Customer Reviews

The Queer Encyclopedia of Film and Television

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This engaging encyclopedia contains over 160 entries and includes notable actors, actresses, screenwriters, directors, comedians and more (both living and dead), as well as specialized topics. Entries on individuals cover a page or two while broader subjects (like "American Television - Dramas and "British Television") are much lengthier. Contributors include professors, scholars, writers and critics in the field. For the most part, entries are thorough, covering a person's career and accomplishments as well as illuminating their private life and what part, if any, their sexuality had on their professional lives. Some subjects are more revealing than others. For example, entries on Agnes Moorehead and Cary Grant, two examples of famous "were they or were they not?," don't really include any new information, aside from gossip, and the basis for their inclusion is questionable. On the other hand, recently deceased contemporary subjects, who never publicly came out, like Roddy McDowell, James Ivory and Ismail Merchant, are included. Famous bi-sexuals (like Tallulah Bankhead, Errol Flynn, Brad David and Margaret Cho) are included. A notable highlight of the book is the inclusion of contemporary actors, like Dan Butler, Alan Cumming and Lily Tomlin. There are so notable omissions (like Leslie Jordan, Sara Gilbert and David Hyde Pierce), but the editor states that the book is not meant to be comprehensive and the lack of information on certain individuals is often the reason for their absence. Hopefully, this is a reference work that will be revised in years to come. It is a helpful and informative source.