Post by klep on Jun 11, 2018 6:57:26 GMT -6
MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/11: Victor/Victoria
GENDER NON-CONFORMING WEEK!
It's a man's world, they say, and there's a lot of truth to it. The patriarchy has become so entrenched over the millennia that it's just easier for men to find a way up when they're beaten down. So when Victoria (Julie Andrews) finds herself at the end of her rope, it's perhaps unsurprising that the best option put before her is to pretend to be a man.
But not just any man. That would just be drama. No, Victor/Victoria raises to great farce because Victoria pretends to be a man so she can get work as a female impersonator. This is no sad or intense tragedy; Victor/Victoria is a comedic musical. It features a number of fantastic musical numbers sung by Andrews and Robert Preston, but beyond those it's full of great slapstick, mistaken identities, and funny writing. Norma Cassady (Lesley Ann Warren) in particular is a riot as King Marchand's (James Garner) moll, a brash loudmouth secure in herself and giving no fucks.
Beneath the comedy however is a serious romance - about sexuality and gender identity and the tragic restrictions societal norms place on us. Upon seeing Victoria's first performance as Victor in drag, King Marchand is entranced by her. But when he learns she's a man, he's visibly confused and disconcerted. He's unable to process the idea that he could be attracted to a man, and refuses to accept that Victor is male at all. He's so obsessed with being straight that he goes to great lengths to determine Victor's "true" gender, including creeping in his bathroom and watching him bathe.
It's a gross violation. It's unacceptable to snoop through someone's things and peep on them bathing under any circumstances, but additionally at that point it's none of his business whether Victor's genitals match his gender identity. It's only even halfway ok because this is a farce (notably another character who tries to snoop like this suffers like Wile E. Coyote for his trouble). When they eventually end up together she does let him in on the whole thing - leading to a comic sequence where King's bodyguard Squash (Alex Karras) confesses his own homosexuality - but King is still uncomfortable. Even as the film challenges his preconceptions of what it is to be gay, even though he knows that Victor is actually Victoria, and even though this enclave of Paris doesn't seem to care who's gay and who's not, he still can't accept the possibility of being seen as gay.
But Victoria has come to enjoy being a man - in addition to it having given her a successful career, it's just easier and more free than being a woman. It's been nothing but good for her, and she's just not terribly interested in giving it up just because her boyfriend can't handle it. Unfortunately Hollywood is Hollywood, and in 1982 it just wasn't ready to put out a film that's too queer-affirming, so Victoria does eventually give up the act. But I like to think that out there somewhere there's a club in Paris in the 30's that still sees the occasional performance from the great Victor, the only female impersonator capable of shattering glass.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/18: Strangers on a Train
FILMS IN THE CLOSET WEEK!
For Films in the Closet Week we'll be watching Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, about two men who meet and discuss doing murder for each other - but only one of them is actually serious. Come join us next week as we discuss the queerness hiding under the surface of this classic tale of suspense. Strangers on a Train is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 6/12: Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese's legendary film about a Vietnam vet alienated from society kicks off this week's podcast. We'll have a thread up for discussion on Wednesday! Taxi Driver is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is only free for Prime members with a Sundance add-on.
GENDER NON-CONFORMING WEEK!
It's a man's world, they say, and there's a lot of truth to it. The patriarchy has become so entrenched over the millennia that it's just easier for men to find a way up when they're beaten down. So when Victoria (Julie Andrews) finds herself at the end of her rope, it's perhaps unsurprising that the best option put before her is to pretend to be a man.
But not just any man. That would just be drama. No, Victor/Victoria raises to great farce because Victoria pretends to be a man so she can get work as a female impersonator. This is no sad or intense tragedy; Victor/Victoria is a comedic musical. It features a number of fantastic musical numbers sung by Andrews and Robert Preston, but beyond those it's full of great slapstick, mistaken identities, and funny writing. Norma Cassady (Lesley Ann Warren) in particular is a riot as King Marchand's (James Garner) moll, a brash loudmouth secure in herself and giving no fucks.
Beneath the comedy however is a serious romance - about sexuality and gender identity and the tragic restrictions societal norms place on us. Upon seeing Victoria's first performance as Victor in drag, King Marchand is entranced by her. But when he learns she's a man, he's visibly confused and disconcerted. He's unable to process the idea that he could be attracted to a man, and refuses to accept that Victor is male at all. He's so obsessed with being straight that he goes to great lengths to determine Victor's "true" gender, including creeping in his bathroom and watching him bathe.
It's a gross violation. It's unacceptable to snoop through someone's things and peep on them bathing under any circumstances, but additionally at that point it's none of his business whether Victor's genitals match his gender identity. It's only even halfway ok because this is a farce (notably another character who tries to snoop like this suffers like Wile E. Coyote for his trouble). When they eventually end up together she does let him in on the whole thing - leading to a comic sequence where King's bodyguard Squash (Alex Karras) confesses his own homosexuality - but King is still uncomfortable. Even as the film challenges his preconceptions of what it is to be gay, even though he knows that Victor is actually Victoria, and even though this enclave of Paris doesn't seem to care who's gay and who's not, he still can't accept the possibility of being seen as gay.
But Victoria has come to enjoy being a man - in addition to it having given her a successful career, it's just easier and more free than being a woman. It's been nothing but good for her, and she's just not terribly interested in giving it up just because her boyfriend can't handle it. Unfortunately Hollywood is Hollywood, and in 1982 it just wasn't ready to put out a film that's too queer-affirming, so Victoria does eventually give up the act. But I like to think that out there somewhere there's a club in Paris in the 30's that still sees the occasional performance from the great Victor, the only female impersonator capable of shattering glass.
OUR NEXT MOVIE OF THE WEEK for 6/18: Strangers on a Train
FILMS IN THE CLOSET WEEK!
For Films in the Closet Week we'll be watching Alfred Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train, about two men who meet and discuss doing murder for each other - but only one of them is actually serious. Come join us next week as we discuss the queerness hiding under the surface of this classic tale of suspense. Strangers on a Train is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is not free for Prime members.
NEXT PICTURE SHOW PODCAST for 6/12: Taxi Driver
Martin Scorsese's legendary film about a Vietnam vet alienated from society kicks off this week's podcast. We'll have a thread up for discussion on Wednesday! Taxi Driver is available for rent on Amazon Video, though it is only free for Prime members with a Sundance add-on.