GAY FAVORITE TOP OLD MOVIE CLASSICS BEFORE 2000 - LGBT
by gas6666 | created - 22 Feb 2012 | updated - 25 Feb 2012 | PublicGlenn's Favorite Gay Themed Movies before the New Millennium, that I've actually seen. N.B. RANKED IN IMBb MOVIEmeter ORDER - You can change how you view it.
Please see my other list for: GAY FAVORITE TOP NEW MOVIE CLASSICS AFTER 2000.
Not all on this list are my Favorite - but are still worth a watch and a placing.
Like Str8 Hollywood - there's good, bad and the ugly in Queenywood also. Remember, not too long ago, before the 80's & 90's - in films, as in life: we either despised/and or killed ourselves; someone killed, or bashed us; we got HIV, or died of AIDS; were made fun of, or a mockery; or all of the above.
Thanks, to a few ground-breaking early films, or later Mainstream, with well known stars - otherwise we would've never had the late 90's New Gay Wave, where these films were made not just by, or for the pink dollar anymore, but bigger studios and budgets. OK, there's a lot of cheap quality, "indies", or studio stuff full of stereotypes, but some still have a passible plot, or something worthy to say. Im sure many a gay director, or producer had to mortgage their house to fund and suffer for their art. Hollywood mainstream makes movies solely to make money by targeting the majority audiences - it's a business, which people seem forget. Support the independent films, because they started it all for any minority groups, but with smaller budgets.
There's a few good gay directors, etc, that stick with the gay genre and don't sell out. It maybe lack of talent, timing, or luck for some, but not all - like Michael D. Akers & Rob Williams, to name but a few.
Matthew Montgomery, (MM) is a handsome gay actor, who can act and has been in many of the 2 directors above's films. He started out looking for str8 work, but mainly got queer - so stayed there and now is involved with producing and directing it as well.
MM is to gay 00 film, as to what Lindsay Wagner was to 80's Romance TV movies and miniseries.
Yes, it's a LGBT list, but sorry Lady Gays, or Dykes, there's no Strictly Lesbian Only. Get off your bike and please start your own Lesbo List. You may convert me and others to watch a few, if we only knew about them!?
A good start is: The Children's Hour, 1961.
I'm slowly in the process of adding my own comments, reviews, ratings, new movies I watch daily, etc. It's new, as of 22/02/2012, so pls be patient.
***PLEASE ADD YOUR OWN COMMENTS:
About what you think of my list; trivia or goss; any good, new LGBT you've seen lately and what your own TOP 10, or 20 Faves are?***
Email me: gas6666@hotmail.com
www.gaydar.com.au/GAS-66 *to see and read about me.
Im single, 45 YO bear, live in Melbourne, Australia.
Have travelled to many places in these films.
Besides LGBT - im a big Hitchcock and OZ, or Aussie movie fan.
Pls enjoy - Cheers Glenn
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1. Rope (1948)
PG | 80 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Two men attempt to prove they committed the perfect crime by hosting a dinner party after strangling their former classmate to death.
Director: Alfred Hitchcock | Stars: James Stewart, John Dall, Farley Granger, Dick Hogan
Votes: 114,141
Classic Hitchcock with subtle gay theme, that was pushed as far as it could go in 1948. Like with Psycho, he left in a few bits that weren't important, but knew the censors would want removed and thus, distracted them from noticing important bits, that they would've insisted be removed - which were left in. Some say James Stewart was miscast as this character, who was a closet gay, but while it went against role type - he was still convincing.
Was filmed in continuous, reel length takes of 20 mins, with a moving set
2. Beautiful Thing (1996)
R | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
In a suburb of London, young Jamie is escaping sport hours, to avoid being the victim of his comrades. Young Ste, his neighbor, is beaten by his father, and comes to sleep overnight. They discover new feelings, sleeping in the same bed.
Director: Hettie Macdonald | Stars: Glen Berry, Linda Henry, Scott Neal, Tameka Empson
Votes: 21,165 | Gross: $1.50M
Must see gay UK coming of age film - A Classic Gem
3. Get Real (1998)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A tenderly romantic coming-of-age story as two boys in a British school fall in love.
Director: Simon Shore | Stars: Ben Silverstone, Brad Gorton, Charlotte Brittain, Stacy Hart
Votes: 11,748 | Gross: $1.20M
Must see gay UK coming of age film - A Classic Gem
4. Apartment Zero (1988)
R | 124 min | Drama, Thriller
Set in modern day Buenos Aires, the film centers around a relationship between two emotionally crippled roommates. Adrian LeDuc is a lonely sociopath who is forced to rent his insane ... See full summary »
Director: Martin Donovan | Stars: Hart Bochner, Colin Firth, Dora Bryan, Liz Smith
Votes: 3,464 | Gross: $0.67M
Two handsome male leads, a mixed, interesting plot. Colin Firth has played 3 very convincing gay character roles.
5. Voor een verloren soldaat (1992)
Unrated | 92 min | Drama, Romance, War
Set in The Netherlands at the end of WW II, this touching story, told in flashbacks, explores the complex and romantic relationship between an adult soldier and a displaced, lonely adolescent boy.
Director: Roeland Kerbosch | Stars: Maarten Smit, Andrew Kelley, Jeroen Krabbé, Freark Smink
Votes: 4,025 | Gross: $0.39M
Must see gay Dutch coming of age film - A Classic Gem
A forbidden subject handled neutrally, in an innocent way, seen through the boy's eyes about the end of WW2 and a sexual love with an older soldier. A beautiful movie, based on a true story.
If you see this movie, before you intend to read the book it was based on - be prepared to see the handsome soldier in a different light.
This movie stirred up a lot of unrelated, but similar gay feelings in me, in a powerful, thought provoking way, about my life as a child, teenager and grown-up, middle-aged man of 45. A shame there wasn't a gay in the historic 7 Up documentaries.
6. The Boys in the Band (1970)
R | 118 min | Drama
Tempers fray and true selves are revealed when a heterosexual is accidentally invited to a homosexual party.
Director: William Friedkin | Stars: Kenneth Nelson, Peter White, Leonard Frey, Frederick Combs
Votes: 3,603 | Gross: $0.00M
Classic iconic, ground breaking film, based on stage play, with same cast. Shows us worts and all.
7. A Very Natural Thing (1974)
R | 80 min | Drama, Romance
A poignant romantic drama examines the life of gay 26 year old, ex-monk, school teacher living in Manhattan. When he meets a man at a gay bar, they connect and are soon living together. Unfortunately their views on monogamy don't match.
Director: Christopher Larkin | Stars: Robert McLane, Curt Gareth, Bo White, Anthony McKay
Votes: 650
Must see realistic, adult gay coming of age film. Classic iconic, ground breaking film.
8. Maurice (1987)
R | 140 min | Drama, Romance
After his lover rejects him, a young man trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.
Director: James Ivory | Stars: James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Hugh Grant, Denholm Elliott
Votes: 13,842 | Gross: $3.13M
Must see UK gay coming of age, through to adult film - A Classic Gem
9. The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994)
R | 104 min | Comedy, Music
Two drag performers and a transgender woman travel across the desert to perform their unique style of cabaret.
Director: Stephan Elliott | Stars: Hugo Weaving, Guy Pearce, Terence Stamp, Rebel Penfold-Russell
Votes: 42,779 | Gross: $11.22M
OZ classic that others followed
10. The Times of Harvey Milk (1984)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary, Biography, History
A documentary of the successful career and assassination of San Francisco's first elected gay city supervisor.
Director: Rob Epstein | Stars: Harvey Fierstein, Harvey Milk, Anne Kronenberg, Tory Hartmann
Votes: 5,162 | Gross: $0.01M
Historic Gem
11. To Wong Foo Thanks for Everything, Julie Newmar (1995)
PG-13 | 109 min | Comedy, Drama
Three drag queens travel cross-country until their car breaks down, leaving them stranded in a small town.
Director: Beeban Kidron | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Patrick Swayze, John Leguizamo, Stockard Channing
Votes: 25,259 | Gross: $36.47M
Copied OZ, The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert (1994), but still different enough and good in its own right.
12. Victim (1961)
Not Rated | 90 min | Drama
The death of a young man leads to the discovery of a blackmail plot against a number of gay men in 1960s London.
Director: Basil Dearden | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Sylvia Syms, Dennis Price, Anthony Nicholls
Votes: 4,335
Must see UK early gay film - A Classic Gem
13. But I'm a Cheerleader (1999)
R | 85 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive teenager is sent to rehab camp when her straitlaced parents and friends suspect her of being a lesbian.
Director: Jamie Babbit | Stars: Natasha Lyonne, Clea DuVall, Michelle Williams, Brandt Wille
Votes: 23,162 | Gross: $2.21M
LGBT mixed bag
14. Bent (1997)
NC-17 | 105 min | Drama, History, Romance
Max is gay and as such is sent to Dachau concentration camp under the Nazi regime. He tries to deny he is gay, and gets a yellow label (the one for Jews) instead of pink (the one for gays).... See full summary »
Director: Sean Mathias | Stars: Lothaire Bluteau, Clive Owen, Mick Jagger, Brian Webber
Votes: 7,145 | Gross: $0.37M
15. Philadelphia (1993)
PG-13 | 125 min | Drama
When a man with HIV is fired by his law firm because of his condition, he hires a homophobic small time lawyer as the only willing advocate for a wrongful dismissal suit.
Director: Jonathan Demme | Stars: Tom Hanks, Denzel Washington, Roberta Maxwell, Buzz Kilman
Votes: 204,679 | Gross: $77.32M
16. The Sum of Us (1994)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama
A widowed father has to deal with two complex issues: while he is searching for "Miss Right," his son, who is in his 20s and gay, is searching for "Mr. Right."
Directors: Geoff Burton, Kevin Dowling | Stars: Jack Thompson, Russell Crowe, John Polson, Deborah Kennedy
Votes: 4,786 | Gross: $2.51M
17. The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Musical
A newly engaged couple have a breakdown in an isolated area and must pay a call to the bizarre residence of Dr. Frank-N-Furter.
Director: Jim Sharman | Stars: Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick, Richard O'Brien
Votes: 120,868 | Gross: $139.88M
18. Head On (1998)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Romance
A 19 year old Greek Australian youth struggles with his sexual identity and has one clumsy heterosexual and several homosexual encounters.
Director: Ana Kokkinos | Stars: Alex Dimitriades, Elena Mandalis, Damien Fotiou, Alex Papps
Votes: 3,758 | Gross: $0.38M
19. And the Band Played On (1993 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 141 min | Drama, History
The story of the discovery of the A.I.D.S. epidemic, and the political infighting of the scientific community hampering the early fight with it.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode | Stars: Matthew Modine, Alan Alda, Patrick Bauchau, Nathalie Baye
Votes: 8,679
20. The Living End (1992)
Unrated | 81 min | Comedy, Drama
Luke is a gay hustler. Jon is a movie critic. Both are HIV positive. They go on a hedonistic, dangerous journey, their motto "Fuck the world".
Director: Gregg Araki | Stars: Mike Dytri, Craig Gilmore, Mark Finch, Mary Woronov
Votes: 2,303 | Gross: $0.69M
21. Midnight Cowboy (1969)
R | 113 min | Drama
A naive hustler travels from Texas to New York City to seek personal fortune, finding a new friend in the process.
Director: John Schlesinger | Stars: Dustin Hoffman, Jon Voight, Sylvia Miles, John McGiver
Votes: 89,342 | Gross: $44.79M
Only a whiff of gay characters - unless you count the hustler sex. You can see where Angie got her looks from her dad, Jon Voight, also cute and good in Deliverance - how could the hick rape Ned Beatty instead - enough to make you squeal like a fag, i mean pig, lol
22. Midnight Express (1978)
R | 121 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Billy Hayes, an American college student, is caught smuggling drugs out of Turkey and thrown into prison.
Director: Alan Parker | Stars: Brad Davis, Irene Miracle, Bo Hopkins, Paolo Bonacelli
Votes: 64,796 | Gross: $35.00M
Only a whiff of gay characters - unless you count the prison rape sex. Worth it for Brad Davis - Still debated if he was Str8, Bi or Gay, or died of AIDS from I/V drug use? One of a few good prison films.
23. Longtime Companion (1989)
R | 96 min | Drama, Romance
The emergence and devastation of the AIDS epidemic is chronicled in the lives of several gay men living during the 1980s.
Director: Norman René | Stars: Stephen Caffrey, Patrick Cassidy, Brian Cousins, Bruce Davison
Votes: 4,875 | Gross: $4.61M
One of the First few better Mainstream Hollywood films to tackle gays, love and AIDS
24. Butch Camp (1996)
Not Rated | 101 min | Comedy
Closeted young gay man gets fed up with being pushed around and signs up for "Butch Camp", a macho-training boot camp run by a very butch lesbian.
Director: Alessandro De Gaetano | Stars: Judy Tenuta, Paul Denniston, Jason Teresi, Jordan Roberts
Votes: 259
25. Gods and Monsters (1998)
R | 105 min | Biography, Drama
The last days of Frankenstein (1931) Director James Whale are explored.
Director: Bill Condon | Stars: Ian McKellen, Brendan Fraser, Lynn Redgrave, Lolita Davidovich
Votes: 27,295 | Gross: $6.39M
26. The Children's Hour (1961)
Not Rated | 108 min | Drama, Romance
A troublemaking student at a girls' school accuses two teachers of being lesbians.
Director: William Wyler | Stars: Audrey Hepburn, Shirley MacLaine, James Garner, Miriam Hopkins
Votes: 12,729
27. An Early Frost (1985 TV Movie)
95 min | Drama
A young lawyer hasn't told his parents about his homosexuality. Now he must tell them--at a time when the diagnosis was still a death sentence--that he has AIDS.
Director: John Erman | Stars: Gena Rowlands, Ben Gazzara, Sylvia Sidney, Aidan Quinn
Votes: 1,701
28. The Birdcage (1996)
R | 117 min | Comedy
A gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents.
Director: Mike Nichols | Stars: Robin Williams, Nathan Lane, Gene Hackman, Dianne Wiest
Votes: 72,312 | Gross: $124.06M
29. Kiss Me, Guido (1997)
R | 86 min | Comedy
Warren has an extra room in his apartment (and is five months behind on the rent) after his lover moves out, so a friend places an ad on his behalf for a GWM roommate. Frankie, a pizza ... See full summary »
Director: Tony Vitale | Stars: Nick Scotti, Anthony Barrile, Anthony DeSando, Craig Chester
Votes: 1,883 | Gross: $1.83M
30. Priest (1994)
R | 98 min | Drama, Romance
A homosexual Catholic priest finds out during confessional that a young girl is being sexually abused by her father, and has to decide how to deal with both that secret and his own.
Director: Antonia Bird | Stars: Linus Roache, Tom Wilkinson, Robert Carlyle, Cathy Tyson
Votes: 9,120 | Gross: $4.18M
31. Another Country (1984)
PG | 90 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Based on the life of the young Guy Burgess, who would become better known as one of the Cambridge Spies.
Director: Marek Kanievska | Stars: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Michael Jenn, Robert Addie
Votes: 4,723
32. Edge of Seventeen (1998)
Not Rated | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A teenager copes with his sexuality on the last day of school in 1984. It shows him coping with being gay and being with friends.
Director: David Moreton | Stars: Chris Stafford, Tina Holmes, Andersen Gabrych, Stephanie McVay
Votes: 5,299 | Gross: $0.87M
33. Dona Herlinda and Her Son (1985)
Unrated | 90 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Rodolfo (Trevino) is a young bachelor doctor who has a love affair with a younger music student, Ramon (Meza). When Rodolfo's mother begins to urge his son to get married, he quickly asks ... See full summary »
Director: Jaime Humberto Hermosillo | Stars: Arturo Meza, Marco Treviño, Guadalupe Del Toro, LetÃcia Lupercio
Votes: 404
34. Echte Kerle (1996)
Not Rated | 102 min | Comedy, Crime, Romance
Christoph, cop and self-confident macho, has trouble with his fiance. After a long night he wakes up in the arms of Edgar, a good-looking, gay auto-mechanic. His live gets more and more ... See full summary »
Director: Rolf Silber | Stars: Christoph M. Ohrt, Carin C. Tietze, Tim Bergmann, Oliver Stokowski
Votes: 1,351
35. The Secret Life: Jeffrey Dahmer (1993)
99 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
Based on the life of notorious serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer, who murdered 17 men and ate many of them before he was caught in 1991.
Director: David R. Bowen | Stars: Carl Crew, Cassidy Phillips, Donna Stewart Bowen, Jeanne Bascom
Votes: 552
36. Stonewall (1995)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A group of homosexual people try to live with dignity and self-respect while events build to the opening battle in the major gay rights movement.
Director: Nigel Finch | Stars: Guillermo DÃaz, Frederick Weller, Brendan Corbalis, Duane Boutte
Votes: 1,443 | Gross: $0.62M
37. Love! Valour! Compassion! (1997)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Gregory invites seven friends to spend the summer at his large, secluded 19th-century home in upstate New York. The seven are: Bobby, Gregory's "significant other," who is blind but who ... See full summary »
Director: Joe Mantello | Stars: Jason Alexander, Stephen Spinella, Stephen Bogardus, Randy Becker
Votes: 3,142 | Gross: $2.87M
38. Streamers (1983)
R | 118 min | Crime, Drama, War
Four young soldiers waiting to be shipped to Viet Nam deal with racial tension and their own intolerance when one soldier reveals he's gay.
Director: Robert Altman | Stars: Matthew Modine, Michael Wright, Mitchell Lichtenstein, David Alan Grier
Votes: 1,599
39. Swoon (1992)
Unrated | 93 min | Crime, Drama
The true story of gay lovers, Richard Loeb and Nathan Leopold Jr. who kidnapped and murdered a child in the early 1920s for kicks. The plot covers the months before the crime, the ... See full summary »
Director: Tom Kalin | Stars: Daniel Schlachet, Craig Chester, Ron Vawter, Michael Kirby
Votes: 1,451 | Gross: $0.34M
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