GAY HO!! - a celluloid take on homosexuality

Hello my steamed frEEksums!

It was a landmark day for the swingers, kite-runners, behnas last week with the Delhi High Court, declaring void, the Section 377 of the Indian Penal Code ( seriously, isn't it ironic that something known as the Penal Code banned sex!)
For those not in the know, the said section codified in the 1800s by the Brits, prohibited "unnatural" sex (man, the Brits, really were prudes!) and effectively banned homosexuality, whatever our stance may be on homosexuality it is a welcome relief, that the judiciary has kept up with changing times. Join me then my fellow frEeks in celebrating the depiction of the alternate lifestyle on celluloid!
The leading take on history of homsexuality in cinema, and amongst actors is the "Celluloid Closet" written by Victor Russo, which was later into a movie, on the same name, take a look:
The movie, takes an witty look at the exaggerated portrayals of homosexuality in early hollywood, where the "gay" man had overtly effeminate characteristics, dressed in drag and even carried a purse! In several films, the gay had character confessed his "sin" on being "different"! While Hollywood later portrayed more realistic homosexual character, there was always that sterotypical movie which portrayed gay men, as campy cross-dressers, or lesbian women as crazy violent bitches,
some of the better portrayals of omosexuality include:
"My Own Private Idaho" - which was a sensitive portrayal of Keanu Reeves, as a wayward youth who becomes involved with a gay lad played by River Phoenix
and Tom Hank's Oscar winning turn in Philadelphia - where he plays a gay lawyer afflicted by AIDs

and of course, the unforgettable "Midnight Cowboy" starring Dustin Hoffman and Jon (Angelina ka baap) Voight sad tale of a wannabe actor (Voight) forced into gay prostitution to make ends meet..

Bollywood on the other hand still has a coy relationship with homosexuality and
for the exceedingly rare "My brother Nikhil"

There is always the cliched portrayal of the homo/lesbo character, most notably for cheap thrills, the nadir of which was "Girlfriend" in which Isha Koppikar portrayed a boyish lesbian who

decides to kill her lover's boyfriend to prevent her from going straight, the movie aimed to titillate the basest of crowds, and garnered publicity due to the outcry that the "moral police" made in wanting the movie shut down!
Even the recent Dostana which was a blatant rip-off of the Hollywood flick "Now I pronounce you Chuck and Larry" had its cast proclaiming it to be India's first "Gay flm".. resorted to camp humour and gay stereotyping to bring in the laughs!
All the while, Homosexuality and celluloid have become comfortable bed-fellows ( yes, pun very much intended!) what with movies such as :
the Bird-Cage: starring Robin Williams and Nathan Lane as a gay couple whose adpoted son falls for the daughter of an ultra conservative politician played by Gene Hackman

or event "To Wong Foo with love, Julie Newmar" - which starred the macho Patrick Swazye and Wesley Snipes as cross dressing gay dancers..

and of course homoerotic vampire thriller "Interview with the Vampire"

and yes, that little movie about the two Cowboys..

which have all gone on to become huge blockbusters!

Who knows, what the frEEking future holds, a gay James Bond perhaps???

You heard it first here folks!!!

Extra frEEky: Midnight Cowboy is the only X rated movie, to win an Oscar!

UNHOLY TRINITY: Trial and Errors!

Hello fellow freeks!

Whoever said three is a crowd, never ever chanced upon an installment of this blog's popular feature.....

UNHOLY TRINITY!: Trial and Errors!:


While our beleagured, beloved (you get the point) city of Mumbai, awaits the trial proceedings to decide the fate a certain Mr. Kasab
who like other callous individuals before him, had tried to rip apart the complex fabric that is our city, and while it is far from this FrEEk to pass judgment on the actual need for said trial; join the FrEEk in sampling for yourself in some celluloid's finest attempts to portray trials and proceedings in court!

Trial No 1: Judgement at Nuremberg:

Based on the true life Kaztzenberger trial and featuring a stellar cast including Spencer Tracy, Montgomery Clift, Judy Garland and directed by Stanley Kramer managed to intersperse the terse proceedings of the Nuremberg Trials with that of the no-less charismatic Katzenberger case.
The movie takes a fictionalised view of the trial of three judges at Nuremberg having been alleged of delivering judgements leading to mass genocides during the second world war. What is especially of note is that the script does scamper down the easy path of glorifying the misdeeds of the judges - rather it plays along much rather like a real trial would. The defense attorney played by Maximillian Schell (in an oscar-winning role) uses such diverse evidence such as studies conducted by American universities supporting eugenics ( and therefore genocide) and even audio clippings of Winston Churchill praising the methods of Adolf Hitler.

The prosecuting attorney played effectively by Richard Wildmark as an effective counter-punch shows in court footage of the corpses of the victims at various Nazi Concentration camps (what is significant to note is that this is the first time that this footage was released on a cinematic medium for audiences anywhere, and one can well imagine the impact that such visuals carried).

The movie, ends with a brilliant testimony by one of the convicted judges - Danning played by Burt Lancaster - where he admits upon his guilt but not before throwing in perspective the reason that he and the other convicted judges chose their horrendous path of action. You can check out Lancaster's testimony scene below:

Trial No. 2: 12 Angry Men


What sets this apart this brilliant legal drama, is that while the movie revolves around the trial of a teen charged with the brutal killing of his father; the viewer never steps into the actual trial proceedings and is in fact ushered into the jury room - where the 12 diverse (in though, mind and action) jurors debate the guilt/innocence of the accused. What starts out as an seemingly easy verdict given the damning evidence against the accused, turns into a murkier tales of morals, misgivings when Juror # 8 (played superbly by Henry Fonda) attempts to convince the rest of the jurors about the possible innocence of the accused. What follows then is an epic battle of logic, empathy, bigotry (and all other mental maraudery that you can imagine) where one by one he attempts to have the jurors to deliver...or at least consider delivering a "not-guilty" verdict, until....(you'll have to watch it yourself!!)
The movie most effective thrives on its claustrophobic setting (yes it is shot in just the one room!) and establishes that the outcome of a legal trial rests not in damning evidence or the slick statements of the lawyers; but in the mind of the juror who for that all-too brief period plays God for the accused on trial.
A copy of this movie rests in the United States Congress building; and perhaps one should be resting in your DVD player...right now!!


TRIAL No. 3: M

Of all the trial movies that celluloid has ever churned out, M directed by legendary German Director Fritz Lang; stands out as perhaps the FrEEkiest take on the legal process.

Directed in 1931, M may perhaps be considered of latter-day crime thrillers such as Seven or even Primal Fear in its spine chilling tale of a un-named psycho (later referred to as M in the movie) in Dusseldorf who preys upon unsuspecting girls left upon by their parents to play in the neighbourhood park. luring them by offering to buy them balloons from a blind balloon seller, before committing his ghastly deeds.
Lang's bleak lightning and the repetitive usage of the musical theme "Le Hallen du Roi de la Montagne" in no small way complement this dystopian tale. In a spine-freeking twist of events, it is the criminal element of Dussledorf, threatened by the beefed-up attempts of the police force to stop this pyschopath decide to take matters in their own hands, and arrange for a trial of M, a trial by you guessed it; the criminals themselves! In a celluloid blazing performance Peter Lorre's depicts the haplessness of a man driven by the urges of his distended mind to perform unpoken deeds. Watch then as Lorre's "M" tries to convince his "jury" of his inability to contain his ghastly urges!


So there you have it folks, three varied masterpieces, from varying times that till date stand the trials (yes, pun intended!) and tests of time!!

extra freeky: does the above pictured gentleman, really need a trial?