Gay and Lesbian film: The Birdcage, The Business of Fancydancing. But classical Hollywood cinema? I thought they were all about the ideal society, where men work and lead the household, while the innocent women raise the kids and cook. Apparently, there actually was homosexuality to be found in older films, and a lot more than I had ever expected or imagined.

However, this homosexuality, as per movie industry regulations, had to be subtle, in secrecy, and often only detected at the time by those who were seeking homosexuality–gays and lesbians themselves. It went by often unnoticed, or in fact humored upon. A very funny scene of this subtle humor can be found in the last scene of Some Like It Hot, in which Joe E. Brown seems to be okay with the fact that the woman he’s fallen in love with is actually a man.



In addition, many instances in which gay men were shown in classical Hollywood film involved the “sissy,” or the effeminate man who clearly went against the ideal man of the first half of the twentieth century. Although this was and still may be a very comical character, it slowly demoralized and degraded the self-esteem of those viewers who were truly gay, because it portrayed them as something less than normal; a people to be ridiculed.

Watching The Celluloid Closet and hearing the guest speakers commentate on the true impact of classical Hollywood films opened my eyes to an entirely different view of the humor that I had never thought about in a criticizing manner. I realized because almost every instance or mention of homosexuals in older films involved humor and ultimately ridicule, it only served to instill fear and resent into the already closeted and embarrassed gay population of the time.

Nevertheless, in today’s world, homosexuality is becoming increasingly acceptable, and so it seems to me that gay humor now may not be quite as malevolent or alienating as it used to be, since there is less to worry about, so to speak, today. I know for sure that one of my gay friends is fine laughing at his own sexuality, because it’s ultimately about confidence; as any people are more socially accepted, they become more confident, and are more comfortable with laughing at themselves.

The Evolution of the Homosexual Character in Hollywood Film

Homosexuality has evolved very similarly to all other racy subjects in film, but it is still a topic that the general public is working to find acceptance for. In its beginning, it was discussed only subtly and its extreme cases were exploited for laughter. In other words, it was not viewed as an actual state of being for humans, but more as an underlying joke to the general public that cannot possibly describe something true. Characters flamboyantly gallivanted across the screen, usually as men with overly girly characteristics. The audience would laugh because they felt as though the subject matter being portrayed was not serious in itself. After a period of parodying gay life, Hollywood began to treat this lifestyle as being villainous or sinful. As time progressed, filmmakers began to deepen their focus on sexuality, which included homosexuality. Scenes became more graphic and audiences were drawn in by the erotic imagery produced. The raciness of film seemed okay to most viewers until that also included homosexual subject matter. Not a large percentage of the general audience wished to see the relationship or romantics of two males on the big screen. Due to this and other factors, Hollywood became handcuffed by censorship and was forever changed.

The documentary-style film The Celluloid Closet discusses in full the transgression of homosexuality into movie productions and how it has adapted and evolved overtime in Hollywood. Many prominent actors, actresses, producers, and directors, who are almost all gay or lesbian, are called on to discuss their take on homosexuality in Hollywood. It is interesting to view homosexuality as a subculture that is minimally represented by film, for the general audience is assumed to be straight. An entire group of people are then left unrepresented by animation or film that is supposed to connect all people and stories. In order to combat the general audiences dissent for this subject and Hollywood's implementation of censorship, directors and producers began slipping subtle messages or moments representing or alluding to homosexuality within their films. For example, in the movie Red River, two cowboys exchange their guns in order to get a feel for the other's weapon. It is a simple exchange, yet a gay innuendo of homosexuality can be gotten from in between the lines. Unfortunately, Hollywood has also created a stereotype of the prototype gay male as being an advocate of fashion, cooking, or gossip. This stereotype is subtly built in movies such as the 1961 film Lover Come Back, where the boss of a fashion company complains about the general public not liking "lilac" flooring and not having a decorative touch. The Celluloid Closet also details that seeming gay was almost worse than being gay, for masculinity ruled Hollywood. A man must walk a certain way, be involved in masculine affairs, and always be woman-crazy because otherwise he might be gay. The ironic aspect of this theory, though, is the unfair bias against homosexuality held by a lot of men. It is uncomfortable and inhumane for two men to have sexual relations with one another such as in Sunday, Bloody Sunday, but it is "sexy, palatable, erotic, or titillating" for two woman to have sexual relations. Hollywood has even gone as far as painting homosexual beings as monsters.

Ultimately, straight men propel the movie industry forward, so it is hard for homosexuality to dominate a production as a central theme. The documentary The Celluloid Closet details the growth of this subject in Hollywood films and exploits unfair or biased criticism against it.

Amélie and the French New Wave

Amélie is one of the most impressive movies I've ever seen, not just in its production quality as a movie, but as a major accomplishment and progression of French cinema. Fifty years ago, the French New Wave presented a unique and rebellious film style that gave the French a true identity in a world highly proliferated and controlled by American movie conglomerates. It set a certain standard for French films, whether it’s the quirkiness of the camera angles, long shots depicting simple matters of life (often not essential to the plot of the movie), or the recurring themes such as the common, not too poor but certainly not wealthy family.

Amélie shows a clear evolution from the French New Wave. Watching Les Quatre Cents Coups and Amélie afterwards reminded me of seeing a small child, and then seeing her twenty years later as a matured adult. While she’s obviously physically substantially different, she clearly resembles herself from her youth, and even her personality shows a progression from a more primitive stage. Amélie includes scenes about topics which, in American cinema, would be considered irrelevant and unnecessary to the plot. An example of this would be the introduction to Amélie and the scenes describing the characters’ various likes and dislikes in life with few connections, save for those of Amélie’s mother and father.

Like many French movies, especially those of the French New Wave, Amélie is not just about plot and character development, it’s a leisurely paced story that makes the audience enjoy life’s little perks and wonders just as Amélie does. Similar almost to French culture, the movie is laid back but saturated with detail, curious spectacles, and even some witty humor that makes it an all around pleasure to watch. Amélie is truly a French masterpiece of film, in that it takes modern film and the French New Wave, and sews the two into a genuinely memorable motion picture.

Fight Club and The Sixth Sense: Deception of Reality

The Naked Gun: Relentless Humor (Scene Analysis)

French Filmwork Represented by The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows, a film directed by Francois Truffaut, is a prominent example of the quote on quote "French New Wave" of films that occurred in the 1950s and 60s. This new wave of French films were inspired by Italian Neorealism, the Auteur theory, and Hollywood cinema. The main lot of directors associated with the French New Wave all shared iconoclasm as a link between their films. Truffaut was one of the directors at the forefront of the movement and his domestic and international success with the movie The 400 Blows shed light onto the French New Wave and propelled it into the public eye throughout the world. Even the opening credits of the film seemed to reflect the artistic uprise and creative style of the French Revolution, for it consisted of a very long shot that moved through a city from a bird's eye view.
The film tells the story of young boy by the name of Antoine who gets himself into trouble from the very beginning of the movie. In class, Antoine is a class clown that loves to bring about the laughter of his fellow students at the expense of respecting his teacher. He and his best friend, Rene, is often the instigator of Antoine's troubles. Antoine lives with his mother and step father in a tiny house that is quite cramped for the three of them. Antoine's mother is very uptight and often stressed out, and she takes out her frustrations on Antoine's stepfather. The concept of producing a film centered around a family that is somewhat poor and hardworking is representative of the French New Wave, too. The 400 Blows is essentially a string of stories put together about the antics of Antoine and his growing experience through these things. Among many other things, Antoine skips school, pronounces his mother dead as an excuse for missing school, and runs away from home. One of the most important scenes of the movie, perhaps, is the scene in which Antoine's stepfather takes Antoine and his mother out for a night at the movies. Despite the fact that Antoine's mother is always so uptight and his father is so bitterly sarcastic because of it, the family is able to come together for a night to be fun-loving with another and just purely enjoy one another's company. Eventually, Antoine is forced to go to a camp that is some sort of juvenile delinquency reform program. He feels out of place with the other troublemakers, for their acts seem so much more extreme than his own. He had previously admitted to never having stepped foot in the ocean, so to end the movie he escapes the camp and runs until he finds the ocean. The audience is left with Antoine putting his feet into the ocean and then looking into the camera before it fades out.
The film was at the forefront of the French New Wave because it was free form and flowed to its own melody. There was no great problem presented and there was not a climax for the audience to hinge its viewing experience on. However, the film was filled with enjoyable anecdotes and gave everyone in its audience something to grasp as a part of their own respective life.