David Lean: Queer Subtext

Unrated

17th March 2023 41 mins Season 1 Episode 2

Maggie Mae Fish (she/her) explores the work of David Lean, who wasn’t gay himself, but who wove queer themes throughout his filmography. From his early work with the gay writer Noël Coward on Brief Encounter (1945), to the homoerotic subtext of Lawrence of Arabia (1962), to the gender-bending failed romance of Ryan’s Daughter (1970), Lean’s films offer rich subtext, and some surprisingly progressive (though not always) ideas.

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Season 1 · Episode 3

Stephanie Rothman: Feminist Sexploitation

Maggie Mae Fish (she/her) explores the work of Stephanie Rothman, the coolest director you’ve never heard of. The Velvet Vampire (1971), her bisexual vampire film, reflects the anxieties of the sexual revolution. Group Marriage (1973) is a sex comedy that tackles polyamory and marriage equality—both within a marriage, and from a legal standpoint. The Working Girls (1974) portrays the grounded experiences of three women trying to make a living in LA.

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