Some that may have flown under the radar (or is that gaydar?)...

Few people seem to be alert to these intriguing films w/ gay themes or undertones:
The Dying Gaul: Campbell Scott, Peter Saarsgard, and Patricia Clarkson in a sly, somewhat wicked film by Craig Lucas. Very well made, well acted (with that cast, what else?) and very disturbing.

The Best Way: Patrick Dewaere and Patrick Bouchitey are counselors at a boy's summer camp in 1960's France. Moments of sexual tension that make one hold one's breath. A very impressive debut film by former Truffaut assistant, Claude Miller

Thieves: Daniel Auteuil and Catherine Deneuve compete for the affections of some unmemorable young woman. As this is an Andre Techine film, don't expect to laugh (or even smile). It is well done, however.

Menage or Tenue de Soiree: A farce from Bertrand Blier that explores the mysteries of attraction. Hunky thug Gerard Depardieu experiences a coup de foudre while breaking into the home of mousy Michel Blanc and Miou-Miou, and it isn't the pretty wife who snares his heart. I believe this film was from the late '80's when Depardieu was watching his diet a bit more stringently.

Victim: A very important film from Great Britain that explores a time when gays were targeted heavily by blackmailers. A very handsome Dirk Bogarde plays a married barrister who's closeted life (as were the lives of just about eveyone at that time, I guess) causes the death of a young man. It may seem preachy by today's standards, but given the social context, it's a pretty gutsy movie.

Tags: foreign, underappreciated/little seen

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Permalink Reply by mighty on July 11, 2008 at 5:29pm: Thanks for joining us Will. Victim, I have in my queue based on a recommendation from a NF friend. Dying Gaul, I might have seen b/c it sounds familiar. In Foreign Cinema it is more likely to see gay subtext in films. I know there is a book out that came before the "Celluloid Closet" that discusses mostly foreign films on this topic. If I can think of it I'll try post it again. Celluloid Closet happened to get more attention.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mighty on July 11, 2008 at 6:36pm: I wouldn't worry about the logistics of these conversations, heck sometime when a few of us are around at the same time in the randomness thread, you'll tell we aren't exactly proper.

On the main page with regards to favorite actors and directors there is a method to the madness. Pretty much NF takes films that you have watched or rated. If you happen to have watched a lot of say Almodovar films with high ratings he could be on your director's list or if you watched a lot of movies with the same actor/actress and gave most of their films high stars then they could be on that list. It isn't something that you can just format onto that page. NF pretty much places them there based on your liking and frequency of films watched by the certain person. Sometimes it is interresting to find out who is on there.

Don't feel like you are being a nuisance. Sometimes I don't know how things work. I can't even figure out how to do things on my own profile and get really happy when it works sometimes.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will on July 11, 2008 at 9:02pm: Thank you very much for your response.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mort in Detroit on July 15, 2008 at 5:41pm: Welcome Will. Great list with one of the world's all-time greatest actors (Dirk Bogarde) and greatest leading women (Catherine Deneuve), in my book at least.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will on July 16, 2008 at 3:38am: Bogarde, pretty boy that he was, actually became a very underappreciated actor; given he was relatively closeted at the time because Hollywood was beckoning, his decision to get Victim made showed big ones on his part.

As for the one and only CD: what an amazing woman; many, many years ago, I belonged to AFI (lived just outside the District). CD was Marianne that year, so as part of her committment to the French Ministry of Culture, she brought a film to an AFI fete (black tie, real la-di-da stuff) in hopes of finding a distributor for a film. Got to meet her. She is something else. During our conversation, she mentioned that she was staying in town to promote her fragrance at Bloomingdale's. I asked if I could come to photograph her (I did buy a bottle of the scent for my sister, as it turned out). She agreed. When I got there, she actually remembered me and told me the vantage point from which I could get the best shots. A really sharp woman. I don't know ( and don't care) about your sp's but here's a bit of trivia for you ( queers who love her, love this): She travels w/ not only a hairdresser, but a dermatologist.

Bogarde's best work: Daddy Nostalgia (dir.: B. Tavernier)
CD's finest: Place Vendome (Nicole Garcia's first effort)

Hey, man, wake up!

Regards,
Will; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by JWnPooh on July 16, 2008 at 7:23am: Thanks for the recommendations Will. Victim was in my Q and added The Best Way to Walk. I couldn't locate Thieves on NF but came across My Favorite Season that both actors are in. (A mother's illness brings her dysfunctional family together in this critically acclaimed foreign-language drama from director André Téchiné. While caring for her ailing mother (Marthe Villalonga), Emilie (Catherine Deneuve) finds herself inexplicably drawn toward her estranged brother, Antoine (Daniel Auteuil), and away from her husband (Jean-Pierre Bouvier). Marcello Mastroianni's daughter Chiara also stars) is this the same one?

I have seen Menage & The Dying Gaul and both descriptions are very accurate. I loved the disturbing factor of GAUL, and Menage is only faguely familiar to my memory, I mostly remember Gerard doing 'the third wheel' scenarios or after the fact love stories as in The Woman Next Door - When an ex of his moves in next door with new BF/Husband, and he realizes he still has feelings for her even though he was the one who left.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will on July 18, 2008 at 2:04am: My Favorite Season has a prominent place in my home library; it appeared in theaters somewhat concurrently to what was going on in my life at that time (w/out the hints of incest felt on the brother's part). Love Daniel Auteuil. My only reservation about the film is the subplot that Techine inserts (almost feels as if the component is shoehorned in) about the adopted son.

Woman Next Door: another favorite (Big Truffaut Fan here).; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Will on July 18, 2008 at 2:13am: Sorry, guy, forgot to answer the question about My Favorite Season: not same as Thieves (Sony Classics has yet to put it on dvd; they also have neglected Sally Potter's The Tango Lesson; they should have some inky little slacker spend his time going through chat groups such as this: might help earn them some respect and increase sales.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by JWnPooh on July 18, 2008 at 6:08am: oh so Auteuil & Denevue are like Hudson and Wyman ... star in the same movies. ie: Magnificent Obsession & All That Heaven Allows; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Headcheese on July 17, 2008 at 6:19pm: Speaking of Gaydar, I think mine's broken........*sigh* Why do the darned gay men have to be so darned good looking.........*double sigh*; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by Mort in Detroit on July 17, 2008 at 6:33pm: The grass is always greener... Though gay men do tend to take better care of their appearance.; ▶ Reply to This

Permalink Reply by mighty on July 17, 2008 at 7:19pm: As Mort just said, the grass is always greener on the other side, b/c I think the younger straight men have caught on to style/grooming that the gays did about 10yrs. ago and now the we are trying to find a style again. I could be wrong. Just my thought.; ▶ Reply to This