From Victim to Weekend, we remember some of the bt Brish gay films.
Contents:
- RSELL TOVEY: HE MAY BE PROUD BUT IS THE ‘WORST GAY EVER’ ACTUALLY SORRY?
- 10 GREAT BRISH GAY FILMS
- THE REAL REASON STEVE HOWEY CAME OUT AS GAY, EVEN THOUGH HE'S STRAIGHT
RSELL TOVEY: HE MAY BE PROUD BUT IS THE ‘WORST GAY EVER’ ACTUALLY SORRY?
* british gay actor with big ears *
The only thg I n give to young gay people is that when I was growg up there were no role mols that were blokey, that were men. Everybody was flamboyant and mp, and I remember gog, 'That's not me, so even though I thk I am gay, I don't thk I f to this world.
I’m sat baffled and sadned that a misfired articulate quote of me has brand me worst gay ever, ” he said on Twter. You n also e this list of notable gay Brs to start your own people Freebase / Public domaFreddie Mercury (born Farrokh Bulsara; 5 September 1946 – 24 November 1991) was a Brish sger, songwrer, rerd producer, and lead volist of the rock band Queen.
This may e as a surprise om a untry where male homosexualy was illegal until as recently as 1967, and where gay marriage ntu to ffle right-wgers, swivel-eyed or otherwise.
10 GREAT BRISH GAY FILMS
We’ve narrowed down the list to films easily available on DVD, although honourable mentn mt go to the über-rare Two Gentlemen Sharg (1969), a swgg slice of the 60s that hted at terracial homosexualy. Sign up to BFI Flare emailsGet the latt #BFIFlare news and ticket release list should really be a Top 11 – the omissn of Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971), the first Brish film to feature a gay kiss, is borrle excable.
Tom Shkolnik’s betifully observed The Comedian (2012), which a possibly gay, possibly bi thirtysomethg (Edward Hogg) tri to make as a standup the pal, also narrowly missed cln. A few d homosexuals n be found Aled Hchck’s early work (check out the swishy drsmaker 1925’s The Pleasure Garn), while Ivor Novello’s films play up the flamboyant star’s androgyny, playg very odd, allegedly heterosexual men The Lodger (1926) and The Man whout Dire (1923). The ma tr may be straight, but the mera’s love of Pl Robon’s torso – the film was directed and produced by gay men – hts at an even more taboo love story.
THE REAL REASON STEVE HOWEY CAME OUT AS GAY, EVEN THOUGH HE'S STRAIGHT
One of the first spottgs of the GBF (Gay Bt Friend), a creature maligned and adored equal measure. Although ma at a time when homosexualy was unmentnable on screen, Hale’s gtur and waspish livery clearly the character as not the marryg kd.
Victim (1961)Dirk Bogar, an actor who never acknowledged the mours of his homosexualy durg his lifetime, took a real reer risk playg a lawyer who, followg a strg of blackmail attempts agast gay men, begs to realise his own sexualy. Ma when gay sex was illegal the UK, uld have been a reer-er, but stead saw him progrs om matee idol rol to meatier arthoe fare. Victim was released four years after the publitn of the Wolfenn report, a paper which remend that male homosexualy no longer be regard as a crimal offence.
It took another 10 years before partial crimalisatn took effect wh the Sexual Offenc act 1967, which allowed homosexual acts, private, between two men over the age of 21 – many feel Basil Dearn’s film helped liberalise attus and pave the way towards tolerance towards gay people. The Leather Boys (1964)The Brish ‘kchen sk’ dramas, foced around workg-class liv, that prevailed the late 50s and early 60s ocsnally ntaed sympathetic gay characters, such as Murray Melv’s stunt A Taste of Honey (1961) and Cicely Courtneidge’s ageg actor The L-shaped Room (1962). A newlywed (Col Campbell) havg marriage problems fds pe through mararie wh a biker gang – and don’t realise that his dynamic and fatly misogynist bt iend (Dudley Sutton) is gay.