It was only a few years ago that DVD players finally penetrated the market to the point that mainstream films were released simultaneously in DVD and VHS formats.
This year niche markets, including the queer market, must have reached what they call a critical mass because huge numbers of special-interest DVDs are being offered to the uncritical masses. Not just gay-lesbian videos but TV series, cult shows as well as hits, and filmed concerts, to cite two other categories whose numbers are increasing exponentially.
Some are offered in VHS as well but that format is rapidly going the way of vinyl records and 8-track tapes.
The major queer distributors—Strand, Wolfe, TLA and Picture This!—have maintained a steady stream of post-theatrical, post-festival and direct-to-DVD ( at least in the U.S. ) releases, as many in a single month as they had in a full year at the start of the decade. This year the others joined Strand in distributing some films theatrically before issuing them on homevideo.
Queer themes and characters in major-studio releases continue to be common—that genie's not going back in the bottle—with enough volume that it's become silly to worry about the political correctness of each film.
Three of this year's best titles illustrate the extremes of the PC scale. Saved!, Brian Dannelly's hilariously savage portrait of life in a 'Christian' school, has a happy ending for the gay boy. Monster and Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer are, respectively, dramatic and documentary looks at the notorious lesbian murderess.
Another queer killer, Michael Alig, also got the dual treatment; but Party Monster—The Shockumentary, which came out on DVD in 2003, is far far far better than this year's dramatization, Party Monster, with Macaulay Culkin and Seth Green.
Based on the true story of Jurgen Bartsch, who as a youth murdered his male victims before having sex with them, the German film The Child I Never Was is probably the most disturbing since Agustin Villaronga's Tras el Cristal/In a Glass Cage.
Villaronga is represented this year by El Mar, a story of gay longing in a Spanish TB ward overseen by a friendly nun. At least the gay guy doesn't kill anyone in this one, but a transsexual ( Robinson Stévenin ) is suspected of multiple murders in the French thriller Transfixed, directed by Francis Girod. Both will be released Dec. 14.
More gay killers—and a gay traitor—all based on real people—are the subjects of two of this year's best queer classics released in 'special edition' DVDs. Swoon, Tom Kalin's artful retelling of the Leopold and Loeb story, was one of the films that started the wave of 'New Queer Cinema' in 1991, which gives it historical relevance today. The DVD includes a commentary track and galleries of photos, real and reel.
Another Country, about the school days of the Brits who became Russian spies in the 1950s, virtually introduced the world to Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Cary Elwes in 1984. Everett played gay in this adaptation of Julian Mitchell's play long before he came out publicly. Mitchell discusses the play with Everett and Kenneth Branagh on the disc, which also features a commentary track, a scrapbook and an optional French translation.
Another reissue about youths in an English boarding school, Maurice is handsomely appointed in the Merchant Ivory tradition, if not as good as their A Room with a View or The Remains of the Day. Hugh Grant had his breakthrough role as James Wilby's lover in the story adapted from E.M. Forster's novel.
If you prefer your boys younger and less privileged, Picture This! continued their 'Tales from the Orphanage' series this year with The Holy Child, We Need a Vacation and Life After All.
Let's jump to the other extreme with Camp, Todd Graff's joyous ( with some angst ) portrait of a performing arts summer camp where gay boys are in the majority ( duh ) . The object of everyone's desire ( including mine ) , Daniel Letterle can be glimpsed in the current theatrical release Tarnation in a sequence that was supposedly filmed in 1988.
Speaking of showtunes, you won't hear many in Rick McKay's Broadway: The Golden Age...by the Legends Who Were There, but you'll meet a lot of the people who sang them in the '40s-'60s, as they discuss their lives and careers.
Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song Trilogy and Terrence McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion! had greater crossover success on stage than screen, but both are worthy films that came to DVD this year. The stage version of TST introduced Matthew Broderick and he repeated his role as Harvey's young lover in the film, even though he no longer needed the work. L!V!C! starred Jason Alexander, well into the run of Seinfeld.
Introduced in L!V!C!, Justin Kirk would break through six years later in Mike Nichols' film for HBO of Tony Kushner's Angels in America. Having won beaucoup Emmys and other awards, it's the DVD event of the year.
Of two lesbian 'classics' released on DVD this year only one deserves the designation. That's the quirky Canadian comedy I've Heard the Mermaids Singing, directed by Patricia Rozema. It starred Sheila McCarthy, who has since been a reliable supporting actress but hasn't played another lead role. Less worthy but notable as one of the rare independent lesbian films to achieve fairly wide distribution, Maria Maggenti's The Incredibly True Adventures of Two Girls in Love, amateurish but likable, deserves credit for introducing Nicole ( Ari ) Parker and Laurel Holloman, both who still work steadily ( Laurel in The L Word ) .
Other classics for gay men in particular are Luchino Visconti's beautifully filmed Death in Venice and the Cuban import Strawberry and Chocolate/Fresa y Chocolate. In the camp category is Michael Sarne's Myra Breckinridge, from Gore Vidal's novel, which is a train wreck of a movie but fun to watch with a rowdy crowd. Mae West's next-to-last film, it featured Raquel Welch and Rex Reed playing the same character, post-op Myra and pre-op Myron respectively.
For 21st-century camp, Die Mommie Die! is much better than Girls Will Be Girls. If he were a woman Charles Busch would have deserved a Best Actress award for Mommie. Not so the Girls—Jack Plotnick, Coco Peru and Jeffery Roberson—who are just too nice for the bitchy queens they're supposed to be.
Some recommended imports:
Yossi & Jagger—A brief but complete story of love between two soldiers in the Israeli army. You'll laugh, you'll cry, but you won't enlist.
Madame Sata—True tale of a flamboyant Brazilian who became a famous drag queen between prison terms.
Carandiru—Hector Babenco's story of an actual Brazilian prison riot is notable for its character studies of the prisoners, which he's expanding into a TV series.
Secret Things—Two Frenchwomen who aren't averse to lesbian activity screw their way to the top in business.
A Thousand Clouds of Peace—Dreamlike drama of a dreamy Mexican youth who has a lot of meaningless sex while searching for a meaningful relationship—and who hasn't been there?
Porn Theatre—Despite some hardcore sex this vignette about the staff and patrons of a Parisian porn palace is more depressing than arousing—but not in a bad way.
Km. 0—The lives of more than a dozen people—gay, straight and flexible—intersect on a hot August afternoon in the center of Madrid in a romantic comedy-drama by Juan Luis Iborra and Yolanda Garcia Serrano.
Leaving Metropolis—I thought this Canadian film from an early play by Brad Fraser ( Love and Human Remains ) took itself too seriously but I'll include it because my partner liked it.
9 Dead Gay Guys—Two Irish lads in London find themselves surrounded by dead queers in a darkly comic variation on Guy Ritchie's films. Some find it offensive but I found it hilarious.
AKA—Duncan Roy's semi-autobiographical film follows a less talented Mr. Ripley from working-class England to French society on a borrowed identity.
Tipping the Velvet—Picaresque Victorian romance with a lesbian heroine ( Rachael Stirling ) follows her rise from oyster girl to male impersonator through various relationships; from Sarah Waters' novel.
Homegrown, but also recommended:
Latter Days—The one about the Mormon missionary ( Steve Sandvoss ) and the L.A. party boy ( Wes Ramsey ) has Jacqueline Bisset, Mary Kay Place and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the cast.
On_Line—Gay men, straight men and straight women mingle in a chat room and various bedrooms.
Showboy—Mockumentary about a fired Six Feet Under writer who's followed by a camera crew as he tries to start a new career in Las Vegas.
Laughing Matters—This introduction to lesbian comics Marga Gomez, Kate Clinton, Karen Williams and Suzanne Westenhoefer could use more comedy and less introduction, but the women make good company.
200 American—Partly inspired by Pretty Woman, this gay romance walks a fine line between surprising and just disorganized as a New York adman hires an Australian hustler at his agency.
Homo Promo—If you just can't make up your mind ... check out this collection of 25 trailers for queer films from 1953 through 1977, curated by Jenni Olson. Strand pads the disk with almost as many trailers for their contemporary product.
