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Directed by Andrew Haigh, the film is the sensual, tender and fascinating story of two young Englishmen (Tom Cullen and Chris New) who meet and fall in love within 48 hours. Franco in the representation of sexuality and emotions, touches the specificities of the contemporary life of gays, as well as the universal aspects of a dazzling and immediate bond. With long takes and a wealth of detail and revealing dialogue, it’s the story of a night you wish would never end. LWM
Women in love (1969)
Oliver Reed, Glenda Jackson, Alan Bates, Jennie Linden and Eleanor Bron in Women in love.Courtesy Everett Collection
Women in love by Ken Russell, adapted by Larry Kramer from DH Lawrence’s novel of the same name, is best remembered for the scene in which Alan Bates and Oliver Reed wrestle naked in front of a crackling fire. The film centers on the courtships of two sisters, Ursula (Jennie Linden) and Gudrun (Glenda Jackson, in an Oscar-winning role). Ursula loves the handsome Rupert (Bates), school inspector, while Gudrun loves Gerald (Reed), a local industrialist and close friend of Rupert. As both relationships deepen and warp, Rupert realizes he wants more from Gerald than just friendship. “We should swear we love each other, you and I, implicitly, perfectly, definitively, with no chance of going back,” Rupert tells his friend after their wrestling match. Although the not so subtle homoeroticism of Women in love caused its ban in Turkey, today it is unanimously considered Ken Russell’s most moving work. MM
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
Toni Collette and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers in Velvet Goldmine.© Miramax / Courtesy Everett Collection
Todd Haynes’ kaleidoscopic ode to the spirit of glam rock, Velvet Goldmine is one of the most elegant queer films ever made. Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers as British musician Brian Slade (loosely based on David Bowie) and Ewan McGregor as his American counterpart, Curt Wild (loosely based on Iggy Pop), the story tells of Arthur (Christian Bale), a journalist gay who tries to track down the now lonely Slade for an article, while flashbacks retrace the heady days of the latter’s life at the height of world fame. Bowie himself, when asked about this apparent tribute to his life and his artistic legacy, said: “When I saw the film, I thought the best thing was the gay scenes. They were the only successful part, frankly ». LH
This article was originally published on British Vogue.
