HOmosexuality in EXPERIMENTAL film: 1950s
un chant d'amour (1950)
DIR. jEAn genet
PERF. Andre reybaz, lucien senemaud
Cinematography by Jean Cocteau
france
runtime: 25 minutes
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/0/6/18060971/7104005.jpg)
Un Chant d’Amour is the most sexually daring of the early gay-themed experimental films. It was written and directed by Jean Genet, in France, in 1950. Not even Kenneth Anger was brave enough to tackle such overt sexual scenes and nudity in the 1940s and 1950s American underground cinema because of State laws and the trouble he received from previous films he had created (Fireworks, for example). A film like this could only have been created in France where the laws were not as strict against homosexual activity, though Genet still had immediate issues with censorship (Adnum, WEB). Un Chant d’Amour was banned outright in the United States until the late 1970s because of its ‘obscene’ content (Davies, 33)
The film takes place within a prison where a prison guard voyeuristically watches the inmates. In the opening scene he watches an older inmate trying to swing a flower bouquet to a younger prisoner through the open bars of their cell windows. The handsome inmates pace in their cells trying to think of ways to communicate with one another. The older man fondles himself and caresses the wall, pressing his semi-nude body against it. The prison guard watches through peep holes as other inmates masturbate. The young man knocks on the adjoining wall and pushes a piece of straw through to the man on the other side of the wall. The older man lights a cigarette and blows smoke through to the adjoining cell; the younger man on the other side accepts the smoke into his mouth and this becomes an erotic exchange between the two men. The prison guard fondles himself and continues to watch the men, he lets himself into the older mans cell. He forces himself on him, and the prisoner fantasizes about being with his younger inmate neighbour in the woods. The guard pushes a gun into his mouth as a phallic symbol and to show his power, he then leaves the cell but continues to fantasize about the prisoner in explicit sexual scenes. The two prisoners go back to their windows and the younger man finally catches the flower bouquet.
Despite how the film may be perceived as being on the verge of ‘pornography,’ it is visually quite beautiful and captures a visual type of poetry very similar to that of Cocteau’s Blood of a Poet. Genet’s short film is charged with a lustful atmosphere and, at times, feels very dream-like and surreal. The filmmaker utilizes several filmmaking techniques, such as collage, flashback, close-up, and he occasionally reverses film to create strange dance-type movements. He also uses symbolism, flowers are intended to be a symbol of homoeroticism (Reed, 80) and the gun is used as a phallic symbol as well as a way to imply power and dominance. Un Chant d’Amour also seems to have an underlying theme of discrimination against homosexuals by society; the couple in the cells are kept apart while a man of the law constantly forces his dominance over them.
As stated earlier, this is an important film in the history of queer cinema; not only because of the nudity and sexuality between men, but also because Genet creates relationship between men that does not involve cliché. He does not tiptoe around the lust between men like a Hollywood film would, it shows everything and manages to capture emotion like many films today still cannot do (or are to scared to try). The film is the first, outside of ‘stag’ films, to show the male erection, men kissing, masturbating, and to imply sex between men. This work, despite being heavily censored, would go on to inspire many filmmakers and to help push the boundaries of sex and nudity in queer film.
The film takes place within a prison where a prison guard voyeuristically watches the inmates. In the opening scene he watches an older inmate trying to swing a flower bouquet to a younger prisoner through the open bars of their cell windows. The handsome inmates pace in their cells trying to think of ways to communicate with one another. The older man fondles himself and caresses the wall, pressing his semi-nude body against it. The prison guard watches through peep holes as other inmates masturbate. The young man knocks on the adjoining wall and pushes a piece of straw through to the man on the other side of the wall. The older man lights a cigarette and blows smoke through to the adjoining cell; the younger man on the other side accepts the smoke into his mouth and this becomes an erotic exchange between the two men. The prison guard fondles himself and continues to watch the men, he lets himself into the older mans cell. He forces himself on him, and the prisoner fantasizes about being with his younger inmate neighbour in the woods. The guard pushes a gun into his mouth as a phallic symbol and to show his power, he then leaves the cell but continues to fantasize about the prisoner in explicit sexual scenes. The two prisoners go back to their windows and the younger man finally catches the flower bouquet.
Despite how the film may be perceived as being on the verge of ‘pornography,’ it is visually quite beautiful and captures a visual type of poetry very similar to that of Cocteau’s Blood of a Poet. Genet’s short film is charged with a lustful atmosphere and, at times, feels very dream-like and surreal. The filmmaker utilizes several filmmaking techniques, such as collage, flashback, close-up, and he occasionally reverses film to create strange dance-type movements. He also uses symbolism, flowers are intended to be a symbol of homoeroticism (Reed, 80) and the gun is used as a phallic symbol as well as a way to imply power and dominance. Un Chant d’Amour also seems to have an underlying theme of discrimination against homosexuals by society; the couple in the cells are kept apart while a man of the law constantly forces his dominance over them.
As stated earlier, this is an important film in the history of queer cinema; not only because of the nudity and sexuality between men, but also because Genet creates relationship between men that does not involve cliché. He does not tiptoe around the lust between men like a Hollywood film would, it shows everything and manages to capture emotion like many films today still cannot do (or are to scared to try). The film is the first, outside of ‘stag’ films, to show the male erection, men kissing, masturbating, and to imply sex between men. This work, despite being heavily censored, would go on to inspire many filmmakers and to help push the boundaries of sex and nudity in queer film.
The VOices (1953)
dir. john e. schmitz
usa
runtime: 14 minutes
![Picture](/uploads/1/8/0/6/18060971/8248670.jpg)
John E. Schmitz created The Voices in 1953 in California. It would have been shown along with his friend, Kenneth Anger’s work, in the American gay underground cinema. Censorship was high in the 1950s. With the release of Kinsey’s book “Sexual Behaviour in the Human Male” in 1948 Americans realized homosexuals could be anyone, not easily spotted by ‘feminine’ mannerisms, feather boas, or Liberace inspired frills. Partially thanks to this misunderstanding, McCarthyism, and a law against same-sex sexual activity, the 1950s brought forth a witch-hunt for homosexuals; there was even a law that prohibited serving alcohol to gay men (Chauncey and Cott, WEB).
The Voices begins with a glimpse of renaissance male nudes on the wall of a half-naked sleeping man. The viewer is brought into the surreal dream world by a spinning spiral and we glimpse the man walking confusedly through darkness while holding a cross and then a candle. He admires himself in a mirror, and holds up a knife. The camera then focuses back to his sleeping body, we watch him have an out of body experience and embrace a woman in white. He reaches out for her but she fades into the darkness. He then wanders through streets, now fully clothed, and climbs a buildings fire escape. He confusedly watches a woman undress, showing little interest, then ends up half naked in bed, again. The film becomes bright and overexposed and the man walks through a forest and onto a rocky beach holding the cross. He wades into the water and is lost in the shallow pool, his hand holding the cross is the last thing we see. The film is very simple in its construction, and has visuals that are fairly easy to follow for a dream-world. Schmitz utilizes close-ups, overexposure, symbolic objects (like the cross and knife), and montage to pull his film together.
The film is said to be about a ‘flight from homosexual desire” on the DVD special features. The subject matter is easily missed if the nude female distracts you. The homosexuality is subtle, and comes through with the male imagery covering his wall in the beginning, and his disinterest in the woman and life in general throughout the film. We chose this film to contrast Genet’s film, which was created three years earlier in France. The fact that the homosexual subject matter is so easily missed didn’t seem to matter, once word spread it was seized (along with Anger’s Fireworks) by the LAPD vice squad do to its ‘inappropriate’ subject matter. 1950s America was not a good period for homosexual subject matter, or for gay people in general, and this reflects in the films of the time period. Despite a step forward in France, America took a step back.
The Voices begins with a glimpse of renaissance male nudes on the wall of a half-naked sleeping man. The viewer is brought into the surreal dream world by a spinning spiral and we glimpse the man walking confusedly through darkness while holding a cross and then a candle. He admires himself in a mirror, and holds up a knife. The camera then focuses back to his sleeping body, we watch him have an out of body experience and embrace a woman in white. He reaches out for her but she fades into the darkness. He then wanders through streets, now fully clothed, and climbs a buildings fire escape. He confusedly watches a woman undress, showing little interest, then ends up half naked in bed, again. The film becomes bright and overexposed and the man walks through a forest and onto a rocky beach holding the cross. He wades into the water and is lost in the shallow pool, his hand holding the cross is the last thing we see. The film is very simple in its construction, and has visuals that are fairly easy to follow for a dream-world. Schmitz utilizes close-ups, overexposure, symbolic objects (like the cross and knife), and montage to pull his film together.
The film is said to be about a ‘flight from homosexual desire” on the DVD special features. The subject matter is easily missed if the nude female distracts you. The homosexuality is subtle, and comes through with the male imagery covering his wall in the beginning, and his disinterest in the woman and life in general throughout the film. We chose this film to contrast Genet’s film, which was created three years earlier in France. The fact that the homosexual subject matter is so easily missed didn’t seem to matter, once word spread it was seized (along with Anger’s Fireworks) by the LAPD vice squad do to its ‘inappropriate’ subject matter. 1950s America was not a good period for homosexual subject matter, or for gay people in general, and this reflects in the films of the time period. Despite a step forward in France, America took a step back.
The Voices is currently unavailable to watch online, but it is available for purchase on DVD:
Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954 (2009)
Avant-Garde 3: Experimental Cinema 1922-1954 (2009)
OTHER NOTABLE FILMS:
(Most are Hays Code subtext films from Hollywood mainstream)
1950 - Caged
1952 - Willard Maas' Image in the Snow - Experimental Film
1955 - Rebel Without A Cause
1956 - Tea and Sympathy
1957 - Different From You and Me (a censored American copy of Different From the Others -1919)
1958 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1958 - Madchen in Uniform - Germany
1959 - Suddenly Last Summer
(Most are Hays Code subtext films from Hollywood mainstream)
1950 - Caged
1952 - Willard Maas' Image in the Snow - Experimental Film
1955 - Rebel Without A Cause
1956 - Tea and Sympathy
1957 - Different From You and Me (a censored American copy of Different From the Others -1919)
1958 - Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
1958 - Madchen in Uniform - Germany
1959 - Suddenly Last Summer
CITATIONS:
Adnum, Mark. "Un Chant D'Amour." Senses of Cinema RSS. Film Victoria: Australia, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/cteq/un_chant_damour/>.
Davies, Steven Paul. Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema. Harpenden: Kamera, 2008. Print.
Reed, Jeremy. Jean Genet: Born to Lose. London: Creation, 2005. Print.
Adnum, Mark. "Un Chant D'Amour." Senses of Cinema RSS. Film Victoria: Australia, 2013. Web. 31 Mar. 2013. <http://sensesofcinema.com/2003/cteq/un_chant_damour/>.
Davies, Steven Paul. Out at the Movies: A History of Gay Cinema. Harpenden: Kamera, 2008. Print.
Reed, Jeremy. Jean Genet: Born to Lose. London: Creation, 2005. Print.