chronological list of LGBT-themed films, 1916-1989, with notes
Since quite a few people seem to use this list for reference, I'm revamping and upgrading it into two halves. It's got a long way to go so bear with me. I'm only listing films with a recognizable LGBT angle, not exploitative ones or those where it's a matter of interpretation (for instance, Hitchcock's "Rope" can only be interpreted as gay-themed if one knows the real-life case by which it was inspired - and in "Spartacus", you got to catch on to what oysters are supposed to mean). I'm gradually including more titles so feel free to come back every once in a while.
I couldn't add the following titles even though they're on IMDb: "Nights in black Leather" (1973) is narcissist Peter Berlin's most famous blue movie and very telling as to how ancient certain fetishes are. "Köçek" (1975) is a transgender love story in Istanbul (!) with a big Turkish star of the time, Müjde Ar. The order is by year of original release, so if something seems to be missing, it may be at a different spot. And I can't reply to messages here since I'm off Facebook since November 2016.
You will have noticed that more and more content on this site is either artificial or paid for, which makes me increasingly hesitant to contribute or modify content. I may therefore protest-delete my profile in the near future, so if you use this list for reference, you might want to save a back-up.
I couldn't add the following titles even though they're on IMDb: "Nights in black Leather" (1973) is narcissist Peter Berlin's most famous blue movie and very telling as to how ancient certain fetishes are. "Köçek" (1975) is a transgender love story in Istanbul (!) with a big Turkish star of the time, Müjde Ar. The order is by year of original release, so if something seems to be missing, it may be at a different spot. And I can't reply to messages here since I'm off Facebook since November 2016.
You will have noticed that more and more content on this site is either artificial or paid for, which makes me increasingly hesitant to contribute or modify content. I may therefore protest-delete my profile in the near future, so if you use this list for reference, you might want to save a back-up.
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- DirectorMauritz StillerStarsEgil EideLars HansonLili BeckAn adaptation of Herman Bang's 1902 novel "Mikaël." A sculptor befriends a young painter who becomes his model. Their friendship is thrown into turmoil when they both fall in love with the same woman.There's a very good review here which sums up the many reasons why this can count as the first gay-themed film ever, but you'll be hard pressed to find the subtext from what remains. Dreyer's "Michael", based on the same source, is much more ambivalent.
- DirectorRichard OswaldStarsConrad VeidtLeo ConnardIlse von Tasso-LindTwo male musicians fall in love, but blackmail and scandal makes the affair take a tragic turn.First ever gay-themed film starring Conrad Veidt (of 'Cabinet of Dr. Caligari' and 'Casablanca' fame). Conceived by sexologist Magnus Hirschfeld to push for legalization, it led to the reintroduction of film censorship in post-WWI Germany.
- DirectorCharles BryantAlla NazimovaStarsAlla NazimovaNigel De BrulierMitchell LewisSalome, the daughter of Herodias, seduces her step-father/uncle Herod, governor of Judea, with a salacious dance. In return, he promises her the head of the prophet John the Baptist.Was infamously filmed with an all-gay cast, even though that is a matter of contention. Quite obviously very camp, with a number of performers in drag.
- DirectorCarl Theodor DreyerStarsWalter SlezakBenjamin ChristensenNora GregorTriangle story: painter, his young male model, unscrupulous princess.Carl Theodor Dreyer's adaptation of gay writer Herman Bang's novel could be regarded as the first gay-themed narrative film. Contributed to harsher censorship laws banning the subject for decades.
- DirectorWilliam DieterleStarsWilliam DieterleGunnar TolnæsMary JohnsonA young man is convicted of manslaughter and sentenced to a term in prison. There he forms a close relationship with his cellmate and upon his release his wife is concerned as to how prison has changed the man she married.first film about gender confusion in jail considers homosexuality an affliction and could thereby pass strengthened censorship laws
- DirectorLeontine SaganCarl FroelichStarsDorothea WieckHertha ThieleEmilia UndaAt an all-girls boarding school, Manuela falls in love with a teacher, to terrific consequences.first film to touch female homosexuality in a surprisingly overt way and allowing for genuine emotions; could pass German censorship laws because only male homosexuality was penalized. The remake of 1958 is more famous but also more ambivalent.
- DirectorJohn Francis DillonStarsClara BowGilbert RolandThelma ToddSexy Texas gal storms her way through life, brawling and boozing until her luck runs out, forcing her to learn the errors of her ways.There is a brief scene of what would be the first gay bar in film in this pre-code melodrama. You can find it on Youtube and don't have to watch the whole thing, as there's no connection to the plot.
- DirectorJames Sibley WatsonMelville WebberStarsFriedrich HaakHildegarde WatsonDorthea HouseLot in Sodom is a sensual depiction of the Sodom and Gomorrah story filled with sinewy and semi-clad bodies, delirious bacchanales devoted to physical pleasure, and a searing, cataclysmic finale depicting the fall of a city devoted to sins of the flesh. Digitally mastered from excellent 35mm elements. Lot In Sodom has its original experimental soundtrack by Alec Wilder.released on DVD with 'Salomé' (1923), 'Lot in Sodom' has clear gay subtext, although it is essentially an experimental retelling quite faithful to the Biblical story.
- DirectorOtto PremingerRouben MamoulianStarsGene TierneyDana AndrewsClifton WebbA police detective falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating.with the production code, gay subtext vanished, but many '40s crime films feature presumably homosexual villains, few as obvious as Clifton Webb's Waldo Lydecker, who unlike others isn't portrayed in a defamatory way.
- DirectorKenneth AngerStarsKenneth AngerGordon GrayBill SeltzerA dissatisfied dreamer awakes, goes out in the night seeking a 'light' and is drawn through the needle's eye. A dream of a dream, he returns to bed less empty than before.homoerotic experimental no-budget film led to Kenneth Anger's arrest on obscenity charges and, eventually, a Supreme Court ruling declaring the film to be art.
- DirectorIngmar BergmanStarsEva HenningBirger MalmstenBirgit TengrothA needy couple in a bad marriage travel back to Stockholm after a trip to Italy. Meanwhile, a widow resists seductions from two different persons - her psychiatrist and a lesbian friend.Bergman often touched female homosexuality, but rarely as overtly as in this early piece.
- DirectorJohn CromwellStarsEleanor ParkerAgnes MooreheadEllen CorbyA gentle, naive, pregnant 19-year-old widow is slowly, inexorably ground down by the hardened criminals, sadistic guards, and matron at a woman's prison. Will she be the same person when her sentence is up?It's a difficult choice to include the first and campiest "women in prison" flick as it's chock full of Lesbian stereotypes and equals homosexuality with depravity. Still, it is part of history, and after re-watching it after a number of years, I think anyone with an interest in queer film should watch it for an individual opinion.
- DirectorJean GenetStarsBravoJean GenetJavaTwo prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication.Jean Genet's only film is the first explicitly homoerotic and was consequently banned from exhibition, most notably in the US in 1966, where it was dismissed as obscene.
- DirectorJacqueline AudryStarsEdwige FeuillèreSimone SimonMarie-Claire OliviaLate nineteenth century in a finishing school for young girls near in France, the principal, the fascinating Miss Julie, sows confusion in the heart of the newcomer, Olivia.similar to 'Girls in Uniform', but involving more mystery
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsAlberto SordiFranco FabriziFranco InterlenghiA character study of five young men at crucial turning points in their lives in a small town in Italy.While this film is famous for a lot of reasons, it also features the first obvious homosexual hook-up attempt.
- DirectorNicholas RayStarsJames DeanNatalie WoodSal MineoA rebellious young man with a troubled past comes to a new town, finding friends and enemies.Many '50s films are said to contain homosexual cyphers as the subject wasn't raised. Sal Mineo as Plato is perhaps most obvious given his real-life homosexuality, but at the time the role made him an idol for (female) teens.
- DirectorVincente MinnelliStarsDeborah KerrJohn KerrLeif EricksonA new senior at a boy's prep school, finds himself harassed by the machismo culture of his classmates and the unfeelingly behavior by his father, only being treated with decency by his roommate and with affection by the coach's wife.interesting for making it clear that in the '50s, being gay was viewed maybe not as the ultimate sin, but an affliction worse than death
- DirectorVeit HarlanStarsPaula WesselyPaul DahlkeHans NielsenKlaus is a young man in post-war Berlin. He is drawn to his friend Manfred and, under the encouragement of their acquaintance, Dr. Winkler, explore the underground world of gay clubs and electronic music. His family begins to learn of his other life and do everything they can to set him straight.every possible stereotype on homosexuality is exploited here by a disgraced Nazi director desperately craving attention. Still, the aged homosexual luring culturally talented young men into his web of sin is oddly fascinating... John Waters would probably call this the ultimate gay bash 'n trash movie.
- DirectorGéza von RadványiStarsLilli PalmerRomy SchneiderTherese GiehseIn a strict Prussian boarding school for girls, sensitive student Manuela von Meinhardis develops a forbidden love to one of her teachers, the compassionate Elisabeth von Bernburg.remake of the 1931 film tones the Lesbian aspect down but is perhaps more cult for Lilli Palmer's performance.
- DirectorJoseph L. MankiewiczStarsElizabeth TaylorKatharine HepburnMontgomery CliftA surgeon is assigned the case of a young woman whose aunt wants her lobotomized to cover up a family secret.while the most overt of Tennessee Williams's stage adaptations in its content owing to Gore Vidal's screenplay, it's the pinnacle of depicting homosexuality as a perverted affliction, and was in fact passed by the MPAA for that very reason.
- DirectorMichel BoisrondStarsBrigitte BardotHenri VidalDawn AddamsHandsome dentist Herve Dandieu, temporarily separated from his new, delectable wife Virginie by a lovers' tiff, is picked up by sexy dance teacher Anita Flores...object blackmail. Sensing trouble, Virginie follows him to the dance school, only to find him circumstantially incriminated in murder. Soon, the school has a gorgeous new instructress, whose slightly scatterbrained attempts to clear her husband confuse both police and suspects...and bring potential danger.One of French veteran comedy writer Gérard Oury's weaker outings, it does have Brigitte Bardot waltz into a late 50s gay cabaret and could be refreshingly open-minded for the time, but the ending ruins it.
- DirectorKen HughesStarsPeter FinchYvonne MitchellJames MasonA chronicle of Oscar Wilde's libel suit against the Marquis of Queensberry and the tragic turn his life takes because of it.first of many films to focus on Wilde's sodomy conviction, it is surprisingly faithful to the trial's records given the time.
- DirectorWilliam WylerStarsAudrey HepburnShirley MacLaineJames GarnerA rebellious student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of lesbianism.William Wyler's remake of his earlier adaptation of Lillian Hellman's play (which erased the homosexual element) marks the first 'A' picture in which gay bashing is portrayed as a social evil - while still holding it to be an affliction.
- DirectorTony RichardsonStarsRita TushinghamDora BryanRobert StephensA pregnant teenage girl must fend for herself when her mother remarries, leaving the girl with only a new male friend for support.'kitchen sink' adaptation of Shelagh Delaney's play features the first clearly positive (i.e. non-tragical) depiction of a gay character in his relationship with Rita Tushingham's main protagonist.
- DirectorBasil DeardenStarsDirk BogardeSylvia SymsDennis PriceA closeted lawyer risks his career to bring a blackmailer to justice.first narrative film with homosexuality (with the first use of the actual word) and gay bashing (i. e. blackmail) as the central plot element, with a strong political message towards legalization.
- DirectorOtto PremingerStarsFranchot ToneLew AyresHenry FondaThe polarizing search for a new Secretary of State has far-reaching consequences.A difficult choice to include in this list for me, but if I take "Caged", then this one's also a must. It's the first post-war film to show a gay bar, where the climax happens. But ouch - it's an uncomfortable movie to watch for queers. It takes the "Fate worse than death" approach to a whole new level and doesn't make sense in that regard. It's real-life gay (or bi) Charles Laughton's last film, the production was marred by conflict with real-life homophobe Henry Fonda.
- DirectorPeter UstinovStarsRobert RyanPeter UstinovMelvyn DouglasWhen a kind-hearted sailor is made to join an English vessel at war in 1797, he finds himself caught between devotion to his crewmates and obedience to their hated, cruel master-at-arms.not the first and not the last adaptation but the least ambiguous owing to bisexual Charles Laughton's performance.
- DirectorEdward DmytrykStarsLaurence HarveyCapucineJane FondaA man arrives in New Orleans searching for his former girlfriend, an artist who now works in a bordello.Capucine's last film before "The Pink Panther" as a bisexual prostitute in a abusive relationship with sugar-mommy Barbara Stanwyck, Jane Fonda as a nymphomaniac and Anne Baxter as a motherly Mexican leave little room for a hapless leading man. It's a bungled adaptation of Nelson Algren's completely different and even more convoluted novel. But it's relatively blameless, leading critics at the time to dismiss the film as lewd. Well, it's camp for sure.
- DirectorKen JacobsStarsKen JacobsJack SmithAn experimental short film that variously features singing and storytelling, touching upon topics such as nations, death, religion, sex, and evil.experimental cross-dressing super-8 movie added to the '1001 films you must watch before you die' list. Personally I don't see why.
- DirectorJack SmithStarsFrancis FrancineSheila BickJoel MarkmanAn experimental film that features graphic sexual imagery, an earthquake, and a lipstick commercial.experimental film full of sexual ambiguity seized upon release in a NYC theater and banned for being obscene. Also on '1001 films you must watch before you die' list for whatever reason.
- DirectorSidney J. FurieStarsRita TushinghamColin CampbellDudley SuttonAn immature teenager marries a young biker but becomes disenchanted with the realities of working-class marriage--and her husband's relationship with his best friend.notwithstanding the misleading title which refers to bike gangs, there is an open gay angle in this kitchen sink classic.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsLello BersaniAlberto MoraviaCesare MusattiDirector Pasolini traverses Italy in 1963 with camera and microphone interviewing people in public places about sex, marriage and gender roles.Oddly, Pasolini's only film in which he directly addresses homosexuality - in a broader context - is this fascinating documentary in which he asks people about their views on sex
- DirectorKenneth AngerStarsErnie AlloBruce ByronFrank CarifiA gang of Nazi bikers prepares for a race as sexual, sadistic, and occult images are cut together.Anger's biker fetish experimental film caused controversy in spite of complete lack of subject matter and led to another obscenity trial, ruled in his favor. That doesn't make it any less non-sequitur.
- DirectorYasuzô MasumuraStarsAyako WakaoKyôko KishidaEiji FunakoshiA childless housewife falls in love with a beautiful model.Again a very misleading title (Manji refers to the Buddhist symbol) for perhaps the first openly erotic Lesbian love story.
- DirectorJean DelannoyStarsFrancis LacombradeDidier HaudepinFrançois LecciaA tale of the tender relationship between a twelve-year-old boy and the upperclassman who is the object of his desire. All set in the rigid atmosphere of a Jesuit-run school.Adaptation of Roger Peyrefitte's novel features a first gay coming-of-age story featuring actual minors. Peyrefitte met his longtime companion on the set who was one of the extras (and 12 years old at the time).
- DirectorAndy WarholChuck WeinStarsPaul AmericaJoseph CampbellGenevieve Charbin CerfFilmed on Fire Island, this two reel, 70 minute Warhol film covers the activities of the "Dial A Hustler" service, as an older man seeks a young hustler for a companion.Primitive like most of Warhol's films, this one is probably the most contemporarily significant as it points out how long many gay assets and clichés have been around.
- DirectorDavid SecterStarsJohn LabowHenry TarvainenJoy FieldingIts the 1960s at the University of Toronto. Doug is a well-liked senior with an equally popular girlfriend. Peter is a shy freshman, and new to the big city. Peter and Doug become best friends and soon start going to concerts, drinking, and playing in the snow together. When Doug brings Peter to a steam bath and washes his back, the friendship seems headed to a whole new level, at least in Doug's mind. But when Peter emerges from a party after having sex with a co-ed, things get even more complicated...Low-budget gay romance was lightyears ahead of its time and the first Canadian film invited to Cannes
- DirectorMasahiro ShinodaStarsKaoru YachigusaMariko KagaSô YamamuraLong before the events of the movie Ôki, who was approaching middle age, had a relation to 16-year-old Otoko. She got pregnant, but the child was stillborn. Their relation stopped at the same time. Much later Ôki had become a famous writer, not least because of a novel about this love story. Otoko had become a famous painter. But she had never overcome the double early trauma and had become a Lesbian. Her favourite student and beloved one was the beautiful Keiko. 24 years after the early love Ôki goes from Tokyo to Kyoto to meet Otoko. The meeting is polite with secret emotional shadows. Keiko makes a plan. She intends to seduce Ôki, become pregnant, bear Ôki's child and give it to Otoko. She hopes that Otoko may thereby get rid of her trauma. But she also wants to take her revenge on the man who had harmed her beloved. Secretly she gets acquainted with Ôki's son, invites him to Kyoto and seduces him. Then she calls his parents and tells that he had promised to marry her. Horrified they take the first plane to Kyoto. Meanwhile, she takes the son on boating, arranges an accident, and drowns him. It is close that she herself would also die.A Lesbian relationship is at the center of Shinoda's elegant Kawabata adaptation, meant to be symbolic rather than realistic. Still, compared to Hollywood at the time it's very daring.
- DirectorJacques RivetteStarsAnna KarinaLiselotte PulverMicheline PresleSuzanne is forced against her will to take vows as a nun and three mothers superior treat her in radically different ways. Suzanne's virtue brings disaster to everyone in this faithful adaptation of a bitter attack on religious abuses.A scathing portrayal of women's status in the 18th century and Rivette's most accessible film. The Lesbian mother superior played by Liselotte Pulver (most famous as James Cagney's secretary in "One Two Three") is a "fate worse than death" character, but convincingly so given Diderot's scandalous enlightenment novel. It's not really sympathetic to homosexuality but rather depicts Lesbianism as an inevitable result of confinement. The film was forbidden right after its Cannes premiere on the grounds of "hurting the sentiments of the Catholic population", and only released a year later in altered form.
- DirectorVolker SchlöndorffStarsMathieu CarrièreMarian SeidowskyBernd TischerIn a boarding school, a student observes in passive disgust as his two friends manipulate, humiliate and torture a fellow student, justifying their every act.I'm at odds whether one can truly call this adaptation of Robert Musil's novella gay-related, it's more of a social portrait (read my review if you like), but it does highlight the psychological association of homosexual acts with (criminal) degeneration, and shows where this misconception may have originated.
- DirectorAndy WarholStarsJoseph SpencerEd WienerVera CruzJoe Spencer, a member of a motorcycle gang, is taking a shower. After his bout with personal hygiene, Joe encounters Andy Warhol's "superstars," who engage him in conversation. The superstars crack jokes he doesn't understand and continually correct his poor pronunciation in an attempt to deflate his machismo. In response to these provocations, Joe becomes more obscene and more boasting, but ultimately, he cannot compete with the put-downs that are part of the put-on performances of the Warhol superstars, who prevail over him in the end.I'm not quite sure if one could count any of Warhol / Morrissey's outings as LGBT. They're usually ramblings of not particularly sympathetic narcissists, and this one's no exception. It does have some queer background talk ripe with stereotypes, but maybe that's just how the New York scene was just then.
- DirectorCarlos Hugo ChristensenStarsÊnio GonçalvesLuiz Fernando IanelliWilma HenriquesYoung engineer on holiday gets involved with a boy having a strange relationship with the wind. Their close friendship arouses suspicion in the small town. When the boy disappears, the engineer is accused of murdering him. But the wind...Very obscure Brazilian one-of-a-kind supernatural social witchhunt drama is a very elegant allegory on perhaps less homosexuals as social outcasts - even though that does figure - but more the tendency to incriminate difference in general.
- DirectorMark RydellStarsKeir DulleaSandy DennisAnne HeywoodBased on D.H. Lawrence's novella about two young women - sickly, chattering Jill Banford and quiet, strong Ellen March - who are trying, hopelessly, to run a chicken farm in Canada. A gentle but powerful man named Paul Grenfell who used to live on their farm returns and puts things in order. But his proposal of marriage to Ellen awakens the homosexuality dormant in the girls: Jill uses her weakness to make Ellen feel protective, and the women become active lovers.Made in the year the production code was abandoned, thus it's the first Anglophone film with masturbation and a detailed description of rape. A Bergmanesque character study which flirts with being a thriller. The ending prevents it from being a Lesbian love story.
- DirectorShirley ClarkeStarsJason HollidayShirley ClarkeCarl LeeBlack gay prostitute Jason Holliday is rigorously interviewed on his story and character, revealing nuanced truths about life and art.Shirley Clarke's famous monologue of a gay black hustler could be called the first gay-themed documentary. Albeit simple, it's definitely superior to Warhol's films of the period.
- DirectorMel BrooksStarsZero MostelGene WilderDick ShawnA stage-play producer devises a plan to make money by producing a sure-fire flop.Can be seen as 'anti-gay' because of the stereotypes, but then again Mel Brooks is all about stereotypes, and everyone gets roasted it his most famous film. As ludicrous as the gay characters may seem, they're proud and out and therefore a progress to the self-loathing gay characters up to then.
- DirectorJohn HustonStarsElizabeth TaylorMarlon BrandoBrian KeithBizarre tale of sex, betrayal, and perversion at a military post.Adaptation of Carson McCullers 1941 novel doesn't really succeed in dealing with the topic of repressed homosexuality as overtly as the novel does, but makes for interesting (i.e. odd) viewing since it tries so desperately to conceal what the story is all about.
- DirectorClaude ChabrolStarsJean-Louis TrintignantJacqueline SassardStéphane AudranArchitect Paul Thomas insinuates himself into the relationship of two bisexual women living in a St. Tropez villa with tragic consequences.Menage à trois between two women and a man is, like so much of Chabrol, sensationalist and perfectly photographed. Of course, the female couple is bi instead of Lesbian, and share and compete for the same man... a dirty old man's fantasy but stylish to the hilt.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsAkihiro MiwaIsao KimuraKikko MatsuokaJapanese sixties comedy featuring a cunning female jewel thief named Black Lizard who tries to kidnap Sanaye, a wealthy jeweler's beautiful daughter as part of a plot to steal the jeweler's expensive "Star of Egypt" diamond. To thwart the planned kidnapping, the jeweler hires Japan's number one detective, the brilliant Akechi. This sets off a dual between Black Lizard and Akechi as each tries to outwit the other. In the process, the two adversaries develop a mutual respect and affection for each other. Despite Akechi's efforts, Black Lizard and her crew are able to kidnap Sanaye and gain possession of the "Star of Egypt". Black Lizard takes Sanaye to her secret lair on a remote island which is populated by an eerie collection of naked human dolls. There Black Lizard plans to preserve Sanaye's beauty forever by turning her into one of her dolls. As Sanaye's doom quickly approaches, it is up to Akechi to save the day.Camp classic starring writer Yukio Mishima's drag queen lover Akihiro Maruyama as the femme fatale cat burglar.
- DirectorGordon DouglasStarsFrank SinatraLee RemickRalph MeekerWhile grappling with his wife's infidelity, an NYPD detective investigates the murder of a gay man, which he discovers is linked to official corruption involving sex and drugs.Most gays will find the equation of corruption and homosexuality this film insinuates revolting, but it's a good look at the contemporary scene and how closeted and cliché everything was in Stonewall year.
- DirectorPaul MorrisseyStarsJoe DallesandroGeraldine SmithPatti D'ArbanvilleA man desperate for money and no income, turns prostitute and interplays with a variety of clients and hustlers.Not a gay-themed film per se, it's often included in anthologies owing to lots of full frontal nudity, a background of hustlers, and a scene involving the conversation of two drag queens. It is, however, 8mm quality, badly edited and barely watchable.
- DirectorAndrzej WajdaStarsLionel StanderFerdy MaynePauline ChallonerIn 1212, children from all over Europe lead a crusade to free Jerusalem from Turkish authorities. Nicholas and Stephen use all their might to defeat the enemy.Not as overt as the novel but close enough in terms of the two male lead's relationship, surprising considering the historical setting.
- DirectorRobert AldrichStarsBeryl ReidSusannah YorkCoral BrowneThe life of a soap opera actress begins to unravel as she fears her character will be written out of the series.Robert Aldrich's adaptation of Frank Marcus' play is the first unmitigated look at a Lesbian relationship, albeit unfortunately taking an inevitably tragic turn.
- DirectorAndy WarholPaul MorrisseyStarsVivaTom HompertzLouis WaldonFive lonesome cowboys get all hot & bothered at home en the range after confronting Ramona Alvarez and her nurse.Again, not really LGBT in my opinion but most people would probably consider it so. Again, it seems to me a rather unsympathetic display of exhibitionism by a bunch of addicts and naive pretty faces.
- DirectorJohn FlynnStarsRod SteigerJohn Phillip LawLudmila MikaëlA story of a brilliant master sergeant with a great career behind him and transferred to yet another post, his attraction to a younger man eventually overrides him, to a point where his latent homosexuality, finally emerges.Finally got to see it. Features a great performance by Rod Steiger as a but unfortunately also a rather weak script.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsSilvana ManganoTerence StampMassimo GirottiA mysterious young man seduces each member of a bourgeois family. When he suddenly leaves, how will their lives change?While Pasolini never directed a truly gay-themed film in spite of his homosexuality - which would have been impossible in Italy - many of his films have allusions, this one being the most obvious.
- DirectorKinji FukasakuStarsAkihiro MiwaEitarô OzawaMasakazu TamuraWhen the enigmatic woman Ryoko (played by Mishima-discovered female impersonator Akihiro Miwa) arrives at the Black Rose Mansion to perform, not only do the gentleman patrons seem smitten by her mystery and beauty, but past flames arrive to vie and die for her affections, as well. But things get even more complicated when the Mansion's manager and his wayward son both fall for the same dangerous woman.Second film starring Akihiro Maruyama as a femme fatale and perhaps the most ravishing portrayal of a drag queen (whose real sex is never mentioned) becoming total ruler of all men unfortunate enough to meet her.
- DirectorFederico FelliniStarsMartin PotterHiram KellerMax BornA series of disjointed mythical tales set in first-century Rome.Chock full of gay allusions but uses those as a cheap shock element, therefore considered one of Fellini's few duds.
- DirectorToshio MatsumotoStarsPîtâOsamu OgasawaraYoshimi JôThe trials and tribulations of Eddie and other transvestites in Japan.First Trans-themed film instrumental to establishing an identity for Tokyo's gay underground in the '60s - i.e. the longest-running gay mag was called 'barazoku' = rose tribe, a long-standing synonym for gays.
- DirectorBruce KesslerStarsKevin CoughlinBrooke BundyLawrence P. CaseyDanny and Elliot avoid military service by pretending to be gay, but they have to act the part when the recruiting officer doesn't buy it.Rather silly romantic comedy with a gay angle and every imaginable stereotype, it's still somewhat interesting for real-life gay Michael Greer's landlord queen and a surprise ending.
- DirectorPeter FleischmannStarsMartin SperrAngela WinklerElse QueckeAbram returns to his small village and although his repairing skills are needed, people's suspicion about his sexual preferences make his life hard.One of the first New German Cinema films and also the first one to address the subject of gay discrimination.
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsDustin HoffmanJon VoightSylvia MilesA naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.Oscar-winning hustler portrait with gay subtext strong enough to earn the film an 'X' rating, prompting the MPAA to modify its standards. Its gay angle is so-so owing to the self-loathing aspect of Hoffman's character.
- DirectorStanley DonenStarsRex HarrisonRichard BurtonCathleen NesbittCharles Dyer (Sir Rex Harrison) and Harry Leeds (Richard Burton) are a couple that have been living together for nearly twenty years. Both earn a living as hairdressers in the West End of London and both care deeply for their mothers, but not each other as time apart takes its toll on their relationship when Harry has to care for his invalid mother who snips at him every chance she gets.Mostly vilified for its rampant display of stereotypes, but it's a captivating, if at times horrifying, experience for Burton's and Harrison's attempts at mimicking a relationship.
- DirectorKen RussellStarsAlan BatesOliver ReedGlenda JacksonTwo best friends fall in love with a pair of women, but the relationships soon go in very different directions.Ken Russell's confusing D.H. Lawrence adaptation highlights the relationship between the male leads, the film's most controversial scene contained the first mainstream shots of male genitalia.
- DirectorWilliam FriedkinStarsKenneth NelsonPeter WhiteLeonard FreyTempers fray and true selves are revealed when a heterosexual accidentally intrudes on a homosexual party.first film with exclusively gay protagonists is widely considered a milestone in queer cinema, still looks fresh in terms of physical language and banter, and underscores how much of a social development there has been since.
- DirectorDouglas HickoxStarsBeryl ReidHarry AndrewsPeter McEnerySloane, a manipulative lodger, joins Kath's household. Kemp recognizes Sloane as a murderer. Sloane kills Kemp. The story takes an unexpected turn regarding Sloane's fate, deviating from conventional justice.mellowed down version of Joe Orton's famous play, but interesting (in an unpleasant way) for its queasy approach
- DirectorKen RussellStarsRichard ChamberlainGlenda JacksonMax AdrianPiano teacher Peter Ilych Tchaikovsky struggles against his homosexuality by marrying, but unfortunately he chooses a nymphomaniac whom he cannot satisfy.often reviled for its idiosyncratic focus on the self-loathing aspect of Tchaikovsky's homosexuality (and how it drives his wife into nymphomaniac insanity), it still has Richard Chamberlain in his only gay-themed role.
- DirectorMichael SarneStarsMae WestJohn HustonRaquel WelchAfter undergoing gender reassignment surgery, an aspiring actress travels to Hollywood, where she also wants to make a claim on her wealthy uncle's estate.drivel with the tenacity to make one of the first male rape scenes in film one giant joke, still interesting to watch for the stereotypes and plot subtexts. And of course there's Welch as a glamour-obsessed post-op trans. Trashy but essential.
- DirectorHarold PrinceStarsAngela LansburyMichael YorkAnthony HigginsIn post-war Austria, young, handsome country lad Konrad Ludwig (Michael York) charms his way into a butler position at the castle of the widowed (and destitute) Countess von Ornstein (Angela Lansbury). He is soon running the entire household--and all the bedrooms, as he starts affairs with the countess' son Helmuth (Anthony Higgins) and Anneliese Pleschke (Heidelinde Weis), the daughter of wealthy businessman Herr Pleschke (John Gill). From this, Konrad decides to get his twp lovers to marry each other and restore the countess' finances.involves (once again) a manipulative bisexual young man sneaking his way into the upper class by sex - portraying homosexuality as high society depravity. Interesting because it feels so anachronistic.
- DirectorHarry KümelStarsDelphine SeyrigJohn KarlenDanielle OuimetWhile passing through a vacation resort, a newlywed couple encounters a mysterious, strikingly beautiful countess and her aide.The Lesbian vampire shtick is of course clearly exploitative and hardly an expression of sexual liberation, but this particular film is heavily symbolic and easily the classiest of the genre.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsDirk BogardeRomolo ValliMark BurnsWhile recovering in Venice, sickly composer Gustav von Aschenbach becomes dangerously fixated with teenager Tadzio.Visconti's adaptation is arguably the most artistic rendition of Platonic homo-eroticism. Read Björn Andresen's remarks on the shoot on the title page, though - it wasn't easy to be the boy who played Tadzio.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsFranco CittiNinetto DavoliJovan JovanovicAn adaptation of nine stories from Boccaccio's "Decameron".features one humoristic gay-themed episode, but as always Pasolini carefully avoids any realistic approach to the subject.
- DirectorHarvey HartJules SchwerinStarsWendell BurtonMichael GreerZooey HallThe young, naive Smitty is sent to prison for six months; Cathy, his girlfriend, watches as he disappears behind the bars and barbed wire. He's assigned a cell with Queenie, a balls-out drag queen, Rocky, a quiet but cocky con, and Mona, a young gay man who ministers to Rocky. Smitty watches in horror as gangs of inmates brutalize prisoners who lack protection. Those who complain risk beatings or murder at the hands of unsympathetic guards: all cries are bootless. Mona offers poetry - Shakespeare's sonnet XXIX; Queenie and Rocky offer Smitty advice, and Rocky offers protection for a price. Smitty's choices and their consequences are the film's main subjects.adaptation of John Herbert's play with strong homoerotic (rape) imagery and a great Michael Greer as prison 'Queeny' - a part which might have inspired the Rocky Horror Picture Show
- DirectorGérard BlainStarsPhilippe MarchJean-Claude DauphinNathalie FontaineTeenager Paul has an affair with the older Philippe.naturalistic description of a man-boy relationship which could be interpreted as disturbing these days, but in the 70s sensitivities were obviously different - that's probably pretty much what it was like, and - who knows? - still is in conservative societies.
- DirectorRosa von PraunheimStarsBernd FeuerhelmBerryt BohlenErnst KuchlingA harsh but deeply sympathetic sociological essay film about gay life in Berlin in a time of secrecy and oppression, with no diegetic sound and constant narration, following Daniel's unsatisfying immersion into gay society.Rosa von Praunheim's first and most famous take on gay life in West Germany just after it was decriminalized; the narrative text is still the most poignant critique of gay life after four decades - for that you'll have to forgive abysmal acting. His autobiography 'Sex and Career', which has much of the narrative script, is better.
- DirectorPaulo César SaraceniStarsNorma BengellTetê MedinaCarlos KroeberNewly wed arrives at her husband's family house, in the country. The heavy atmosphere of the house frightens her, and she takes refuge in her homosexual son-in-law's room, who is kept locked and hidden from society. A tragedy occurs, causing her departure. She's only to return seventeen years later, and sick.adaptation of one of those Latin American family chronicles which make such good reads, it's remarkable for portraying its gay characters as integral personalities rather than stereotypes (although there's a good deal of flamboyance)
- DirectorJames BidgoodStarsDon BrooksBobby KendallCharles LudlamAn erotic poem set in the fantasies of a young male prostitute.Bidgood's glamour kitsch celebrating male beauty had a lasting influence on gay art, especially the photographers Pierre et Gilles.
- DirectorMervyn NelsonStarsTom BadeJames MurdockPaul BlakeA dramatic expose of the lives of a group of gays who meet in a New York City bar on Christmas Eve.bit of a time travel experience available on Youtube
- DirectorJohn SchlesingerStarsPeter FinchGlenda JacksonMurray HeadThe emotional intricacies of a polyamorous relationship between young artist Bob and his two lovers: a lonely male doctor and a frustrated female office worker.love triangle with a successful, less tragical gay character than in Schlesinger's previous film 'Midnight Cowboy'.
- DirectorMichael TuchnerStarsRichard BurtonIan McShaneNigel DavenportIn 1970s London, Scotland Yard orchestrates the downfall of mob boss Vic Dakin after he crosses the line by blackmailing Members of Parliament.many people know of Burton's gay performance in 'Staircase', fewer know of his portrayal of a sadistic gay gangster. It's a horror show of clichés, yet oddly fascinates because of the abusive relation the principal characters have.
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsMargit CarstensenHanna SchygullaKatrin SchaakeA troubled fashion designer strikes up a romance with a much younger woman.Fassbender's Lesbian love story could be criticized for a good deal of self-loathing, but artistically it's one of his best.
- DirectorBob FosseStarsLiza MinnelliMichael YorkHelmut GriemA female girlie club entertainer in Weimar Republic era Berlin romances two men while the Nazi Party rises to power around them.from a gay viewpoint, the brilliant adaptation of Isherwood's most famous book is more interesting for how much of the gay content had been left out, while Fosse still found ways to leave it in - namely through Joel Grey's Oscar-winning performance and Michael York's notorious 'confession'.
- DirectorJohn DexterStarsAnne HeywoodHarry AndrewsJill BennettA 20-something son of a military officer feels like a woman trapped in a man's body. When he can hide it no longer, he falls out with his ladies'-man father and leaves home. Now what?First serious Anglophone trans-themed film I'm aware of has the lead performed by Anne Heywood, Sandy Dennis' bi lover in "The Fox". She's not convincing as a man at all, so it starts very oddly, but by and by the theme is presented in an adequate, if somewhat stiff manner.
- DirectorJaime de ArmiñánStarsJosé Luis López VázquezJulieta SerranoAntonio FerrandisA 43-year-old woman living in a small town discovers that she is actually a man. Will she change her sex and suffer the reaction of a narrow-minded society?A better trans-themed film from Spain, very subtle as the queer theme is embedded in an unrelated story. Must have caused quite a stir at the times but I have little information about it.
- DirectorJohn WatersStarsDivineDavid LocharyMary Vivian PearceNotorious Baltimore criminal and underground figure Divine goes up against a sleazy married couple who make a passionate attempt to humiliate her and seize her tabloid-given title as "The Filthiest Person Alive".Some people may wonder, where's John Waters in this list? So I just include his most notorious classic to maintain that his films are not really LGBT in my view. This one's a camp classic, definitely worth watching, and many people see it as an expression of post-Stonewall liberation. But it's exploitative trash as well, and if I exclude countless Spanish Lesbian vampire flicks of that era, I'm really not sure if it's OK to put this one in.
- DirectorLuchino ViscontiStarsHelmut BergerRomy SchneiderTrevor HowardThe reign of the tormented Ludwig, king of Bavaria, from 1864 to 1886.Visconti's biopic of Bavaria's last king contains his most daring gay imagery, mirroring his relationship with his frequent star Helmut Berger.
- DirectorUlli LommelStarsKurt RaabJeff RodenMargit CarstensenUsing his status as a police informant to procure his victims, baby-faced, shaven-headed Fritz Haarmann dismembers their bodies after death and sells the flesh to restaurants, dumping the remainder out of sight.best film of one of the worst directors ever, this Fassbender-written adaptation of notorious cannibal Fritz Haarman is accurate yet sensationalist
- DirectorChantal AkermanStarsChantal AkermanNiels ArestrupClaire Wauthion'Je' is a girl voluntarily lock up in a room. 'Tu' is the script. 'Il' is a lorry driver. 'Elle' is the girlfriend.Another difficult choice. Is a film LGBT-related because it has a 15-minute Lesbian sex scene at the end, with no comprehensible connection to the rest, and without the slightest pretense of coherency? Or is this just artsy, dreary, boring sexploitation? Make up your own mind, but be warned: you may find this revoltingly uninteresting.
- DirectorChristopher LarkinStarsRobert McLaneCurt GarethBo WhiteA poignant romantic drama examines the life of gay 26 year old, ex-monk, school teacher living in Manhattan. When he meets a man at a gay bar, they connect and are soon living together. Unfortunately their views on monogamy don't match.naturalistic portrayal of gay life in NYC, many aspects of which still seem to linger, and a reminder of how the Pride movement started.
- DirectorSidney LumetStarsAl PacinoJohn CazalePenelope AllenThree amateur bank robbers plan to hold up a bank. A nice simple robbery: Walk in, take the money, and run. Unfortunately, the supposedly uncomplicated heist suddenly becomes a bizarre nightmare as everything that could go wrong does.'true life better than fiction' - classic tale of a heist gone wrong cannot really be called gay-themed because that's just a twist to real-life John Wojtowicz's story, but one can argue that it's remarkable that Warner Bros. didn't supress that story element.
- DirectorRainer Werner FassbinderStarsRainer Werner FassbinderPeter ChatelKarlheinz BöhmA suggestible working-class innocent wins the lottery but lets himself be taken advantage of by his bourgeois new boyfriend and his circle of materialistic friends.Fassbender's most openly gay film is actually an adaptation of a literary classic, but remodeled to depict the German gay scene.
- DirectorJack GoldStarsJohn HurtLiz GebhardtPatricia HodgeThe life and times of Quentin Crisp, an outrageous and flamboyant homosexual, coming of age and growing into old age in conservative England.starring John Hurt in a BAFTA-winning performance he arguably never surpassed, this has been voted #4 in the BFI's all-time best TV movie poll. In my view one of the best gay-themed films ever made, owing of course to Quentin Crisp's inimitable personality.
- DirectorPeter WeirStarsRachel RobertsAnne-Louise LambertVivean GrayDuring a rural summer picnic, a few students and a teacher from an Australian girls' school vanish without a trace. Their absence frustrates and haunts the people left behind.Peter Weir's masterpiece has often been interpreted in a Lesbian context, but I've never felt so sure about that... decided to list it here after consulting with a Lesbian friend. It's one of the most ambiguous films ever made, after all.
- DirectorJim SharmanStarsTim CurrySusan SarandonBarry BostwickA newly-engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must seek shelter at the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-n-Furter.'don't dream it, be it' - the greatest cult classic of all time isn't really about sexual orientation, but a satire on '50s mores versus '60s/'70s liberation - yet much more enjoyable than many '90s 'It's OK' movies.
- DirectorPier Paolo PasoliniStarsPaolo BonacelliGiorgio CataldiUberto Paolo QuintavalleIn World War II Italy, four fascist libertines round up nine adolescent boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of physical, mental, and sexual torture.Pasolini's last and most notorious film associates homosexual acts with the depravity of the Fascist elite and could therefore be regarded as an anti-gay by a gay director - a premise under which it makes some odd sense
- DirectorDavid BuckleyStarsRobert AberdeenEllen SheppardDon ScottiA musician from Montana finds work and other things at The Continental Baths in New York City, 1974.interesting for displaying the show acts that used to be common in the NYC scene, but not much of a story.
- DirectorClaude MillerStarsPatrick DewaerePatrick BouchiteyChristine PascalIn a vacation camp somewhere in the French country, 1960. Marc et Philippe are two of the counsellors. Marc is very virile, while Philippe is more reserved. A night, Marc surprises Philippe dressed and made-up like a woman. From now on, he will keep on humiliating Philippe...deals with gay bashing as a result of repressed sexuality and is still relevant in this regard.
- DirectorGérard BlainStarsCésar ChauveauAnnie KovaksClaude CernayAbandoned by his father and ignored by his mother, a French youth (César Chauveau) seeks love and affection with the soldiers and other men he meets on the streets of Paris during the German occupation.More a coming-of-age story, director Gérard Blain works on his adolescent traumas in this autobiographic retelling of a rebellious teen turning tricks in occupied WWII Paris. Not as sympathetic to gays as his "Les Amis" but a much better film.
- DirectorSerge GainsbourgStarsJane BirkinJoe DallesandroHugues QuesterPetite waitress Johnny works and lives in a truck-stop, where she's lonely and longs for love. She develops a crush on garbage-truck driver Krassky, although her sleazy boss Boris warns her that he's gay.Another film that actually should not be on this list as it's unabashedly exploitative, it's also a one-of-a-kind surreal experience. The gay theme is milked for shock yet off-the-charts unrealistic, and one cannot help but wonder about uber-hetero Serge Gainsbourg's motivation for (ab)using his real-life partner Jane Birkin, plus naming the film after their biggest hit. However, it's Joe Dallessandro's only film in which he is really gay.
- DirectorPhilippe ValloisStarsMarie-Christine WeillPatrice PascalPhilippe ValloisWhile Philipe waits for Johan to come out of jail he starts recreating several moments of their relationship with the help of several friends during the summer of 1975.very overt and underground, but camera-wise almost unwatchable.
- DirectorGeorge SchlatterStarsRedd FoxxPearl BaileyDennis DuganA black man is distraught when he discovers his son is gay and is determined to set him right.First black gay-themed film is a cliché-riddled theater piece, but quite sympathetic and once again an interesting time-travel experience.