From Victim to Weekend, we remember some of the bt Brish gay films.
Contents:
10 GREAT BRISH GAY FILMS
* gay drama uk *
Followg this creria, programm as diverse as Brishead Revised (1981), Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003), Six Feet Unr (2001-05), The Wire (2002-08), Glee (2009-) and Morn Fay (2009-) don’t make the cut, spe their strong sendary queer characters (the ternatnal succs of Morn Fay particular, broadst untri where homosexualy is still illegal, uld help liberalise attus, followg the marriage of Cameron and Mchell, two of the most popular characters). Dpe bomb threats to the stud and protts om relig groups, the episo was broadst 1997, wh Ellen fally utterg the words “I’m gay”, accintally speakg the words to the microphone at an airport check- sk. Queer as Folk (1999-2000)This one me out of nowhere, a shamels and often outrageo seri that gave a kickg to the perceptn of gay men as sexls bt iends to female protagonists and stead put them centre stage, showg them to be as flawed, selfish and sex-hungry as everyone else – more so, fact.
Its first episo, featurg 29-year-old Stuart rimmg a horny 15-year old, was unapologetilly provotive, and upset both the tabloids and many gay viewers, who were alarmed by s subversive characters. It hasn’t dated a jot (although Manchter’s Canal Street is now the stompg ground of hen parti alongsi the gay clubbers), and lnched the reers of s three stars, Aidan Gillen, Craig Kelly and Charlie Hunnam.
Angels Ameri (2003)This hugely amb two-parter based on Tony Khner’s epic play, dubbed ‘A Gay Fantasia on Natnal Them’, juggl the liv of very different gay men livg New York durg the Reagan admistratn.
GAY DRAMAS/MOVI
hi im bisexual and this is all the gay dramas/movi or dramas/movi wh gay storyl that ive seen. sorted by how good i thk they are (not necsarily enjoyment, but obvly none of this will be objective)ratg reflects my personal enjoymentthe are all primarily mlm, but i do hope…" name="scriptn * gay drama uk *
The Reagan admistratn’s appallg lack of reactn to the vis and the effects AIDS had on gay relatnships is arrtgly picted by the late director Mike Nichols (The Graduate, Who’s Aaid of Virgia Woolf? Swedish drama Don’t Ever Wipe Tears whout Glov follows the relatnship between a troubled Jehovah’s Wns and a untry boy who mov to Stockholm the early 1980s, as the outbreak of AIDS begs (the awkward tle om a stern stctn om a matron sldg a nurse who shows passn to a dyg gay man, showg the fear and paranoia surroundg the vis at the time). But while eply movg and often harrowg, s greatt triumph is showg the love and support wh the gay muny Stockholm, while a shot of the two men fallg love as snow falls gently around them is achgly betiful.
The fourth a strg of Netflix releas om LGBTQ+ mastermd Ryan Murphy, Halston stars Ewan McGregor as the inic gay signer of the same name who rose to ternatnal fame wh a worldwi fashn empire that beme synonymo wh luxury, sex, stat and fame 1970s and 1980s New York. Although McGregor’s stg was met wh ntroversy (straight actors playg gay bate etc), the star livers a reer-bt performance as the rglear of “a bunch of queer and eaks and girls who haven’t grown up yet”. Wh Cary no longer ltg after his straight roommate, the aspirg actor treads new queer ground this season wh Grdr hook-ups, gay clubs and his first boyiend, while highlightg the var hiccups a queer person experienc when g out later life.
I’M 43 – BUT I’M MA TO FEEL LIKE A DOSR BY YOUNGER GAY MEN
Sce s but, the show has been mend for s diversy; over the urse of 16 seasons, we’ve been troduced to characters who are lbian, gay, bisexual and trans, so pretty much the entire LGBT acronym, which many shows have failed to do. Set New York Cy, the show foc on the relatnship between Will Tman (Eric McCormack) – who beme one of the first and most well-known fictnal gay men to enter to people’s hom – and his bt iend Grace Adler (Debra Msg).
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. 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).
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. 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.