‘On the same level as the Nazis’: the film about Germany’s postwar persecutn of gay men | Film | The Guardian

Contents:

• GAY HISTORY – DECEMBER 28, 1888: GERMAN DIRECTOR F. W. MURN OF “NOSFERATU” FAME IS BORN
• QUEER KO: 1970S AND ‘80S GAY GERMAN ARTHOE CEMA
• ‘ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THE NAZIS’: THE FILM ABOUT GERMANY’S POSTWAR PERSECUTN OF GAY MEN
• ‘GREAT FREEDOM’ AND THE LONG SHADOW OF AN ANTI-GAY LAW GERMANY
• OUT DIRECTOR IRA SACHS SLAMS HIS NEW QUEER FILM’S NC-17 RATG, LLG THE MPA “ANTI-GAY”

GAY HISTORY – DECEMBER 28, 1888: GERMAN DIRECTOR F. W. MURN OF “NOSFERATU” FAME IS BORN

Oliver Masucci as gay German film director Raer Werner Fassbr. Then he moved to cema so he uld munite a greater range of human experience, fluenced by the lik of Brechtian Jean-Luc Godard — except Fassbr was unapologetilly gay and had no hatn pickg up his next leadg man a back alley or gay bar, impossible as was for him to separate art and sex as he lived and breathed both every moment.

QUEER KO: 1970S AND ‘80S GAY GERMAN ARTHOE CEMA

Btish and mascule he arguably outdid Andy Warhol the artistic appropriatn of homoeroticism, but they shared siar creative prcipl, cludg ad hoc salons full of tarnished m. For a gay man he sure did know his way around fashnista lbians, and was my troductn to one of his m, Hanna Schygulla, wh whom he had a temptuo, almost abive artistic associatn for 15 years (but who is mysterly excised om this film). Fassbr tried to overturn the image of Germany as ld, ntrollg and lculated wh the emotnal anarchy, blood, sweat, and phoria of a gay bar’s back room a Berl backstreet.

‘ON THE SAME LEVEL AS THE NAZIS’: THE FILM ABOUT GERMANY’S POSTWAR PERSECUTN OF GAY MEN

Openly homosexual, he married twice; one of his wiv acted his films and the other served as his edor. Germany has been churng out gay hs for nearly a century. Here, 11 gay movi, om the dramatic to the edic, om the absurd to the touchg, om the Weimer Republic to unified Berl, straight out of Germany.

Madchen Uniform ("Girls Uniform"), 1931: While homosexualy was simply allud to the aforementned flicks, was on full display Madchen Uniform, the tale of a boardg school girl who falls for her teacher.

‘GREAT FREEDOM’ AND THE LONG SHADOW OF AN ANTI-GAY LAW GERMANY

Anrs als du und Ich ("Different From You and Me"), 1957: Not to be nfed wh the siarly gay 1919 movie Anrs als die Anrn ("Different om the Others"), this mid-20th Century narrative revolv around rich kid Kls's affair wh a lower-class peer named Maned. And drama also ensued when the picture me out -- not only were nservativ displeased wh the gay ntent, early gay activists were livid over an endg which, spoiler alert, Kls is "cured" of his homosexualy.

OUT DIRECTOR IRA SACHS SLAMS HIS NEW QUEER FILM’S NC-17 RATG, LLG THE MPA “ANTI-GAY”

Nicht r Homosexuelle ist pervers, sonrn die Suatn, r er lebt ("It Is Not The Homosexual Who Is Perverse, But The Society In Which He Liv"), 1971: Perhaps one of the most ntroversial gay featur ever to e out of Germany, or anywhere else, this mouthful of a movie and s portrayal of gay men as shallow, fashn-obssed, limp wristed weaklgs created such a stir that the viotaped cricisms om gay activists nstute their own short.

It's lled "Audience Rponse to It's not the Homosexual...

Fstrecht r Freihe ("Fox and His Friends"), 1975: Inic New Cema filmmaker Raer Werner Fassbr directed, wrote, and starred this story of a gay man who falls for a wealthy heir. Taxi zum Klo ("Taxi to the John", or "Taxi to the Toilet"), 1981: Frank Ripploh's semi-tobgraphil drama about a prim and proper school teacher wh a hardre after-hours sex life was groundbreakg and sensatnal for s time, and ed remas a cult classic (and one of the sexit gay films acrdg to director John Cameron Mchell). Lola und Bilidikid (Lola and Billy The Kid), 1999: Wrer/Director Kutlug Ataman had hoped to film this story of a young man tryg to rencile his homosexualy wh Islam Turkey, the ma character's fay's homeland, but he uldn't shore up enough support.