Gay Directors, Gay Films?: Pedro Almodóvar, Terence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters

by Emanuel Levy

Through intimate encounters with the life and work of five contemporary 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 poignant immediacy to modern cinema and popular culture.Combining his experienced critique with in-depth interviews, 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 a 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" perspectives of Pedro Almodóvar and Terence Davies, developing a truly expansive approach to gay filmmaking and auteur cinema.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, LGBT

392 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 14, 2015

Reviews

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humdinger of a read, and yes, I just said that about a book that seems to be a text book; BUT it's so much more. This is a fascinating look at 5 gay directors and looks at their films through a sociological, cinematic and queer lens. The reader gets a biography of each director and gets to se how their upbringing and personal history comes into play with their films, or doesn't as the case may be. Looking to answer the question, "do gay directors make gay films", and discovering that they do and they don't, sometimes at the same time. On the surface this looks like a text book on criticism or on film making, but it reads more like a biography-it's quite a writing achievement to make this book flow and move along. After reading this I have a new appreciation for the work of these directors, especially Almodovar, who happens to be my favorite director. A great read for cinephiles, bibliophiles or anyone who likes a really good book.

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is excellent if you have some knowledge of the directors filmography already. Some of the comparisons between the Directors styles felt contrived or lazy, but it helped me notice details in the Director's films (or common themes) that I have may have previously overlooked.

[Jeff · Rating 1 out of 5]

Read half of this for a book club and some of the conclusion--I think it was enough though. We decided beforehand that we wanted to stop at the halfway point, but I probably would have stopped earlier on my own. Author had some compelling questions in the beginning but never presented a coherent thesis or argument later on. Basically a summary of the directors' work with some interpretation through a gay lens. The analyses themselves were weak, which overall detracted from the argument, or some semblance of an argument.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately 80% of this book was spent giving detailed descriptions of each director's films with occasional comparisons to scenes in other films that appear to have influenced the director or that were created as homages. Since I am very familiar with 4 of the 5 directors referenced there was very little new information for me in this book. Near the end of the book the author states that he did not intend to include any biographical information on the directors. Had I know that going in I probably would not have read this book. If you are looking to read a well written synopsis on the filmography of five amazing directors this book is for you.

[R.J. Gilmour · Rating 2 out of 5]

Far too often film scholarship consists of descriptions of films without any real analysis. Levy's book which has a promising idea never rises above this kind of problem. Looking at the work of Almodovar, Davies, Haynes, Van Sant and Waters, which is in itself an ambitious enterprise, the book presents more biographical and descriptive detail than analysis. Too often the writing suffers not only from this weakness in content but also because the author celebrates his own relationship to the films discussed. Sadly, what could have been an interesting book is marred by these problems.