Gay Directors, Gay Films?
Pedro Almodóvar, Terence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters
Emanuel Levy
“This is an impressively informative treatment of five promi- nent gay directors who represent a wide range of differences within the gay spectrum. Levy’s background in gay cinema, independent cinema, and traditional Hollywood cinema make him the ideal author for this significant and original study.”
—Molly Haskell, film critic and author of Frankly, My Dear: Gone with the Wind Revisited
“In a nuanced examination of five pioneering gay directors, Emanuel Levy moves with fluid grace and astonishing erudi- tion through a broad range of national traditions and per- sonal styles, nailing what is peculiar and intriguing about each auteur. His study will enchant anyone interested in the twists and turns of gender, sex, and cinema over the last 50 years.”
—Thomas Doherty, author of Hollywood and Hitler, 1933-1939
Through intimate encounters with the life and work of five con- temporary gay male directors, this book develops a framework for interpreting what it means to make a gay film or adopt a gay point of view. For most of the twentieth century, gay characters and gay themes were both underrepresented and misrepresented in mainstream cinema. Since the 1970s, however, a new generation of openly gay directors has turned the closet inside out, bringing a new and poignant immediacy to modern cinema and popular
culture.
Combining his experienced critique with in-depth interviews con- ducted with each director, Emanuel Levy draws a clear timeline of gay filmmaking over the past four decades and its particular influences and innovations. While recognizing the “queering” of American culture that resulted from these films, Levy also takes stock of the ensuing conservative backlash and its impact on cinematic art, a trend that continues alongside the growing acceptance of homosexuality. He compares the similarities and differences between the “North American” attitudes of Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, and John Waters and the “European” per- spectives of Pedro Almodóvar and Terence Davies, developing a truly comprehensive, up-to-date approach to gay filmmaking in particular and auteur cinema in general.
$25.00/£17.50 paper · 978-0-231-15277-8
$35.00/£24.00 cloth · 978-0-231-15276-1
AUGUST 2015 392 pages · 33 b&w photographs
C O L U M B I A
U N I V E R S I T Y PR E S S
EMANUEL LEVY is a professor of film and sociology, now teaching at New York University. He is the author of nine books, including Vincente Minnelli: Hollywood’s Dark Dreamer; All About Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards; Cinema of Outsiders: The Rise of American Independent Film; George Cukor: Master of Elegance; John Wayne: Prophet of the American Way of Life; and Citizen Sarris: American Film Critic. A two-time president of the L.A. Film Critics Association, Levy served as senior critic for Variety and chief film critic for Screen International before found- ing in 2003 the acclaimed website: wwww.emanuellevy.com. He has served on the grand juries of fifty-four international film fes- tivals, including Cannes, Venice, Montreal, Locarno, Taormina, San Francisco, and Sundance.
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