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| Alfred Charles Kinsey, a pioneer in the field of sex research, was portrayed by
Liam Neeson in ‘Kinsey’ earlier this year. |
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HOME > SOVO SCENE > FILM
By: Rhonda Smith
COMMENTS |
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HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS AS well as independent filmmakers with vision offered audiences
more options this year than in the past to learn about gay and lesbian life.
From “De-Lovely” to “Kinsey” to “Saved,”
viewers had opportunities this year to learn about composer Cole Porter’s
work as well as his affairs with men, sex researcher Alfred Kinsey’s bisexual
leanings, and how a group of high school youths handled a clash between gay
culture and Christianity.
Some of the most memorable gay-themed movies from 2004:
“Broadway: The Golden Age by the Legends Who Were There” Gay filmmaker
Rick McKay interviewed most of the New York stage legends who matter, including
many gay icons, and dug up rare footage of some of their performances for this
award-winning anecdotal history. Among those interviewed were Bea Arthur, Carol
Channing, Jerry Herman, Stephen Sondheim, Farley Granger, Donald Pippin and
Maureen Stapleton.
“Saved” Mandy Moore had fun with her squeaky clean image as Hilary
Faye, the leader of the Christian Jewels, “sort of like a girl gang for
Jesus.” But this was fellow Jewel Mary’s (Jena Malone) story. Two
weeks before the start of senior year, her boyfriend, Dean (Chad Faust), tells
her he’s gay. Devout Christian that she is, Mary tries to “cure”
him, and becomes pregnant in the process.
“My Mother Likes Women” In this Spanish film with English subtitles,
before Sofia (Rosa Maria Sard) can finish coming out to her daughters, her new
love, Eliska (Eliska Sorova), a Czech pianist 20 years her junior, enters. The
three daughters express varying degrees of homophobia, ageism and selfishness,
which leads them down a droll, dark path that involves plotting to get the gay
couple to break up.
“A Home at the End of the World” Based on the novel by gay author
Michael Cunningham, this film features a series of stellar performances by Colin
Farrell and co-stars Robin Wright-Penn, Sissy Spacek and Dallas Roberts. It
begins in 1967 Cleveland and reveals a complicated relationship between two
young men and, later, a woman. The film essentially is about finding one’s
place in the world.
“Kinsey” Alfred Charles Kinsey remains a pioneer in the field of
sex research, as well as a sometimes-controversial figure. His studies, known
as the Kinsey reports, shocked the core of America’s Eisenhower-era innocence.
Directed by gay filmmaker Bill Condon, the movie stars Liam Neeson and Laura
Linney. Kinsey, who died in 1956, was bisexual, not gay, as many assume. He
considered human sexuality to be more fluid than fixed, Condon said.
“Brother to Brother” Gay director Rodney Evans delivered a powerful
and compelling narrative that explored social mores in contemporary black gay
culture along with the rich, artful period known as the Harlem Renaissance.
“De-Lovely” Cole Porter and his wife, Linda, were married for many
years, though Porter was attracted to men and took part in numerous affairs.
Both a showcase for the music of the legendary songwriter of the ‘30s,
‘40s and ‘50s and a fictionalized biography of his life, “De-Lovely”
uses Porter’s relationship with his wife as the central theme in this
story, but didn’t shy from addressing his well-documented relationships
with men.
“Callas Forever” Before Madonna, Cher and Liza, there was Maria
Callas, the temperamental diva and icon of opera queens everywhere. In this
fictitious imagining of her final project, her gay friend and manager, Larry
Kelly (Jeremy Irons), convinces the star (Fanny Ardant) to come out of hiding
to make a film version of the opera “Carmen.”
“Bear Cub” (“Cachorro”) This Spanish film by director
Miguel Albaladejo centers around Pedro, a gay bear living in the city and enjoying
the purposely single life. When his hippie sister asks him to watch her son,
Bernardo, for two weeks Pedro is happy to oblige. Pedro is not necessarily a
role model of virtue but the film offers a true understanding of bear culture
in the film.
Compiled by Rhonda Smith
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