Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema [Paperback]

Steven Paul Davies (Author), Simon Callow (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 2008

Over the decades, gay cinema has reflected the community's journey from persecution to emancipation to acceptance. Politicized dramas like Victim in the 1960s, The Naked Civil Servant in the 1970s, and the AIDS cinema of the 1980s have given way in recent years to films which celebrate a vast array of gay lifestyles. Gay films have undergone a major shift from the fringe to the mainstream—2005’s Academy Awards were dubbed "the gay Oscars" with statues going to Brokeback Mountain, Capote, and Transamerica. Producers began clamoring to back gay-themed movies and the most high profile of these is Gus Van Sant’s forthcoming Milk, starring Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, the first prominent American political figure to be elected to office on an openly gay ticket back in the 1970s. The book also covers gay filmmakers and actors and their influence within the industry, the most iconic scenes from gay cinema, and the most memorable dialogue from key films.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

In this lavish history, Davies (A–Z of Cult Films and Filmmakers) examines gay cinema from its earliest days through the present. He organizes the material by decade, beginning with pre-1960s cinema, and discusses various films within their social contexts—from when the subject was off-limits and expressed on-screen only via symbolic codes and icons, through Stonewall and AIDS, to when gay people and gay themes were openly accepted and became central to certain films. Davies follows each chapter with biographical summaries of key actors and directors and includes in-depth examples of the genre's development, from Midnight Cowboy (1969) and La Cage aux Folles (1978) to Torch Song Trilogy (1988), Philadelphia (1993), and Brokeback Mountain (2005). A generous selection of photos and movie stills and an excellent foreword by Simon Callow nicely complement this work. A thoughtful and well-presented overview of the subject with insightful perspectives on the complex role and social, political, and artistic impact of gay cinema within modern culture.—Carol J. Binkowski, Bloomfield, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About the Author

Steven Paul Davies is the author of A-Z of Cult Films and Filmmakers, Alex Cox: Film Anarchist, Get Carter and Beyond: The Cinema of Mike Hodges, and The Prisoner Handbook, and the coauthor of Brat Pack Confidential.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Oldcastle Books (December 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1842432915
• ISBN-13: 978-1842432914
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 7.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,393,312 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A scathing review by Jenni Olson, February 18, 2009

By 

J. Olson "lgbt film fanatic" (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema (Paperback)

It has been a very exciting thing to watch the tremendous continuing expansion of LGBT cinema. Rather than illuminating that growth, I have to say that Steven Paul Davies's ambitiously entitled book does nothing more than attempt to capitalize on the phenomenon. For the most part it reads like an updated Cliff's Notes version of Vito Russo's groundbreaking overview of homosexuality in the movies, The Celluloid Closet or a cheap rip-off of Ray Murray's excellent encyclopedia of queer cinema, Images In The Dark. If you want a great LGBT film book -- get one of those.

Honestly, the majority of Out At The Movies: A History of Gay Cinema reads like a sophomore thesis. It consists primarily of lengthy plot descriptions and re-heated platitudes on how gay images have evolved over the years. Substantial amounts of this text read like over-enthusiastic marketing copy straight from the back of a video box.

I might add that the book's nominal inclusion of lesbian films convey a stunning ignorance of lesbian film history (the book somehow, amazingly, manages to have no mention at all of Desert Hearts -- the single most successful and popular lesbian film of all time).

As a film critic, I frequently refrain from writing reviews of works that I don't like. I prefer to champion things I enjoy, rather than trash the things I don't. All of which to say, rarely do I feel compelled to write a negative review. This is an extremely disappointing book. If you're looking for a real "History of Gay Cinema" -- look elsewhere.

I would also strongly recommend Alonso Duralde's 101 Must See Movies for Gay Men as an alternative to this book. Alonso is a terrifically entertaining and thoughtful writer with smart opinions and genuine perspectives on, well, more than 100 movies that you really must see!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous!, October 13, 2010

By 

Manus Kranny (Stroud, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema (Paperback)

This book is fabulous! Perfect for every gay man's coffee table, a lavish book of gay movies. Most of my favourite gay films are in here but there's quite a few gems I probably should have heard of or seen so they're now on my wish list! Love the cover and there's lots of colour pictures inside too. One of my favourite actors Simon Callow has written a special introduction for this book. It's really reader-friendly, you can dip in and out or sit and read chapter to chapter finding out about how gay cinema has evolved throughout the decades. And it's much better than all the dry academic books on gay cinema that are out there.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Gay Cinema Book to Own, October 17, 2009

By 

J. loucks (Phila PA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema (Paperback)

This book gives a great in-depth look at gay cinema and how far the movie industry has come all these years. It also gives you insight on the stars, background of the actors and in general, full info on the movies of the period. Highly recommend this book to all movie buffs.