Dublin Film Qlub screening: Gay Romance (and Marriage)

dublin | arts and media | event notice Friday January 21, 2011 18:52 by Film Qlub - Dublin Film Qlub filmqlub at gmail dot com

´'Flesh and the Devil' (1927)

FIRST GAY MARRIAGE ON SCREEN

Yes! 1927! A mere eighty years later, in January 2011, gay couples have been finally allowed to have their partnerships legally recognised in the Republic of Ireland. The focus has been on tax and inheritance, cold words if there were ever any, so it’s time to remember that it’s all about love.

Flesh and the Devil opens with a ‘commitment ceremony’ between two little boys. The boys grow up into a pair of handsome men, who are inseparable... until they meet a ruthless vamp determined to separate them. Fun! Drama! Romance! Superstars! Duels! Shenanigans! This film has it all!

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Outhouse Theatre, 105 Capel street
wednesday 2 Feb 2011, at 7.30.
Free tea and coffee.
There is an introduction to contextualise the film,
and the screening is followed by an open discussion.
New members always welcome.
Day membership: 8 euro
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FLESH AND THE DEVIL
USA. 1927. Silent. B&W. 113 min.
Dir: Clarence Brown
Cast: John Gilbert, Lars Hanson, Greta Garbo
Script: Benjamin F. Glazer, from the novel The Undying Past by Hermann Sudermann

How is it possible that this film is never listed among gay film classics? Ok, the bulk of the story is taken up by a tale of heterosexual seduction and deceit, but the point is that a straight woman is trying to break a homosexual bond which is stronger than anything she can ever offer. She is the ‘devil’ in the title, but perhaps the real villain in the film is hetero/bisexuality, which is treated as an alluring but soul-less distraction. The femme fatale is played by Greta Garbo, who, as we know, preferred women in real life, although she occasionally slept with men. We remember her best in 'Queen Christina, a lesbian classic, but ´´Flesh and the Devil' must be the campest film she ever appeared in. Garbo once said that director Clarence Brown had gotten the best performances of her career. We would rather give her full credit for those meltdown stares, the snake-like walk, and, particularly, for that electrifying "exorcism scene". John Gilbert, another superstar of the silent era, is appropriately fetching in the film, while Lars Hanson goes totally over the top, and then another good bit over. Filmed with care, acted with gusto, this queer love story is a perfect way to celebrate St Valentine’s in suitably camp style.