We look back at the bt French gay cema.
Contents:
- 10 GREAT FRENCH GAY FILMS
- A GAY "BETY AND THE BEAST"? SORRY, DISNEY, THEY ALREADY MA IT—IN 1946A CEMA {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY DAN AVERYMARCH 17, 2017/10:37 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}BY DAN AVERYMARCH 17, 2017 / 10:37 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"A GAY \"BETY AND THE BEAST\"? SORRY, DISNEY, THEY ALREADY MA IT—IN 1946","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-03-17T14:37:25.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-03-17T14:37:25.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DAN AVERY","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MUCH IS BEG MA ABOUT THE "EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT" DISNEY'S LIVE ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST, BUT THE HOE OF MOE IS ABOUT 70 YEARS TOO {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN 1946, ACCLAIMED FRENCH DIRECTOR JEAN COCTE FILMED HIS OWN LIVE-ACTN FILM, LA BELLE ET LA BêTE, WHICH IS STILL HELD UP AS ONE OF THE MOST MAGIL WORKS OF 20TH CENTURY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}COCTE DIDN'T CLU ANY OVERTLY GAY CHARACTERS HIS VERSN— WHICH BELLE (JOSETTE DAY) IS ALSO WOOED BY AVENANT, A IEND OF HER BROTHER WHO JOS THE PLOT TO EE HER OM BEAST'S STLE. BUT BOTH AVENANT AND THE BEAST WERE PLAYED BY FRENCH ACTOR JEAN MARAIS, WHO WAS COCTE'S ME AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HE ALSO ST MARAIS THREE OTHER FILMS: 1943'S THE ETERNAL RETURN, 1947'S RUY BLAS AND 1949'S ORPHS. THEIR RELATNSHIP WAS HARDLY A SECRET—THEY WERE ABOUT AS CLOSE TO A GAY POWER UPLE AS YOU ULD GET THE 1940S. THEY EVEN OPTED TO REMA PARIS DURG THE NAZI OCCUPATN, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A ATH SENTENCE FOR ANY GAY CELEBRY WHOUT THE FILMMAKER'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}COCTE DATED A FEW WOMEN HIS YOUTH, BUT MOST OF HIS RELATNSHIPS WERE WH MEN: BIS MARAIS THERE WERE ACTOR EDUARD DE MAX, POET JOHN LE ROY, AND WRER RAYMOND RADIQUET, WHO WAS ONLY 15 WHEN THEY BEGAN LIVG TOGETHER. (COCTE REFERRED TO HIS YOUNGER LOVERS AS "L ENFANTS," OR "THE CHILDREN."){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MARAIS WAS BISEXUAL—HE WAS ACTUALLY MARRIED FOR TWO YEARS TO ACTRS MILA PARéLY, WHO PLAYED ONE OF BELLE'S SHREWISH SISTERS. AFTER THE COCTE'S ATH, MARAIS WROTE A BGRAPHY OF COCTE, L'INNCEVABLE JEAN COCTE, AND GAVE THORSHIP TO "COCTE-MARAIS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}LOOKG AT THE FILM AGA WH KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP, YOU N SEE AS BEAST'S TALE, NOT BELLE'S—A MAN HIDG A TERRIBLE SECRET, ONE THAT NEARLY KILLS HIM. IN THE END, THOUGH, HE IS EED BY THE POWER OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SO WHILE EVERYONE BAT THE MERS OF LE FOU, WE'LL NEVER FET OUR QUEER {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
10 GREAT FRENCH GAY FILMS
Openly homosexual, he equently llaborated wh his male partners to create profoundly regnized work. Even durg the Nazi occupatn of France, Cocte stayed te to his sexualy, spe the imment danger toward homosexuals. His directns and ndor further fed the gay muny France at the time.
His works are an dispensable part of the history of queer cema, pecially due to his brave stance on his own homosexualy and the subtextual mentary agast the heteronormative society of that time. While many thought of homosexualy as the problem back then bee of the pernic social and relig programmg agast homosexualy, Cocte was adamant that was the social stctur of power that were rponsible for his unhapps and that he had nothg to feel “guilty” about.
A GAY "BETY AND THE BEAST"? SORRY, DISNEY, THEY ALREADY MA IT—IN 1946A CEMA {FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}{FONT:NORMAL 800 1.2REM/1.2 "D BOLD",SANS-SERIF;TEXT-TRANSFORM:NORMAL;LOR:HER;DISPLAY:LE-BLOCK;PADDG-BOTTOM:6PX;POSN:RELATIVE;TEXT-TRANSFORM:UPPERSE;}{BACKGROUND:#89308A;BOTTOM:0;NTENT:'';DISPLAY:BLOCK;HEIGHT:2PX;LEFT:0;POSN:ABSOLUTE;RIGHT:0;-WEBK-TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;TRANSN:ALL 0.2S EASE;WIDTH:100%;}{LEFT:51%;RIGHT:51%;WIDTH:0;}MOVIBY DAN AVERYMARCH 17, 2017/10:37 {HEIGHT:HER;DISPLAY:-WEBK-BOX;DISPLAY:-WEBK-FLEX;DISPLAY:-MS-FLEXBOX;DISPLAY:FLEX;POSN:RELATIVE;-WEBK-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-MS-FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;FLEX-WRAP:WRAP;-WEBK-ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-ALIGN:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-ALIGN:CENTER;ALIGN-EMS:CENTER;-WEBK-BOX-PACK:CENTER;-WEBK-JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-MS-FLEX-PACK:CENTER;JTIFY-NTENT:CENTER;-WEBK-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;-MS-TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;TRANSFORM-ORIG:CENTER;} IMG{HEIGHT:100%;WIDTH:100%;OBJECT-F:VER;}{HEIGHT:574PX;WIDTH:1020PX;}BY DAN AVERYMARCH 17, 2017 / 10:37 AM{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"NEWSARTICLE","HEADLE":"A GAY \"BETY AND THE BEAST\"? SORRY, DISNEY, THEY ALREADY MA IT—IN 1946","THUMBNAILURL":","DATEPUBLISHED":"2017-03-17T14:37:25.000+0000","DATEMODIFIED":"2017-03-17T14:37:25.000+0000","IMAGE":{"@NTEXT":","@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT","URL":","WIDTH":1920,"HEIGHT":1080},"URL":","THOR":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","NAME":"LOGO TV"},"MAENTYOFPAGE":{"@TYPE":"WEBPAGE","@ID":"},"PUBLISHER":{"@TYPE":"ORGANIZATN","@ID":","NAME":"LOGO TV","URL":","LOGO":{"@TYPE":"IMAGEOBJECT"}},"CREATOR":"DAN AVERY","ARTICLESECTN":"MOVI"}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MUCH IS BEG MA ABOUT THE "EXCLIVELY GAY MOMENT" DISNEY'S LIVE ACTN BETY AND THE BEAST, BUT THE HOE OF MOE IS ABOUT 70 YEARS TOO {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}IN 1946, ACCLAIMED FRENCH DIRECTOR JEAN COCTE FILMED HIS OWN LIVE-ACTN FILM, LA BELLE ET LA BêTE, WHICH IS STILL HELD UP AS ONE OF THE MOST MAGIL WORKS OF 20TH CENTURY {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}COCTE DIDN'T CLU ANY OVERTLY GAY CHARACTERS HIS VERSN— WHICH BELLE (JOSETTE DAY) IS ALSO WOOED BY AVENANT, A IEND OF HER BROTHER WHO JOS THE PLOT TO EE HER OM BEAST'S STLE. BUT BOTH AVENANT AND THE BEAST WERE PLAYED BY FRENCH ACTOR JEAN MARAIS, WHO WAS COCTE'S ME AND {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}HE ALSO ST MARAIS THREE OTHER FILMS: 1943'S THE ETERNAL RETURN, 1947'S RUY BLAS AND 1949'S ORPHS. THEIR RELATNSHIP WAS HARDLY A SECRET—THEY WERE ABOUT AS CLOSE TO A GAY POWER UPLE AS YOU ULD GET THE 1940S. THEY EVEN OPTED TO REMA PARIS DURG THE NAZI OCCUPATN, WHICH WOULD HAVE BEEN A ATH SENTENCE FOR ANY GAY CELEBRY WHOUT THE FILMMAKER'S {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}COCTE DATED A FEW WOMEN HIS YOUTH, BUT MOST OF HIS RELATNSHIPS WERE WH MEN: BIS MARAIS THERE WERE ACTOR EDUARD DE MAX, POET JOHN LE ROY, AND WRER RAYMOND RADIQUET, WHO WAS ONLY 15 WHEN THEY BEGAN LIVG TOGETHER. (COCTE REFERRED TO HIS YOUNGER LOVERS AS "L ENFANTS," OR "THE CHILDREN."){BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}MARAIS WAS BISEXUAL—HE WAS ACTUALLY MARRIED FOR TWO YEARS TO ACTRS MILA PARéLY, WHO PLAYED ONE OF BELLE'S SHREWISH SISTERS. AFTER THE COCTE'S ATH, MARAIS WROTE A BGRAPHY OF COCTE, L'INNCEVABLE JEAN COCTE, AND GAVE THORSHIP TO "COCTE-MARAIS."{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}LOOKG AT THE FILM AGA WH KNOWLEDGE OF THEIR RELATNSHIP, YOU N SEE AS BEAST'S TALE, NOT BELLE'S—A MAN HIDG A TERRIBLE SECRET, ONE THAT NEARLY KILLS HIM. IN THE END, THOUGH, HE IS EED BY THE POWER OF {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;PADDG:24PX 0;} A{LOR:#354A4E;-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;TEXT-RATN:UNRLE;} A:HOVER, A:FOC{-WEBK-TEXT-RATN:NONE;TEXT-RATN:NONE;} B, STRONG{FONT-WEIGHT:700;}SO WHILE EVERYONE BAT THE MERS OF LE FOU, WE'LL NEVER FET OUR QUEER {BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;CLEAR:BOTH;}{BOX-SIZG:BORR-BOX;MARG:0 TO;WIDTH:90%;M-WIDTH:288PX;MAX-WIDTH:1440PX;M-HEIGHT:194PX;}LATT NEWS
Together, they were scribed as the “first morn gay uple”. They are an endurg symbol of gay pri bee they ma the nsc cisn of stayg a Nazi-occupied Paris spe the fascists’ posn on homosexualy. Cocte and Marais were openly gay and were lampooned the Nazi media for this.
The actor even went as far as to claim that he was rejected by the Ristance France for beg gay when he exprsed his sire to sign up and fight agast the Nazis. Arnd monstrat how André Breton’s lumny agast Cocte the ’20s, aped by his Surrealist brethren, still tats Cocte — even though s blatant homophobia is now evint and tolerable. If not a llaborator, Cocte was certaly guilty of bad taste, celebratg prt the sculptor Arno Breker, a fabritor of homoerotic Nazi ksch.
His acunt of Cocte and Jean Marais’s relatnship mak clear that “The First Morn Gay Couple” (acrdg to) ceased physil relatns 18 months to their 10-year habatn. Durg WWII, the Vichy ernment brand him as nt due to his dg addictn and homosexualy. Gay.