Classic – Page 12 – Discover great gay stories.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 038 – ‘UN CHANT D’AMOUR’

Title – ‘Un chant d’amour’

Director – Jean Genet

Starring – Lucien Sénémaud, Bravo

Release Date – 1950

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Today on Dekkoo we’re featuring an early masterpiece of silent Queer Cinema: ‘Un chant d’amour‘ directed by the notorious criminal-literary queer Jean Genet. The 25-minute film was one of the first cinematic depictions of explicit homosexual desire and sexuality which therefore made it ripe for censorship by many governments around the world. The movie exists as a highly entertaining piece of art-cinema, an autobiography of Jean Genet, and a harrowing portrait of homosexuality in prisons.

I feel an introduction to Jean Genet is needed in order to appreciate this film as much as possible. He was a social rebel, a criminal queer, a playwright, and a writer of literature. His novels ranged the gamut from autobiographical tales of his time in the Mettray Penal Colony lusting after fellow prisoners (“The Miracle of the Rose”) to fictionalized romancing of criminal queers (“Our Lady of the Flowers”) to tales of strong beautiful sailors who turn to criminal activities (“Querelle de Brest” – which Fassbinder later adapted into a movie in 1982 – his last movie before overdosing). His early life sounds like something out of a Christine Vachon-produced film. His mother was a prostitute who raised him for 7 months before dropping him off at an orphanage. While he grew up he excelled in getting into trouble and running away from home even though he had a supportive foster family. At 15 he got sent to a penal facility. At 18 he joined the army, but was later kicked out for getting caught having sex with men. After that his life consisted of wandering around Europe, getting into trouble and going to jail a bunch of times until he met Jean Cocteau who had taken a liking to his writings. When finally faced with life-in-prison due to being in prison 10 times – Jean Cocteau and other influential artists managed to convince the French President to pardon him. After that Jean Genet never went to prison again.

So let’s dig in to the film itself. ‘Un chant d’amour‘ is a silent film. Supposedly sponsored by wealthy French gays who wanted to add it to their porn collections the film starred Genet’s lover at the time, Lucien Sénémaud whose beauty he claimed, “harpooned me” and two other actors who we don’t know much about besides that one of them (the older prisoner) was a pimp named Bravo. The film has 3 central characters: A sexy 20-something prisoner with swagger, an older Arab prisoner in lust with his next-door neighbor, and a prison guard that acts as a jealous voyeur throughout the movie, constantly watching the prisoners interact. Of course because there’s a wall between the two would-be-lovers their interactions are limited to blowing smoke through a wall and swinging a bouquet of flowers outside their prison windows. Nothing stops them in their dreams though…

After it was screened in 1966 Sol Landau was indited by police in Berkeley, CA for screening an obscene piece of cinema. After fighting the case all the way up to the Supreme Court he ended up losing with a 5-4 ruling by the court. The Alamadea Superior Court claimed it, “explicitly and vividly revealed acts of masturbation, oral copulation, the infamous crime against nature [a euphemism for sodomy], voyeurism, nudity, sadism, masochism and sex…” and that it was “cheap pornography calculated to promote homosexuality, perversion and morbid sex practices”.

If you’re a self-proclaimed Queer Cinema nerd then ‘Un chant d’amour‘ is without a doubt a MUST-SEE. I’ll leave you with these words by Jim Clark who by my research has created the best article dedicated to ‘Un chant d’amour‘ out there, “Genet takes us places, invariably in the underworld of hustlers, thieves, murderers, and convicts, where most of us have never set foot; but even as he exposes their lives with excruciating fullness, he reveals – and celebrates – their/our common humanity.”

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Watch it with: One or two fellow film nerds.

Mix it with: A deep, dark, french wine.

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New This Week – 9/29/17

A heartwarming coming-of-age romance, ‘Center of My World‘ follows Phil, a gay teen looking for excuses to avoid his quirky family. When he sets his sites on Nicholas, the mysterious new kid at school, he finds the perfect new distraction. Smitten, Phil watched Nicholas run track after school… and is thrilled to learn that his affections are reciprocated.

Two prisoners in complete isolation, separated by the thick brick walls, and desperately in need of human contact, devise a most unusual kind of communication. ‘Un Chant D’Amour‘ is a voyeuristic, confrontational and poetic masterpiece. It is the only film made by French novelist Jean Genet. Forbidden in France upon its release, and only available in the United States in censored form through underground distribution, we are proud to present it in its complete version. Please be aware, this is a silent film!

‘If You Could Only Be You‘ is a coming-of-age story that identifies the relationship between a father and son who are both at crossroads with their true identities.

New This Week – 9/1/17

From creator Brian Jordan Alvarez, ‘The Gay and Wondrous Life of Caleb Gallo‘ is an enchanting series about five friends exploring the complexities of relationships – both friendly and romantic.

CJ ventures out for a late night hook up when things take a dark turn, leading him into something much more sinister than he could ever imagine. Watch ‘Tonight It’s You’ on Dekkoo.com!

In ‘Floating‘, Norman Reedus (‘The Walking Dead’) stars as Van, a troubled teen in a small lakeside community who forms a friendship with Doug (Chad Lowe), the new kid in town. As Doug’s sexuality soon becomes apparent, Van struggles to accept his new pal’s differences, all while dealing with an embittered father figure and a penchant toward petty crime.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 033 – ‘TONIGHT IT’S YOU’ AND ‘SEBASTIANE’

Title – ‘Sebastiane‘

Director – Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman

Starring – Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Neil Kennedy, Richard Warwick

Release Date – 1976

Title – ‘Tonight It’s You‘

Director – Dominic Haxton

Starring – Jake Robbins, Roy Allen III, George Alvarez, Ian Lerch

Release Date – 2016

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Well boys, it’s almost the end of summer and to celebrate/mourn we’ve got two films that will help to make the transition as smooth as possible.

To celebrate the coming of fall (which in turn means Halloween!) we’re premiering the Dominic Haxton (‘We Are Animals‘ ‘Tonight It’s Me‘) directed horror-themed short film ‘Tonight It’s You‘! It’s always fantastic when there’s a new entry into the very deserted category of Queer Horror and ‘Tonight It’s You‘ is a 17-minute sexy thrill ride through hookup app anxiety, intimacy, and religion. What starts off as a hot hookup for CJ in the woods turns into a fight for his life by the end of the film. I was lucky enough to see this film on the big screen and holy shittttt I was so surprised at just how scared I was. Definitely check this out!

And if you’re the type that’s clinging onto summer well then have no fear because shirtless soldiers speaking Latin are here! Enter the world of ‘Sebastiane‘ – an incredibly homo-erotic take on the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by filmmakers Paul Humfress and Derek Jarman. While you might not have heard of the former, the latter is an incredibly influential and important director in the world of Queer Cinema. Derek Jarman passed away of AIDS in 1994, but left behind an incredible array of cinema and art. His most successful film was ‘Caravaggio’, but his other films such as the experimental film ‘Blue’ (1993 – A film where the only video is a blue screen and the audio is a series of voices including the director’s describing his failing health [he’d gone partially blind at that point]) and the gay-activism themed ‘Edward II’ (1991) are all incredible achievements and works of true art.

‘Sebastiane‘ follows the Roman soldier Sebastianus who after falling out of the emperor’s favors is exiled to a remote garrison of soldiers to work. What follows is fellow soldiers falling over themselves with their lust for Sebastiane, lots of whipping, and bros being bros around the campfire. The movie definitely has strengths and weaknesses. The idea to have all the actors speak Latin was very academic and happened years before ‘The Passion of the Christ’. Also you can definitely see the early stages of Derek Jarman’s fascination with placing contemporary fashions and objects in an era where it sticks out like a sore thumb. The men are also extremely sexy and naked practically the whole time. Probably my only critique of it is that it does meander a bit. It shows its age in that because it was made for a gay audience that was desperate for this kind of overt homo-erotic sexuality in a film, the filmmakers were more concerned with that then with plot and they figured their audience would have the same feelings.

Regardless ‘Sebastiane‘ is a work of art and deserves to be watched with that in mind while at the same time observing the beginnings of Derek Jarman’s storied film career.

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Watch ’em with: A friend who likes to be scared and watch artsy films

Mix it with: A red wine

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New This Week – 8/25/17

Taking place over the course of four years (on four consecutive Valentine’s Days) this achingly romantic indie from Filipino auteur Adolfo Alix Jr. takes an intimate look at the complicated relationship between two college buddies. ‘4 Days’ is available now, one month before it’s release on DVD!

‘Follow Me‘ tells the story of Jasper. He is a young man who has to weigh the overwhelming desire for his first love against the possible angst of rejection.

Based in 300 A.D., this controversial 1976 classic from directors Paul Humfress and Derek Jarman follows Sebastianus, a Roman guard who is exiled to a remote outpost populated entirely by men. Weakened by their desires, the men turn to homoeroticism to satisfy their needs, which tests Sebastianus and his deep Christian beliefs. Watch ‘Sebastiane’ now on Dekkoo!

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Coming next week – ‘Walking Dead’ star Norman Reedus is a broody cutie in this ‘90s indie about a straight boy learning to accept his new friend’s sexuality.

DEKKOO DISPATCH 032 – ‘FOLLOW ME’ AND ‘LOVE IS THE DEVIL’

Title – ‘Love Is The Devil‘

Director – John Maybury

Starring – Derek Jacobi, Daniel Craig, Tilda Swinton, Anne Lambton

Release Date – 1998

Title – ‘Follow Me‘

Director – Anthony Schatteman

Starring – Ezra Fieremans, Maarten Ketels, Lien Maes

Release Date – 2015

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“I feel ever so strongly that an artist must be nourished by his passions and his despairs. These things alter an artist whether for the good or the better or the worse. It must alter him. The feelings of desperation and unhappiness are more useful to an artist than the feeling of contentment, because desperation and unhappiness stretch your whole sensibility.”
-Francis Bacon

Well hey there and welcome to tortured-artist-Wednesday! Today we’ve got two movies that focus on angsty artists in love or at least lust.

‘Follow Me‘ is the short yet touching story of a young artist struggling to figure out if the man of his affections is also the man of his dreams. Shot in fragments we see Jasper honing his craft in the classroom and his studio, working in a bathhouse, following his teacher around town, and having sex with said teacher. The incredible score really elevates this quietly shot short film to transcendent heights and makes the mind wander through issues of love, homophobia, and loyalty. Plus it helps that both characters are superrrr cute.

Speaking of cute look which famous handsome man plays gay in ‘Love Is The Devil‘: DANIEL CRAIG! AHH! And he’s naked in it? Whoa.

But seriously ‘Love Is The Devil‘ is a heavy-duty bio-pic about Francis Bacon, a legendary British painter who scandalized the art world with his intense grotesquely sexual yet beautiful oil paintings paired with his well-known penchant for sleazy homosexual encounters with rough trade. Yes Francis Bacon was definitely a bottom and Derek Jacobi plays him fearlessly as a man who isn’t at all afraid of expressing his sexual depravity:

“When I went into the house of pleasure, I didn’t stay in the room where they celebrate acceptable modes of loving in the bourgeois style. I went into the rooms which are kept secret and I leaned and lay on their beds. I went into the rooms which are kept secret which they consider it shameful even to name. But there is no such shame for me because then, what sort of poet, and what sort of artist would I be?”
-Francis Bacon, ‘Love Is The Devil’

So where does Daniel Craig feature in all this artsy-fartsy sexual psychodrama? Well he plays Bacon’s lover naturally. Late one night Francis discovers a man trying to rob him. That man turns out to be George Dyer, a working-class Brit and after a proposition of coming to his bed for ‘whatever he wants’ they become inseparable. Great way to meet a lover right? Well, that story is actually a myth, dreamt of by Bacon, but why not? It’s a better story than meeting in a pub which is where they actually did meet in real life. Dyer went on to become a muse for Francis and modeled for him several times.

The visuals in this movie are incredible! One of the coolest set-pieces is Francis Bacon’s studio. They actually re-created it inch-by-inch. It looks incredibly similar to the real-life studio. Also of note are the camera techniques to re-create Bacon-esque moving images. Also if all of that didn’t entirely convince you we’re also offering TILDA SWINTON! She’s great in it as always 🙂

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Watch ’em with: Your muse.

Mix it with: The classic drink of tortured artists – Absinthe.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 027 – ‘PROTEUS’ AND ‘TONIGHT IT’S ME’

Title – ‘Proteus‘

Director – John Greyson, Jack Lewis

Starring – Brett Goldin, Jeroen Kranenburg, Rouxnet Brown, Tessa Jubber

Release Date – 2003

Title – ‘Tonight It’s Me‘

Director – Dominic Haxton

Starring – Neil Elliot, Caleb James, Christian Patrick, Jake Robbins

Release Date – 2014

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In case you hadn’t noticed, we’ve added another one of Dominic Haxton’s brilliant short films to Dekkoo. ‘Tonight It’s Me‘ stars Jake Robbins who appears in 2 of Dominic’s other films (to be added in the future!) and is also the star in Robert Hawk’s super sexy short ‘Home From The Gym‘. In ‘Home’ Jake felt far away and objectified. Here he feels merely objectified which isn’t bad for us! But seriously, in ‘Tonight’ we actually get to know more of what makes a muscled hustler like him tick.

The films starts off with CJ (Jake Robbins) dealing with one his usual ‘johns’; A fat older man who can’t stop insulting him and making his life miserable. Later on CJ stops off at a new trick’s house, Ash, who with his effeminate manner and his openness about sexuality and gender strikes a chord within CJ and he begins to open up more than he has with others in the past. The film is a masterpiece in subtle characterization and the hot interplay between the two main characters is the icing on top.

At Dekkoo we’re really proud to bring queer classics to the platform and John Greyson’s ‘Proteus‘ is one of those. Greyson has been a pioneering voice in the realm of queer cinema ever since hitting it big with the HIV/AIDS musical ‘Zero Patience’ back in 1993. His signature style of Derek Jarman-esque experimental narratives mixed with historical context and a few musical numbers thrown in for good measure combine to create significant works of cinematic art that still makes the festival and art-house cinema rounds to this day.

‘Proteus‘ was written and co-directed with Jack Lewis and concerns two men who were SPOILER ALERT! executed for sodomy in 1735 in South Africa. Normally I hate spoilers, but this is a historical film and it’s important to understand a little bit about history in order to grasp the subtle nuances throughout the film. Furthering the issue at the time was that they were a bi-racial couple.

Claas Blank and Rijkhaart Jacobsz are the two men at the heart of this story. Both of them are prisoners on Robben Island (an island on the west coast of Cape Town where Nelson Mandela was held for 18 years of his prison term). Claas is a Khoi, a native of southwestern Africa and Rijkhaart is from the Netherlands whose government had control over the so-called ‘Cape Dutch’ area until 1795 when the British stepped in. A botanist named Virgil realizes that Claas has a deep knowledge of the South African flora and puts him in charge of the prison garden. Rijkhaart becomes one of his helpers and then eventually his lover. At first their relationship is joked about and ignored, but eventually simmering tensions between some of the other prisoners and the guards becomes too much to ignore.

Greyson combines this intimate historical drama with fun quirks such as incorporating modern technology like typewriters complete with busybody secretaries that give us historical context for courtroom scenes. The scenes towards the end of the film are of course saddening, but this is the 18th century and it would be dishonest to present a ‘happily-ever-after’ scenario.

If you like this film stay tuned because there will definitely be more classic queer gems like this one to grace Dekkoo in the future!

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Watch ’em with: A friend or two who like historical dramas.

Mix it with: A white wine.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 025 – ‘The Country Teacher’

Title – ‘The Country Teacher‘

Director – Bohdan Sláma

Starring – Pavel Liška, Zuzana Bydžovská, Ladislav Šedivý, Marek Daniel

Release Date – 2008

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It’s Wednesday!! Only 2 more workdays until 4th of July weekend! I don’t know what your plans are, but I’m venturing into the desert and drinking Tiki drinks poolside for 4 days straight. Heaven… Did everyone see the exciting news about ‘Screwed’ being picked up by Dekkoo out of Frameline?? I’ve seen it and it’s an incredibly sexy Finnish tale of first lust with a great sense of humor about it. I talked to a few people who saw it at the sold-out screening at Frameline and they said it was a super high energy screening. Get psyched!

As a city-living boy for most of my life I’ve always romanticized the life lived in the countryside. When I saw ‘The Country Teacher‘ at the Miami Gay and Lesbian Film Festival back in 2008 it completely fed into that romanticism and I was swept away by the golden fields of hay and the ancient practice of drawing of water from wells. Of course we’re also talking about a movie from the Czech Republic so in addition to the romantic stuff we’re also talking about insane Eastern European drunks that harass people and beat each other up. Although come to think of it that seems sorta romantic as well…

Anyways let’s talk about the characters at the heart of this emotional drama. Petr is a teacher that decides to move to the countryside from the busy city for unspecified reasons. After arriving and settling in (his landlord/boss gives him 6 months before he can’t stand the small town anymore and runs away) he falls asleep on a bed of hay and wakes up to find Marie standing over him, the woman who owns the farm he’s wandered into. She’s kind to him and invites him out to socialize with some of the villagers. He comes to realize that Marie is falling in love with him, but he’s too awkward to admit what we here at Dekkoo realize right away… he’s gay. He really likes her and feels affection for her, but he’s much more interested in her teenage son and offers his teaching skills to become more ingrained in his life.

I don’t want to go into much more detail because Petr goes through quite a journey in the film and it’s very emotional. By the end of the film you’ll absolutely fall in love with Marie who is so unbelievably kind and I fear that there aren’t many of her sort left in the world. ‘The Country Teacher‘ is a striking picture that combines the best of European art-house cinema and Queer self-discovery cinema into one wondrous picture that will leave you swooning.

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Watch it with: By yourself or someone else that won’t talk much. It’s very meditative.

Mix it with: Coffee.

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 020 – ‘WE ARE ANIMALS’ AND ‘ANOTHER GAY MOVIE’

Title – ‘We Are Animals‘

Director – Dominic Haxton

Starring – Daniel Landroche, Clint Napier, Drew Droege, George Alvarez

Release Date – June 28, 2013

Title – ‘Another Gay Movie‘

Director – Todd Stephens

Starring – Michael Carbonaro, Jonathan Chase, Jonah Blechman, Mitch Morris

Release Date – May 3, 2007

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Heya Dekkoo-ers! Hope you’ve all been having a good week. Mine started off great via a Facebook Live stream of the annual Naval Academy freshman graduation ceremony where they attempt to climb a greased up monument shirtless. You can’t take your eyes off the struggle!

This week I want to continue the sexy vibes with two visually inventive and wild films starting with ‘We Are Animals‘.

The short film by director Dominic Haxton (we’ll be introducing you to many of his great short works in the next weeks) takes place in a dystopian future society where HIV positive citizens have been quarantined from the rest of society and given pills that keep their libidos in check. The main character has reluctantly joined with the oppressive government not so dissimilar to the Jews that helped out in the concentration camps, but once he meets a sexy member of the opposition his allegiance starts to shift.

I really love how this short film is able to set-up so much mood and world-building in such a short amount of time. Of course it really helps that the two main characters have such an sexy and radical rapport that deals with sexual confidence, the oppressed conquering the oppressor, and releasing the inner animal. A little ultra-violence also goes a long way too! Oh and a Drew Droege cameo is always hawt.

After the climactic ending to ‘Animals’ it’s time for a Gay Classic! When Todd Stephens made ‘Gypsy 83’, the follow-up to the honest and charming ‘Edge of Seventeen’, he encountered film distributors and executives saying either ‘It’s too gay!’ or ‘It’s not gay enough!’. Todd had so much difficulty with the film that he decided that he was going to
make the gayest film ever! Enter ‘Another Gay Movie‘. Todd Stephen’s answer to straight raunchy pics like ‘American Pie’ and ‘Porky’s’ turned out to be a massive hit. It turns out that gay people were dying for a film that tossed the typical gay coming-of-age plot-line out the window and embraced a more gross and wild narrative that felt like the ‘R’-Rated movies that straight people got to see all the time.

It also helps that the movie followed an adorable group of graduating high school seniors that decided they need to lose their virginity by the end of the summer. There’s Andy – your typical awkward everyman that has an obsession with sticking stuff up his butt. Jarrod – the jock of the group who claims he’s a total top and has some insecurities. Nico – the ‘leading lady’ of the group who’s always able to cheer everyone up and Griff – the nerd of the group that logically tries to get laid. Of course there are so many hilarious side-characters and cameos. A few highlights: Graham Norton as Mr. Puckov, Scott Thompson (‘The Kids in the Hall’) as Andy’s dad, Daryl Stephens as a hot go-go boy, and Richard Hatch as Richard Hatch.

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Watch ’em with: Your friends who appreciate gross humor

Mix ’em with: 420 Apple Martinis

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DEKKOO DISPATCH 013 – ‘THE CONSEQUENCE’

Title – ‘The Consequence‘

Director – Wolfgang Petersen

Starring – Jurgen Prochnow, Ernst Hannawald, Werner Schwuchow, Hans-Michael Rehberg

Release Date – December 2, 1977

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It’s time for a deep cut from the vaults! ‘The Consequence‘ (Die Konsequenz) is a film directed by Wolfgang Petersen, famous for directing films such as: ‘Das Boot’, ‘Air Force One’, ‘The Perfect Storm’, ‘Troy’ and one of my all time favorite films: ‘The Neverending Story’ (cue Limahl!).

‘The Consequence‘ was a radical film for Western Germany at the time. A story involving two completely open homosexuals (and dealing with underage sex between men) was something unique at the time and even caused a Bavarian television station to completely halt their transmission of it in 1977. The film stars long-time Petersen collaborator Jurgen Prochnow (‘Das Boot’, ‘Dune’) as Martin, a convicted homosexual facing 2 1/2 years in jail for his relationship with a 15-year-old. While in jail he meets
one of the guard’s sons, Tomas, whom he immediately forms a bond with. After Tomas and Martin spend a night together in the prison they fall madly in love and consequently their relationship in the movie matures over the span of several years mostly involving waiting for each other to leave various prisons and reformatories. It’s an epic in the best way possible and lovingly tended to by both the director and the actors who throw themselves into the creation inspired by Swiss writer Alexander Ziegler who had to live through many of these same trials.

Ultimately I can’t promise an extremely happy ending, but I can promise a journey that is well worth it. By the end you’ll feel like you’ve watched both of these characters grow up and learn some hard facts of life. Der Speigel said, ‘it is, above all, a natural love story in black and white – one of the most private and credible to have been seen on the screen in a long time.’

Oh and just a heads up: You’ll notice that the subtitles are a little hard to read in places, but currently this is the only available element that has English subtitles.

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Watch it with: A friend who appreciates historical queer
cinema.

Mix it with: A good bottle of German wine.

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Coming next week: A sexy romantic comedy from
the director of ‘eCupid‘ and ‘Is it Just Me?‘