Tuesday, October 24, 2006
maybe i've seen star wars too many times
but it just seems like the subtext of so many movies is all about being gay in a homophobic and heterosexist society. i don't hate that i'm always reading gay themes into every movie i watch; i hate that no one ever agrees with me.
silent movie sunday on tcm played laugh, clown, laugh starring lon chaney. (i've now seen three lon chaney movies and everyone of them was about the circus--one movie he was pretending to be armless, one movie he was legless and in this movie he was a clown.) laugh, clown, laugh is about a clown who finds this abandoned kid and adopts her. 20 years later he figures out that he's in love with his adopted daughter, but of course he can't do anything about it. so he turns into a clown who cries whenever he's not performing. his neurologist tells him he needs to love a women and he'll be cured of his sadness. at the doctor's office he meets this guy who can't stop laughing. how he gets over his disease? he needs to fall in love. so the sad clown and the laughing guy become friends because they can help each other. then the laughing guy falls in love with the clowns adopted daughter. the movie's not that good, so i don't know how it ends.
but the laughing guy and the sad clown are totally in love with each other. being in love with his adopted daughter is a metaphor for their homosexual attractions. he has these feelings that are frowned on by society so he has to suppress them and he becomes miserable. there were all of these crazy scenes between the sad clown and laughing guy where it was obvious that they loved each other. but no one believed me when i tried to point this out.
maybe i have seen star wars too many times, but it seems like so many movies are about suppressing, fighting or coming to terms with homosexuality. but star wars isn't the only reason i pick up on the (obvious) gay subtext in so many movies. it's also because of brokeback mountain (and you probably thought i was coming out). brokeback is supposed to be this groundbreaking movie because of it's subject matter--homosexuals trying to live in an hyper-homophobic and ultra-heterosexist community--but there are like a billion movies about that. besides star wars and laugh, clown, laugh there's top gun, et, gladiator, casablanca, midnight cowboy, pearl harbor and so on and so on.
silent movie sunday on tcm played laugh, clown, laugh starring lon chaney. (i've now seen three lon chaney movies and everyone of them was about the circus--one movie he was pretending to be armless, one movie he was legless and in this movie he was a clown.) laugh, clown, laugh is about a clown who finds this abandoned kid and adopts her. 20 years later he figures out that he's in love with his adopted daughter, but of course he can't do anything about it. so he turns into a clown who cries whenever he's not performing. his neurologist tells him he needs to love a women and he'll be cured of his sadness. at the doctor's office he meets this guy who can't stop laughing. how he gets over his disease? he needs to fall in love. so the sad clown and the laughing guy become friends because they can help each other. then the laughing guy falls in love with the clowns adopted daughter. the movie's not that good, so i don't know how it ends.
but the laughing guy and the sad clown are totally in love with each other. being in love with his adopted daughter is a metaphor for their homosexual attractions. he has these feelings that are frowned on by society so he has to suppress them and he becomes miserable. there were all of these crazy scenes between the sad clown and laughing guy where it was obvious that they loved each other. but no one believed me when i tried to point this out.
maybe i have seen star wars too many times, but it seems like so many movies are about suppressing, fighting or coming to terms with homosexuality. but star wars isn't the only reason i pick up on the (obvious) gay subtext in so many movies. it's also because of brokeback mountain (and you probably thought i was coming out). brokeback is supposed to be this groundbreaking movie because of it's subject matter--homosexuals trying to live in an hyper-homophobic and ultra-heterosexist community--but there are like a billion movies about that. besides star wars and laugh, clown, laugh there's top gun, et, gladiator, casablanca, midnight cowboy, pearl harbor and so on and so on.
Comments:
<< Home
That sucks for you that every movie (text) has the same uninteresting, overused theme. You're gay. Get over it.
i never picked any of that up in e.t. if anything i'd say it was more along the lines of inter-terrestrial (like interracial, but between planets)
dust, i know it's an overused theme. did you see those movies i listed? except for star wars, et and casblanca (which actually doesn't have a gay subtext, but neither does et) none of those movies are any good. like lethal weapon, the only thing good about them is that so many homophobes love them. especially top gun.
Whitney and I watched Lethal Weapon 2 this weekend, which is why it's on our minds. The other best part is when Mel is lying in Danny's lap and says, "You're a beautiful man," and then they laugh and laugh and laugh (and love).
I'm preoccupied with gay themes and gender-relational themes alike. Feels like every movie is about gay love in a homophobic society or the oppression of women in a sexist society.
I'm preoccupied with gay themes and gender-relational themes alike. Feels like every movie is about gay love in a homophobic society or the oppression of women in a sexist society.
It is funny to find a gay subtext in action movies!!!
I just think it's reductive to always look for that subtext. Like critics and scholars always looking for proof in Shakespeare that he was gay. It doesn't add much insight to the plays. Y'know?
I just think it's reductive to always look for that subtext. Like critics and scholars always looking for proof in Shakespeare that he was gay. It doesn't add much insight to the plays. Y'know?
First of all,
where can i get a copy of Hamlet set in a 70's roller disco!
and Secondly,
Brian, you and I should totally go to movies together, or at least be Netflix friends since i agree with you. Did you ever see Blade Trinity?
=)
naudy.
where can i get a copy of Hamlet set in a 70's roller disco!
and Secondly,
Brian, you and I should totally go to movies together, or at least be Netflix friends since i agree with you. Did you ever see Blade Trinity?
=)
naudy.
i don't know. i saw your movie reviews. solaris is one million times better than superman returns. i mean what was up with all the jesus stuff in that movie? i imagine that the only way superman returns is good is if you compare it with the passions of the christ. they're basically the same movie but superman returns has less anti-semitism.
Post a Comment
<< Home
