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Brief Encounters: Lesbians and Gays in British Cinema, 1930-71 (Film studies)
£8.20
An examination of lesbian and gays in British cinema, this book explores a range of lesbian and gay screen images from such diverse films as “Soldiers of the King”, “Pygmalion”, “Dangerous Moonlight”, “Blithe Spirit”, “Brief Encounter”, and “The Servant”, revealing a vital, varied and sensuous cinema. Arranged chronologically, and examining performers, directors and over 150 famous, half-remembered and forgotten films, the book forms a celebration of the contribution of gays and lesbians to British cinema culture. It includes an appendix of gay men’s reactions to “Victim”, the landmark Dirk Bogart film.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Continuum International Publishing Group Ltd. (1 Oct. 1996) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 256 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0304332860 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0304332861 |
| Dimensions | 13.97 x 2.54 x 22.23 cm |
by Provincial Lady
The book examines films with gay themes and those with gay and lesbian actors. It begins with James Whale’s 1930 film of the play “Journey’s End” (with the wonderful Colin Clive), and ends with “Performance” in 1970.
Some films are analysed in more detail, such as “Victim” (1961), which marked Dirk Bogarde’s transformation from matinee idol to an actor who could play very interesting roles and who didn’t shy away from difficult subjects. In fact, one reason I bought the book was for the Appendix, the “Victim” letters; these are letters from gay men who saw the film at the time. Their reactions are interestingly varied.
Sometimes Bourne’s interpretations are a little over-ingenious. He deduces that in Powell and Pressburger’s “I Know Where I’m Going” Joan (Wendy Hiller) and Catriona (Pamela Brown) spend a night together. The evidence for this seems to depend on the location of Catriona’s dogs, and the fact that the next morning Wendy Hiller is complaining that she can’t do anything with her hair.
Despite this, the book is great fun, and supplies food for thought.
by Hargreaves
Don’t let the unforgivable misspelling of Dirk Bogarde’s name as “Bogart” in the product description put you off reading this fascinating exploration. Dirk Bogarde was the star of VICTIM, a groundbreaking film on homosexuality in 1961.
by reeceindie
Brief Encounters offers a fascinating, revealing, critical overview and history of the inclusion (and exclusion) of gay, lesbian and possibly queer characters, actors, directors and images in British film from 1930 (James Whale and Hitchcock’s ‘Murder’) to 1971 (‘Sunday bloody Sunday’). Arranged chronologically, year by year, the book focuses on major titles or significant films from each year as well as a quick mention of some brief glimpses of gay or stereotypical characters in various films or other films of note. The tone is accessible, descriptive, persuasive and not too over-analytical and makes for great, pleasurable reading for any film fan, especially as British cinema is full of forgotten or neglected titles. The author makes a great argument in highlighting that these images and characters have always been part of British cinema, though seldom if ever written about. It would have been great to see an updated edition featuring any films or titles which were forgotten or unseen, due to lack of availability at the time.
by Amazon Customer
Book was as described and arrived on time. Great help in my research. Good seller. Thank you