Gay movies that caused controversy to critics, but you wonder what the big deal was?

[elegant20]

Name movies you remember possibly from your childhood, adulthood, or whatever that probably caused a lot of controversy in your where you grew up, but you always wondered what the big was, anyway?

I remembered when Making Love was released in theaters, it really damaged the career of Harry Hamlin, who was shun quite sometime from the movies until his LA Law career was revived later on.

 

[jjsjr]

umm...Brokeback Mountain.... (obviously)

 

[BiItalianBro]

I seem to recall 'Torchsong Trilogy' pissing allot of people off...but that could have been because it was the late 1980s and i was living in Atlanta, GA.

 

[Bbucko]

Probably the most controversial gay movie ever remains Boys in the Band: it was way too gay for 1970 when it was released but quickly became lightning rod for gays who felt that the entire thing was an exercise in self-hatred.

It was scorned and vilified up until very recently. It's now being reappraised (IMDb gives it 7.6 stars, for instance) critically and is finally coming to be seen in somewhat more positive light (though hardly the subject of unanimous praise). About four months ago I watched the whole thing on YouTube and admit to having appreciated much of the acting. It's no more representative of the entirety of "Gay Culture" than Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf is of academia.

 

[MickeyLee]

Al Pachino's Cruising *set in the underground SM scene of the late 70s* and Dog Day Afternoon *robs a bank to fund his lover's sex change* both caused heaps of drama when released.

same with Midnight Cowboy, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Midnight Express.... none of the films could really be called gay movies, but all them featured characters of the homosexual leanings. and used the subculture as a background for the characters.

eta: Suddenly Last Summer with Liz Taylor totally fits in with the main stream/queer character drama flail.

straight out gay films.... um Leopold and Loeb was more protested by the queer community for negative imagines of gay folks *serial killers and such*

L.I.E. was met with protests state side.

gay films are usually a art house affair, so unless there is something to pull in the straight press - straight main stream actor in a lead, subculture like leather/bears or outside handled as feature characters -the film will slip notice and most controversy.

the drama rises up when mainstream/major studios tackles queer story lines.. from Bound to Brokeback.

 

[elegant20]

L.I.E.....that was with Brian Cox, if memory serves me...it has been a while since I saw this movie.

 

[THEDUDEofDestiny]

The Serbian Movie has been getting a lot of press but only because some guy rapes an infant seconds after it is born. what's the big deal? this is the art the world needs

 

[B_Lightkeeper]

I'd surprised no one mentioned "The Gay Deceivers" (1969). A cute comedy about two guys trying to appear "gay" to avoid the draft.

Or...."Dinah East" (1970) about an actor who can't get a job in the movies so he dresses as a female and becomes a star. (Sound like an early "Tootsie?") It is reported that aging actress Mae West got the movie taken out of circulation since many claim she was actually a he.

 

[wolf1bear2]

Bbucko, loved Boys In The Band, loved Leonard Frey, and knew all his lines, got any hot crossed buns?

 

[Industrialsize]

In 1972 "That Certain Summer" caused quite a stir when Hal Holbrook and Martin Sheen played 2 men having an affair.
That Certain Summer (1972) (TV)

 

[Mastur]

The Priest.

 

[B_Lightkeeper]

Doing Time On Maple St. is a 1992 made-for-TV movie with Jim Carey. He's not gay but his TV brother's character is. Carey plays a good dramatic role.

The political drama "Advise & Consent" 1962 movie showed viewers an inside look at a gay bar for the first time.

 

[Bbucko]

Bbucko, loved Boys In The Band, loved Leonard Frey, and knew all his lines, got any hot crossed buns?

I'm not sure I'd say that I "loved" it, but I did find much of it more relatable to my own experience than most of those new unfunny gay "comedies" where everyone's in his early 20s, has 2% body fat, drives a Mercedes and lives in a $2million Los Angeles condo.