The endurg (gay?) appeal of 'The Wizard of Oz': Mister of Culture

OVER THE RABOW: THE GAY MALE OBSSN WH THE WIZARD OF OZ

* wizard of oz gay cinema *

Over the Rabow: The Gay Male Obssn wh The Wizard of Oz | Joseph Sciambra. Over the Rabow: The Gay Male Obssn wh The Wizard of Oz. Early on, durg my first ial days wh the gay culture of San Francis, I was bemed by the near reverential treatment paid to the film “The Wizard of Oz.

It was a high holy day for gay men San Francis. The atmosphere around the theater was one of a relig procsn; all seemed like harmls fun; but, as wh all public spectacl gay culture – beyond the revelry was always a pervasively tragic overtone.

At the time, for myself, was the send wave of gay aths om AIDS: wh the mic om the movie servg as some horrific funeral dirge. Now, so many years later, I perceive the film and the gay obssn wh somewhat differently. Most remarkably, is the homosexual male intifitn wh Dorothy herself; perfectly embodied by the equally happy and sad Judy Garland – whose untimely ath 1969 advertently sparked the Stonewall Rts.

PHILALPHIA GAY NEWS

Along wh other glamoro, but ultimately self-stctive screen legends, like Jean Harlow, Joan Crawford, and Marilyn Monroe, gay men saw Garland the mirror for their own manic-prsive reali: feigng a perfect exuberance to the adorg mass while gog home alone and nursg the fterg wounds. Subnscly, I thk most “gay” men realize that homosexualy is sentially a ad end. Remds me of the strobg lights, imprsive sounds, and pyrotechnics at the San Francis “gay” dance clubs, or on a larger sle, at a Madonna ncert.

Furthermore, the three characters of the Srecrow, the T-man, and the Cowardly Ln, are also metaphors for the gay male fantasy: of fdg their perfected selv; nstantly dogged by a feelg of aquacy and missgns, that is forever and unntrollably throwg before your ey a sensatn that you are lackg; though cintly, as the characters fally fd out – was not wantg at all, but was wh them. Yet, the longgs are flawlsly realized and fulfilled the film; while gay men never really reach that sheltered existence of safety back at home.

Bee, “The Wizard of Oz” is sentially the daydream of gay fulfillment: that someone, or somethg, out there will offer the cure for all that ails. ” In gay culture, the trek never ends and a te home is elive. As far back as 1919 cema was beg ed to promote gay rights.

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Wh this year’s Osr race celebratg a batn of gay characters (Brendon Fraser The Whale, Cate Blanchett Tár), mp ins (Angela Bassett, Lady Gaga, Michelle Yeoh), and, Everythg Everywhere All At Once’s Stephanie Hsu, the first openly queer actor nomated for playg a queer character sce Ian McKellen 1998 (pl all the nods for Baz Luhrman’s Elvis, a movie that provis a one-word answer to the qutn, “Alexa, fe mp? Somehow MGM’s classic is simultaneoly the least and most gay film on this list. There’s no overt sexualy or romance of any kd here, and (probably) no tentnal queer dg, but such is the power of The Wizard of Oz and s star, all-time-one-off Judy Garland, that s imagery is synonymo wh gay culture.

Friend of Dorothy has been slang for gay men for years (some chalk this up to Judy Garland, beloved of gay men everywhere, while others pot to the origal Oz books and the le “you have some queer iends, Dorothy”), Over the Rabow is arguably the most important song gay culture, as anyone who has heard Ruf Wawright sgg will tell you, and rabows themselv are part of the fabric of Pri. Todd Hayn “The only bs that I liked Velvet Goldme were the gay bs”, said David Bowie, the unwillg spiratn for Todd Hayn’ thly-veiled Ziggy Stardt tribute act. ” Bowie is right about the “gay bs” but uncharacteristilly wrong about the rt – there’s plenty to enjoy this glter-hearted, sumptuo tale of nce.

Both were advised to pass on the script due to the stigma playg a gay character uld give an actor. The film broke new ground as a queer drama that was accepted by a mastream dience, though some have blamed private homophobia on behalf of Amy members for blockg what was expected to be a Bt Picture shoe- at the (2014) dir.