobacco. What struck me about this scene is that, while a small number of doctors in the early forties believed that smoking posed a significant health risk, it would not be another decade before the first major study linking tobacco and lung cancer would be published. However, the false belief that "homosexuality" did pose serious health risks to gay men and lesbians was very widespread. Furthermore, during the Hayes code, smoking and particularly the sharing of cigarettes was a common way to subtly suggest sexual activity. Basically what I am saying is that the entire scene plays as if Leland is hitting on our intrepid reporter.
Speaking of Thompson, we never learn anything of his past and outside of a few brief shots, never see his face either. Thompson is clearly intended to be an audience surrogate, everything we learn about Kane -- other than the opening scene of Kane dyeing at the beginning and the big "rosebud" reveal at the end -- we learn through Thompson.
To go along with the sexual subtext, it's interesting to me to note how the film views on innocence and sexuality. Most notably are two instances when Kane appears the most human. The first is when he comes into the newsroom, shy as a bashful school boy to announce his first marriage to Emily Monroe Norton. The other is when Kane meets Susan Alexander while she was suffering from and he has just been splashed from mud from a passing carriage. Susan invites him up to her place to wash off and he accepts her invitation, he pays back her kindness by making shadow puppets and trying to make her laugh in order to distract her from her toothache. These instances show Kane coming the closest to recapturing the innocence of his youth. But the affair that results with Susan ultimately destroys Kane, while Boss Getty clearly committed some sort of actual criminal activity, it is a sexual affair that began with the most innocent of intentions that destroys Kane.
The idea of innocence is key to understanding Citizen Kane. Rosebud clearly refers to the loss of childhood innocence that Kane experienced when his mother sent him away with Carter. When Kane arrives at the newspaper to announce his first wedding, he not only acts like a bashful schoolboy but he is wearing an all white suit, in stark contrast to the dark clothing worn by everybody else. But when he meets Susan, he is literally covered in dirt and mud, although when she takes him up to her place, the snow globe that he will be holding during both of his utterances of rosebud can clearly be seen sitting on a table.
Given all the praise that Citizen Kane has recieved over the years, I feel somewhat obligated to point out two obvious flaws. The first is that Kane's last word could not have been heard by anyone as he dies alone, without even any servants in the room. The other is what could be considered Citizen Kane's lone technical flub. During a late scene where Kane takes Susan on a picnic in a vain effort to win her heart back, what look to be Pterosaurs can clearly be seen flying around in the background. This was due to footage from either King Kong or Son of Kong being reused here to save money.
Overall, Citizen Kane can be most easily summarized as a character study of an ambitious, yet flawed man. There are no traditional heroes and villians here, merely varying degrees of vices and strengths. However, more importantly, is it the greatest film of all time? I cannot say as it would take a certain amount of arrogance on my part to declare any movie "the greatest of all time". I would not say it was my personal favourite film that I have seen, but if I were to give it some thought, I would probably place it in the top 10. However, it is certainly among the most powerful and contains an intellectual depth that few films aspire too and almost none obtain. And for that reason, it is most deserving of it's reputation.
Recommendation
Strongly recommended. Regardless of what country, all citizens should see Citizen Kane.
The Rating
AFI's "A Hundred Years... A Hundred Films" Tribute
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Director: Orson Welles
Writers: Herman J. Mankiewicz, Orson Welles, Roger Q. Denny, John Houseman, Mollie Kent
Cast: Joseph Cotten, Dorothy Comingore, Agnes Moorehead, Ruth Warrick, Orson Welles, Harry Shannon, Ray Collins, Everett Sloane, William Alland, George Coulouris, Paul Stewart
Overview
The Big Kahuna. Frequently cited as one of the greatest films of all time due to it's superb cinematography, astounding technical achievement, beguiling story, and larger than life characterization, Citizen Kane is among the few pictures that can be considered truly legendary.
Synopsis
When the mighty newspaper mogul Charles Foster Kane (Orson Welles) passes away, his dying word, "Rosebud", motivates journalist Jerry Thompson (William Alland) to investigate its' meaning. Thompson starts by tracking down and reading the unpublished memoirs of Kane's adopted father, banker Herbert Carter (Erskine Sanford). Later, during the course of this investigation, Thompson interviews Kane's second wife, Susan Alexander (Dorothy Comingore), business manager Mr. Bernstein (Everett Sloane), close friend Jedediah Leland (Joseph Cotten), and lastly, Kane's shady butler Raymond (Paul Stewart). During these interviews, we are shown the trajectory of Kane's life, with the accounts often overlapping, each providing a different perspective into the actual Charles Kane. From these interviews we learn that when Kane was a child, he was sent away by his mother to live with a cold hearted banker. Later, at age 25, Kane took over The New York Enquirer and used it to build a media empire.
However, Kane's attempt at becoming Governor of New York State, which he intended to use to run for president, crashes and burns when rival Jim Getty uncovers an affair Kane was having with Susan Alexander. When Kane divorces his first wife, Emily Monroe Norton Kane (Ruth Warrick) and marries Susan, he spends the rest of his life trying to earn her love, first by buying an opera house so she can reluctantly pursue a singing career and then by building the expensive and elaborate palace Xanadu. However, none of this is enough to keep Susan from leaving him and so Kane dies alone, a faint shadow of his former self.
The Queering
For various reasons, I usually avoid reading reviews of a movie during the time between viewing a movie and completing a review of that movie. Citizen Kane I not only watched twice but during the time in between those screenings, I took the time to read several reviews from other critics. So legendary is the reputation Citizen Kane that nearly every review opened with some variation of what I now like to refer to as the Citizen Kane Standard Disclaimer which can be summed up as follows: "So great is the reputation of Citizen Kane and with so much written about it, that this critic will not be able to offer any new or original insight". All things considered, I cannot pretend any differently.
On Citizen Kane Orson Welles and the crew were either able to pioneer or popularize numerous early innovative cinematic techniques. Most notable was the deep focus method, where both the foreground and background could be filmed in perfect clarity, allowing for some truly astounding shots.
The most notable for me were:
-The shot of a miniscule child Kane playing outside through a window, while his domineering mother signs him over to the wealthy Carter in the foreground and in the midground, his poor father attempts to persuade Mrs. Kane not to go through with the deal. Note how each character's position and the amount of space they occupy on the screen perfectly corresponds to their relative influence and importance to what is occurring.
-When Kane signs his declaration of principles for the fledgling newspaper he recently acquired,
his face falls into complete shadow.
-After Kane gives his rousing campaign speech where a large portrait his face dominates the entire scene, there is a shot of Boss Getty overlooking the proceedings, while everything else, including Kane's portrait now appear in miniature.
-Shortly afterwards, there is a long take while Boss Getty confronts Mrs. Kane with her husbands duplicity in his dalliance with Susan Alexander, that uses perfect timing and staging to demonstrate the shifting power and allegiances of the characters involved.
From beginning to end, every shot in Citizen Kane is a piece of a larger puzzle to the main character's life. Not a frame goes by when there is not some metaphor or symbolism on display. But what does the larger puzzle represent? What sort of person is Charles Foster Kane really? The literal revelation of the term rosebud provides the biggest clue, but it's symbolic meaning is open to interpretation.
There is also a subtle queer subtext in the character of Kane's friend Leland. Jebidiah Leland never marries or expresses interest in any female character. Throughout the time he is being interviewed by Thompson, Leland aggressively tries to get the reporter to sneak into the convalescence home where Leland now lives some cigarettes, which he is forbidden by his doctor who cites the health risks of tobacco. What struck me about this scene is that, while a small number of doctors in the early forties believed that smoking posed a significant health risk, it would not be another decade before the first major study linking tobacco and lung cancer would be published. However, the false belief that "homosexuality" did pose serious health risks to gay men and lesbians was very widespread. Furthermore, during the Hayes code, smoking and particularly the sharing of cigarettes was a common way to subtly suggest sexual activity. Basically what I am saying is that the entire scene plays as if Leland is hitting on our intrepid reporter.
Speaking of Thompson, we never learn anything of his past and outside of a few brief shots, never see his face either. Thompson is clearly intended to be an audience surrogate, everything we learn about Kane -- other than the opening scene of Kane dyeing at the beginning and the big "rosebud" reveal at the end -- we learn through Thompson.
To go along with the sexual subtext, it's interesting to me to note how the film views on innocence and sexuality. Most notably are two instances when Kane appears the most human. The first is when he comes into the newsroom, shy as a bashful school boy to announce his first marriage to Emily Monroe Norton. The other is when Kane meets Susan Alexander while she was suffering from and he has just been splashed from mud from a passing carriage. Susan invites him up to her place to wash off and he accepts her invitation, he pays back her kindness by making shadow puppets and trying to make her laugh in order to distract her from her toothache. These instances show Kane coming the closest to recapturing the innocence of his youth. But the affair that results with Susan ultimately destroys Kane, while Boss Getty clearly committed some sort of actual criminal activity, it is a sexual affair that began with the most innocent of intentions that destroys Kane.
The idea of innocence is key to understanding Citizen Kane. Rosebud clearly refers to the loss of childhood innocence that Kane experienced when his mother sent him away with Carter. When Kane arrives at the newspaper to announce his first wedding, he not only acts like a bashful schoolboy but he is wearing an all white suit, in stark contrast to the dark clothing worn by everybody else. But when he meets Susan, he is literally covered in dirt and mud, although when she takes him up to her place, the snow globe that he will be holding during both of his utterances of rosebud can clearly be seen sitting on a table.
Given all the praise that Citizen Kane has recieved over the years, I feel somewhat obligated to point out two obvious flaws. The first is that Kane's last word could not have been heard by anyone as he dies alone, without even any servants in the room. The other is what could be considered Citizen Kane's lone technical flub. During a late scene where Kane takes Susan on a picnic in a vain effort to win her heart back, what look to be Pterosaurs can clearly be seen flying around in the background. This was due to footage from either King Kong or Son of Kong being reused here to save money.
Overall, Citizen Kane can be most easily summarized as a character study of an ambitious, yet flawed man. There are no traditional heroes and villians here, merely varying degrees of vices and strengths. However, more importantly, is it the greatest film of all time? I cannot say as it would take a certain amount of arrogance on my part to declare any movie "the greatest of all time". I would not say it was my personal favourite film that I have seen, but if I were to give it some thought, I would probably place it in the top 10. However, it is certainly among the most powerful and contains an intellectual depth that few films aspire too and almost none obtain. And for that reason, it is most deserving of it's reputation.
Recommendation
Strongly recommended. Regardless of what country, all citizens should see Citizen Kane.
The Rating
AFI's "A Hundred Years... A Hundred Films" Tribute
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
September 27, 2011
Queer Review: Ma Vie En Rose (1997)
Ma Vie En Rose (My Life in Pink)
Director: Alain Berliner
Writers: Alain Berliner and Chris Vander Stappen.
Cast: Georges Du Fresne, Michèle Laroque, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Hélène Vincent, Marie Bunel
Overview
This Belgium import from director Alain Berliner is notable for not only featuring a pubescent queer youth (something that almost never happens in Hollywood) but also uses some sublime acting, great writing, and superior direction to deliver a powerful message on the evils of bigotry.
Synopsis
Ludovic Fabre (Georges Du Fresne) is not an ordinary boy, in fact technically, Ludovic does not believe that "he" is a boy at all. But that is a problem as his parents (Pierre (Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Michèle Laroque) not only have difficulty accepting Ludovic insistence on dressing in girls clothes and wearing makeup but the whole family is ostracized by the neighbors, who refuse to tolerate anything "bent". Ultimately, this causes the family patriarch, Pierre Fabre to be fired.
The Queering
Ma Vie En Rose is a gorgeously sublime film about a child who claims that "he" is really a she. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of the MPAA rating this as R. In a world where quality movies that tell the stories of queer youth are incredibly hard to come by, restricting the audience to those who would have to obtain parental permission to see it, is absurd. It pretty much beats out the MPAA's stance of "it's okay to show a guy getting his brains blown out, but a lingering shot of a woman having an orgasm is a no no" regarding Boys Don't Cry. With this rating the MPAA is officially synonymous with blatant absurdity. There is *nothing* in Ma Vie En Rose that justifies anything beyond a PG-13. I could go on but that would distract me from reviewing this wonderful film.
The opening sequences of Ma Vie En Rose, which show different couples getting ready to attend the Fabre's housewarming party, is set up to demonstrate the enforced heternormativity of the neighborhood. Therefore, right from the start, we know that anyone who violates the unspoken rules dictating societal standards will be in trouble.
As for the central character, Ludovic this is less an issue of sexual orientation but of gender identity. Ludovic is a child who believes that his true gender is feminine. At one point he explains that his second X chromosome got lost when he was being born, so he got an XY, thereby making him a girl boy. This is perfectly natural and obvious, therefore when the adults react negatively, Ludovic merely reacts with confusion. How can his parents not understand so simple a truth?
The acting is all superb, with Georges Du Fresne giving a completely naturalistic and charming performance as a kid caught between his desires and parental approval. Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Michèle Laroque both manage to convey the normal fears and anxieties of parents caught in the dilemma of doing right by their son and being turned into social pariahs by those who refuse to accept any form of diversity.
The cinematography is also noteworthy and uses lighting and color to effectively convey mood. Most of the scenes feature bright tints and shocking contrasts, except during several key sequences where filters are used to subtly create a more oppressive atmosphere, creating a clash with the brightly lit fantasy sequences.
These fantasy scenes, where Ludovic dances and cavorts with the Barbie like character Pam, are frequently filmed from his mother looking directly at Ludovic, not in the real world but where he imagines himself to be. The first occurs when she looks up at Ludovic while he is having an out of body experience and the other when she ends up frantically searching for him in a Pam billboard. This suggests that his mom's perspective is what is off and that Ludovic's feminine personality is not merely a figment of his imagination.
Recommendation
Strongly recommended, this is simply a great movie worthy of being seen in any lifetime, regardless of how pink.
The Rating
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Director: Alain Berliner
Writers: Alain Berliner and Chris Vander Stappen.
Cast: Georges Du Fresne, Michèle Laroque, Jean-Philippe Écoffey, Hélène Vincent, Marie Bunel
Overview
This Belgium import from director Alain Berliner is notable for not only featuring a pubescent queer youth (something that almost never happens in Hollywood) but also uses some sublime acting, great writing, and superior direction to deliver a powerful message on the evils of bigotry.
Synopsis
Ludovic Fabre (Georges Du Fresne) is not an ordinary boy, in fact technically, Ludovic does not believe that "he" is a boy at all. But that is a problem as his parents (Pierre (Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Michèle Laroque) not only have difficulty accepting Ludovic insistence on dressing in girls clothes and wearing makeup but the whole family is ostracized by the neighbors, who refuse to tolerate anything "bent". Ultimately, this causes the family patriarch, Pierre Fabre to be fired.
The Queering
Ma Vie En Rose is a gorgeously sublime film about a child who claims that "he" is really a she. Don't get me started on the ridiculousness of the MPAA rating this as R. In a world where quality movies that tell the stories of queer youth are incredibly hard to come by, restricting the audience to those who would have to obtain parental permission to see it, is absurd. It pretty much beats out the MPAA's stance of "it's okay to show a guy getting his brains blown out, but a lingering shot of a woman having an orgasm is a no no" regarding Boys Don't Cry. With this rating the MPAA is officially synonymous with blatant absurdity. There is *nothing* in Ma Vie En Rose that justifies anything beyond a PG-13. I could go on but that would distract me from reviewing this wonderful film.
The opening sequences of Ma Vie En Rose, which show different couples getting ready to attend the Fabre's housewarming party, is set up to demonstrate the enforced heternormativity of the neighborhood. Therefore, right from the start, we know that anyone who violates the unspoken rules dictating societal standards will be in trouble.
As for the central character, Ludovic this is less an issue of sexual orientation but of gender identity. Ludovic is a child who believes that his true gender is feminine. At one point he explains that his second X chromosome got lost when he was being born, so he got an XY, thereby making him a girl boy. This is perfectly natural and obvious, therefore when the adults react negatively, Ludovic merely reacts with confusion. How can his parents not understand so simple a truth?
The acting is all superb, with Georges Du Fresne giving a completely naturalistic and charming performance as a kid caught between his desires and parental approval. Jean-Philippe Écoffey and Michèle Laroque both manage to convey the normal fears and anxieties of parents caught in the dilemma of doing right by their son and being turned into social pariahs by those who refuse to accept any form of diversity.
The cinematography is also noteworthy and uses lighting and color to effectively convey mood. Most of the scenes feature bright tints and shocking contrasts, except during several key sequences where filters are used to subtly create a more oppressive atmosphere, creating a clash with the brightly lit fantasy sequences.
These fantasy scenes, where Ludovic dances and cavorts with the Barbie like character Pam, are frequently filmed from his mother looking directly at Ludovic, not in the real world but where he imagines himself to be. The first occurs when she looks up at Ludovic while he is having an out of body experience and the other when she ends up frantically searching for him in a Pam billboard. This suggests that his mom's perspective is what is off and that Ludovic's feminine personality is not merely a figment of his imagination.
Recommendation
Strongly recommended, this is simply a great movie worthy of being seen in any lifetime, regardless of how pink.
The Rating
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
September 24, 2011
Petition New York State: Pass GENDA! Help end discrimination against transgender individuals!
From The Empire State Pride Agenda:
"The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (A.5039/Gottfried)(S.2873/Duane) is a bill that would outlaw discrimination in New York State based on gender identity and/or expression. Currently it is legal in New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your home or be denied credit or public accommodations (like service in a restaurant) simply for being transgender. GENDA also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people.
The Facts
Transgender New Yorkers face severe discrimination. For example, a report released this year by the Empire State Pride Agenda showed that: 20.7% of transgender New Yorkers have incomes under $10,000 a year. Most recently, in 2011, Findings of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey completed by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force report that 74% of transgender New Yorkers experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job, 20% lost a job and 37% were not hired at all. An alarming 18% of transgender New Yorkers had become homeless because of their gender identity or expression. Health care discrimination for transgender New Yorkers is also very alarming with a 17% rate of individuals who were refused medical care due to their gender identity or expression."
"The Gender Expression Non-Discrimination Act (A.5039/Gottfried)(S.2873/Duane) is a bill that would outlaw discrimination in New York State based on gender identity and/or expression. Currently it is legal in New York to be fired from your job, kicked out of your home or be denied credit or public accommodations (like service in a restaurant) simply for being transgender. GENDA also expands the state’s hate crimes law to explicitly include crimes against transgender people.
The Facts
Transgender New Yorkers face severe discrimination. For example, a report released this year by the Empire State Pride Agenda showed that: 20.7% of transgender New Yorkers have incomes under $10,000 a year. Most recently, in 2011, Findings of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey completed by the National Center for Transgender Equality and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force report that 74% of transgender New Yorkers experienced harassment or mistreatment on the job, 20% lost a job and 37% were not hired at all. An alarming 18% of transgender New Yorkers had become homeless because of their gender identity or expression. Health care discrimination for transgender New Yorkers is also very alarming with a 17% rate of individuals who were refused medical care due to their gender identity or expression."
September 23, 2011
Queer Review: Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Myra Breckinridge
Director: Michael Sarne
Writers: Michael Sarne and David Giler. Based upon the novel by Gore Vidal.
Cast: Raquel Welch, Rex Reed, John Huston, Mae West, Tom Selleck, Roger C. Carmel, Roger Herren
Overview
Based upon the controversial novel by Gore Vidal, Myra Breckinridge is widely considered to be one of the worse films of all times. However, this appears to be due primarily to bad publicity combined with conservative standards at the time regarding human sexuality, as the final product is more of a muddled mess than an outright disaster. I am not going to defend Myra Breckinridge by any means, but Michael Sarne's film is nowhere near as bad as it's reputation suggests.
Synopsis
Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) has just undergone a sex change operation to become Myra Breckinridge (Raquel Welch). Her next course of action is to approach Buck Loner (John Huston), who heads the acting school that Myron owns half of. Pretending to be Myron's widow, Myra attempts to persuade Buck to buy the half of the school that she now technically owns while Buck attempts to prove her claims wrong. Meanwhile, now a professor at the school, Myra falls madly in love with one of the students, Rusty Godowski (Roger Herren) and makes every attempt to destroy his masculinity.
The Queering
Myra Breckinridge is not only listed on Wikipedia's List of films considered the worst but it is also the only film from the 70's on the list. Furthermore, Myra Breckinridge was also included in Harry Medved's book, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way). Gore Vidal also distanced himself from the movie adaptation of his book.
By no means am I going to defend Myra Breckinridge but I will say that it is nowhere's near being among the worst films of all time. I can think of plenty of films that are a million times worse, such as Another Gay Movie or Half Baked where the experience of watching becomes so intolerable that one will very quickly wish to be doing something more pleasant, such as undergoing Chinese water torture. In fact, if forced at gunpoint I would not hesitate to choose Myra Breckinridge over watching any lame rom com such as Latter Days or Imagine Me and You.
This is not to say that Myra Breckinridge is flawless. On the whole, it would be charitable to label Michael Sarne's direction and writing as "muddled". This is backed up by reports that Sarne would spend up to 7 hours at time alone "thinking" while the production crew was forced to wait around. Too bad that given the evidence at hand that "thinking" does not appear to be among Sarne's strengths.
The one thing that makes Myra Breckinridge enjoyable or at least watchable, was the frequent use of clips from old movies, inserted at appropriate moments, often to provide an exclamation point to the humour. This sort of creativity is something I would like to see a lot more of in films. Also, Raquel Welch's performance is worth a look, as is Mae West as a talent scout who only wants studs due to the fact that she sleeps with all her clients. John Huston also manages to generate a few sparks as the fake macho buck who spars with Breckinridge. All of the other performances are mostly forgettable.
In the end, Myra Breckinridge was doomed by bad press and the conservative standards of the day turned the explicit sex related humour into the films albatross. Toss in the fact that the final product was not all that great and it is easy to see why this universally panned by critics.
Recommendation
While not even remotely close to being a candidate for one of the worst movies of all time, this is still pretty much only for those with a tolerance for experimental films or a very strong interest in the history of queer cinema.
The Rating
Trailer
Want to find a review of a particular work? Check out the Title Index, the archive of all reviews posted listed alphabetically.
Director: Michael Sarne
Writers: Michael Sarne and David Giler. Based upon the novel by Gore Vidal.
Cast: Raquel Welch, Rex Reed, John Huston, Mae West, Tom Selleck, Roger C. Carmel, Roger Herren
Overview
Based upon the controversial novel by Gore Vidal, Myra Breckinridge is widely considered to be one of the worse films of all times. However, this appears to be due primarily to bad publicity combined with conservative standards at the time regarding human sexuality, as the final product is more of a muddled mess than an outright disaster. I am not going to defend Myra Breckinridge by any means, but Michael Sarne's film is nowhere near as bad as it's reputation suggests.
Synopsis
Myron Breckinridge (Rex Reed) has just undergone a sex change operation to become Myra Breckinridge (Raquel Welch). Her next course of action is to approach Buck Loner (John Huston), who heads the acting school that Myron owns half of. Pretending to be Myron's widow, Myra attempts to persuade Buck to buy the half of the school that she now technically owns while Buck attempts to prove her claims wrong. Meanwhile, now a professor at the school, Myra falls madly in love with one of the students, Rusty Godowski (Roger Herren) and makes every attempt to destroy his masculinity.
The Queering
Myra Breckinridge is not only listed on Wikipedia's List of films considered the worst but it is also the only film from the 70's on the list. Furthermore, Myra Breckinridge was also included in Harry Medved's book, The Fifty Worst Films of All Time (And How They Got That Way). Gore Vidal also distanced himself from the movie adaptation of his book.
By no means am I going to defend Myra Breckinridge but I will say that it is nowhere's near being among the worst films of all time. I can think of plenty of films that are a million times worse, such as Another Gay Movie or Half Baked where the experience of watching becomes so intolerable that one will very quickly wish to be doing something more pleasant, such as undergoing Chinese water torture. In fact, if forced at gunpoint I would not hesitate to choose Myra Breckinridge over watching any lame rom com such as Latter Days or Imagine Me and You.
This is not to say that Myra Breckinridge is flawless. On the whole, it would be charitable to label Michael Sarne's direction and writing as "muddled". This is backed up by reports that Sarne would spend up to 7 hours at time alone "thinking" while the production crew was forced to wait around. Too bad that given the evidence at hand that "thinking" does not appear to be among Sarne's strengths.
The one thing that makes Myra Breckinridge enjoyable or at least watchable, was the frequent use of clips from old movies, inserted at appropriate moments, often to provide an exclamation point to the humour. This sort of creativity is something I would like to see a lot more of in films. Also, Raquel Welch's performance is worth a look, as is Mae West as a talent scout who only wants studs due to the fact that she sleeps with all her clients. John Huston also manages to generate a few sparks as the fake macho buck who spars with Breckinridge. All of the other performances are mostly forgettable.
In the end, Myra Breckinridge was doomed by bad press and the conservative standards of the day turned the explicit sex related humour into the films albatross. Toss in the fact that the final product was not all that great and it is easy to see why this universally panned by critics.
Recommendation
While not even remotely close to being a candidate for one of the worst movies of all time, this is still pretty much only for those with a tolerance for experimental films or a very strong interest in the history of queer cinema.
The Rating
Trailer
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September 22, 2011
Queer Issue: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo to be "gayed up"
After all the moping I've had to do recently about Hollywood's unholy obsession with straightening out originally queer characters and historical figures, I'm glad to have some good news to report. It appears that David Fincher's remake of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo will be retaining heroine Lisbeth Salander's bisexuality. Yes! Not only that, but the 3 1/2 minute trailer features more girl on girl action than was in the original movie.
To be fair, I'm not sure how much or how explicit the same sex activity was in Stieg Larsson's original novel, as I never read it, so I can not say that Fincher's version will be queerer than Larsson's. The gaying up I'm referring to of course just with regards to the first movie that was directed by Niels Arden Oplev.
In any case, feel free to enjoy the trailer.
To be fair, I'm not sure how much or how explicit the same sex activity was in Stieg Larsson's original novel, as I never read it, so I can not say that Fincher's version will be queerer than Larsson's. The gaying up I'm referring to of course just with regards to the first movie that was directed by Niels Arden Oplev.
In any case, feel free to enjoy the trailer.
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