Gay movies old
The best LGBTQ+ movies of all time
Photograph: Kate Wootton/TimeOut
With the help of principal directors, actors, writers and activists, we count down the most essential Homosexual films of all time
Like queer society itself, queer cinema is not a monolith. For a long time, though, that’s certainly how it felt. In the past, if gay lives and issues were ever portrayed at all on screen, it was typically from the perspective of white, cisgendered men. But as more opportunities have opened up for homosexual performers and filmmakers to tell their own stories, the scope of the LGBTQ+ experiences that have made their way onto the screen has gradually widened to more frequently include the trans community and queer people of colour.
It’s still not perfect, of course. In Hollywood, as in society at large, there are many barriers left to breach and ceilings to shatter. But those recent strides deserve to be celebrated – as do the bold films made long before the mainstream was willing to accept them. To that cease, we enlisted some LGBTQ+ cultural pioneers, as well as Time Out writers to assist in assembling a list of the greatest gay films ever made.
Written by C FacebookEmailXLinkedInRedditBlueskyWhatsAppCopy linkImpact Link This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? . Thanks to increasing LGBTQ visibility, queer films are being made mainstream — often with gender non-conforming writers, actors, and directors at their helms. However, while many of these contemporary gay movies are crucial and continue to capture more and more elements of queer life, it's also important to confirm that LGBTQ movies hold always existed (even during periods of censorsh AmazonApple If it feels a bit like a CW version of an after-school particular, that's no mistake: Teen-tv super-producer Greg Berlanti makes his feature-film directorial debut here. It's as chaste a love story as you're likely to see in the 21st century—the hunky gardener who makes the title teen question his sexuality is wearing a long-sleeved shirt, for God’s sake—but you know what? The queer kids of the future need their wholesome entertainment, too. AmazonHulu A gay fantasia on Elton themes. An Elton John biopic was never going to be understated, but this glittering jukebox musical goes way over the top and then keeps going. It might be an overcorrection from the straight-washing of the previous year's Bohemian Rhapsody, but when it's this much fun, it's best not to overthink it. Advertisement - Last Reading Below NetflixAmazon A charming Irish movie that answers the question: "What if John Hughes were Irish and gay?" Misfit Ned struggles at a rugby-obsessed boarding school until a mysterious new kid moves in and an unlikely fri
Old Hollywood movies had to follow strict guidelines throughout the 1930s–1960s, known as the Hays Code. This basically prevented all US films from featuring anything that was overtly sexual or "inappropriate," which forced a lot of filmmakers to get imaginative about how they could navigate potential censorship. I contain running lists on Letterboxd of every Old Hollywood and LGBTQ+ movie that I watch, so I sifted through them to discover a bunch from the Hays Code era that are subtly (and not so subtly) suuuuuper gay. Here are some of my favorites. Enjoy!
1.Rebel Without a Cause (1955) stars James Dean as a attracted to both genders hottie, so you really can't seek for much more. The original script had his personality kissing Plato, who was one of the first same-sex attracted teen characters on screen, but the Hays Code instantly squashed that from happening. Still, this movie is edgy and dramatic and romantic, and the whole cast is just so amusement to look at.
2.All About Eve (1950) is a witty and toxic drama about an aging actress who befriends a fan who ultimately tries to usurp her. This movie shares the record for the most Oscar nominations ever, with 14, and it briefly features Marilyn Monroe in one of her f
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