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About Just out. (Portland, OR) 1983-2013 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 4, 2002)
January 4, POOP » FILM 37 ........... ▼ ............. View your history Homosexuality is seeping into mainstream cinema. The following filmography shows how we got there. by A ndrew P reis T he Golden Globe Award nominations have been announced, and gay themes did OK indeed. (See Page 41 for a rundown.) In years past, however, we might not have seen as many of these nominations as we would have liked. This didn’t stop filmmakers, of course, from creating dozens of quality docu mentaries and features exploring the formation and development of a unique yet extremely diverse queer community. These films offer a compelling way to explore a history that has only just begun to be appreciated. To that end, don’t forget the fol lowing the next time you visit the video store. Your history on film awaits. THE uG00D OLD/BAD OLD” DAYS reta Schiller’s 1985 documentary Before Stonewall traces the development of a gay and lesbian community throughout the 20th century, from 1920s lesbian bars in Harlem to drag shows during World War II to Mattachine Society picket lines of the 1960s. Narrated by Rita Mae Brown and filled with historical footage and inter views, this film became an instant classic and a model for documentaries to come. Also recommend ed: Coming Out Under Fire; Out of the Past ; Silent Pio neers; Academy Award winner The Times of Har vey Milk; Victim. P HERSTORY he 1989 closing of Maud’s Study, a 23-year- old lesbian bar and institution in San Fran cisco, is explored by Paris Poirier in Last Call at Maud's, an engaging 1993 minihistory of modem lesbian life. Many longtime patrons are interviewed, nostalgically recalling their first experiences in a lesbian bar and the role that Maud’s played in their lives. A lso recommended: Fiction and Other Truths: A Film About Jane Rule; Gertrude Stein: When This You See, Remember Me; Nitrate Kisses; Ruth Ellis at 100; Stolen Moments. T G MODERN TIMES AND POLITICS BS originally broadcast The Question of Equal ity, a 1995 four-part series exploring issues fac ing the sexual minorities community. “Out Rage ’69” traces the beginnings of the gay rights movement from Stonewall through the Anita Bryant attacks. “Culture Wars” explores the anti gay backlash sparked by the AIDS crisis (such as attacks on National Endowment for the Arts funding), while “Hollow Liberty” traces the strug gle for legal recognition in the bedroom and the barracks. The series ends with “Generation Q,” an ters. Among them was 1997’s Bent, an adaptation of Mar tin Sherman’s dev astating play that follows one gay man from the decadence of Ger man night life to the horrors of a concentration camp. The film features Rupert Graves and Mick Jagger in support ing roles and pre sents one of the most heart-wrenching male love stories ever filmed. Also recommended: Aimee & Jaguar; Edward II; Maurice; The Midwife’s Tale; Wilde; Wittgenstein. A Question of Equality traces 3 0 years of queer rights AND IN THE ARTS he role of gay people in the arts has been documented frequently on film. Looking for Langston, a 1989 offering by Isaac Julien, is a pensive yet celebratory meditation on poet Langston Hughes and the 1920s Harlem Renaissance. The film incorporates re-enact ments of Cotton Club shows, sensual imagery T Looking for Langston explores notions of history and identity of two lovers in bed, Mapplethorpe photogra phy and the lyrical poetry of Essex Hemphill and Bruce Nugent into a story of an evolving black gay consciousness. Also recommended: Before Night Falls ; The Cellubid Closet; Dancemaker ; The International Sweethearts of Rhythm ; The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender. jn ANDREW P reis is a free-lance film writer. inspiring depiction of today’s queer youth. Also recommended: After Stonewall; Nighthawks; Stonewall; Tongues Untied; Wigstock: The Movie. THE AGE OF AIDS nd the Band Played On — HBO’s 1993 star- studded dramatization of Randy Shilts’ hook on the early years of the epidemic— is both historically comprehensive and emotion ally riveting. Filmed as a dramatic thriller, the story focuses on those first involved with the virus and the battles they fought with fear, indifference and bias. Among the cast are Alan Alda, Phil Collins, Richard Gere, Angelica Huston, Steve Martin, Ian McKellen, Matthew Modine and Lily Tomlin. Also recommended: An Early Frost; Life and Death on the A List; Longtime Companion; A Virus Knows No Morals; Zero Patience. A HISTORY RE-CREATED ith the rise of independent filmmaking came a surge of historical dramas involv ing both real and fictional gay charac W All dressed up and only one place to go: Maud’s Study The Fantasy Creature Store “ He may not be gay but his photos sure Dragons - Gargoyles - Fairies Jewelry - Incense - Celtic Gifts 3106-B NE 64th Near the corner of 64th & Sandy Blvd 503-241-8888 Thurs 12-6 • Frl 12-6 • Sat 12-7 • Sun 12-5 JO H N N Y vases on sale this month a cultural crossroads of colorful crafts The Water Tower at Johns Landing 5331 SW Macadam Av. Portland 503-241-6555 www.woodhloom.com SOLE 815 SW Alder Street 503.228.5844 503.225.1241 Portland, OR 97205 Upstairs Downstairs are queer.” OTTO PHOKUZ PORTRAIT 5 0 3 STUDIO 2 3 2 - 2 0 7 8 - WWW.OTTOPHOKUZ.COH G irt the gift that stares back. %
