This week, I almost despaired of getting a review out. I had been hanging on to Barbarella for the past 2 weeks, but I never got around to seeing it. I always had more important things to do, such schoolwork, awkwardly ignoring girls I like, and dumpster diving bagels.
Well, what luck! The LGBT Center, headquarters of the homosexual mafia, was having a free screening of The Queen last night! With complimentary wine! That's even better than the advanced screening of Sanctum! Do you know how much they charge for popcorn in Manhattan?!
The Queen is a 1968 documentary, by queers and about queers. It is narrated by drag queen Jack Doroshow, AKA Flawless Sabrina. It's a behind-the-scenes look at a 1967 national drag pageant, held in a Manhattan theater called The Town Hall. Jack/Sabrina was at the screening, and apparently the pageant was originally meant to be a benefit for muscular dystrophy...and the advertizing had Lady Bird Johnson's name on it. The President's wife was horrified and had them remove her name and any connection to her charity!
In fact, the progressive 60s were so prejudiced, that the movie itself was rated X, despite containing no nudity, violence, sex...fuck, I don't even think any of the queens cursed! The only "objectionable material" was men wearing dresses, talking frankly and seriously about their lives.
Lord knows Hollywood has no inherent objection to men wearing dresses...may the censor board save us from another drag comedy...
Interviewing gay and trans people about their lives was the obscenity, not the crossdressing...you weren't supposed to talk openly about such things! This was 2 years before Stonewall. Gay bars were regularly raided. "Free love" was so straight guys could plow hippie chicks and not have to marry 'em afterward.
As a historical document, The Queen is absolutely fascinating. The mod sixties styles and the dancing are a real treat to see. The movie also addresses issues of the time. The contestants are asked about the draft board; all of them were refused for being gay, at a time when you had men fleeing the country to avoid having to serve.
One of the contestants actually WANTED to serve, and wrote the draft board insisting upon it. To no avail. Think that's all over with the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell"? I've got news for you: to this day, you can't join the American armed services if you're transgender. You are automatically disqualified.
The contestants are also asked about what is crudely called "sex change" surgery, a new procedure at the time that had been mocked and sensationalized starting with Christine Jorgensen's transition in 1952. Of the 3 asked, none want it. One says he doesn't want to be a "real girl", because he's gay, and likes gay men; his partners wouldn't want to be with a "real girl". Also, he said, the doctors in charge of the surgery don't want to work on gay men. The other two don't have much to say about it.
Although I don't want to dismiss their opinions, I wonder how much of it was built out of fear and shame. Being openly gay and a drag queen was considered lowlife back then, but transitioning in the 1960s meant being treated as a total freak. It was beyond the pale. At least you could take the dress off if you were a drag queen...
As a movie, The Queen is thoroughly entertaining. Even though it treats the pageant fairly seriously, there's still a lot of music and humor. The highlight, for me, was hearing a contestant sing "Honey Bun" from South Pacific, in a beautiful, almost unearthly, voice. It is a touching performance, his voice full of sincere affection, and his vocals both high pitched and powerful. It's enchanting. Watching Elliot, the show's host, yell at contestants and panic over wigs and spirit gum was also a real laugh. Queen Mum Sabrina told us the movie played for 9 months at Kips Bay, despite the X rating.
Or maybe because of it.
The pageant actually had some big names behind it. They had Andy Warhol as a judge, along with pop artist Larry Rivers. Diane Arbus and Jill Krementz were at the afterparty!
Overall, I give this movie 4 stars.
1 star for "being loud & proud"
1 star for "more bouffants than John Water's Hairspray"
1 star for "best performance of 'Honey Bun' from South Pacific I've heard so far"
And 1 star for "best use of spirit gum"
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