This has been a.favourite go-to LGBTQ movie of mine for many years now. I watched it again yesterday. Quentin Crisp had a very pessimistic approach to gay life and life in general, although he managed to couch this in humour, much of it self-deprecating. It's not surprising, since he dared to be different in a society that wasn't quite ready for him. Even in the LGBT hostile 1980s we would not have been labelled an invert or pervert or whatever if we used hair-dye! The movie adequately depicts how gay/gender-fluid people were up against it from all sides of society. It must've been a very lonely existence for him, even in the "more tolerant" 70s and beyond. He just learned to make a living out of those who would chuck him a peanut to dress up and say something queer. John Hurt's portrayal of him is OK, a little overdone perhaps. It seems that even offering a one night stand a cup of tea required an Olivier-esque dose of overacting. So in all, it's important for everyone, gay, straight, trans, whatever, to understand this period from the point of view of an LGBTQ person. This movie scrapes the surface of that experience in an entertaining way. Watch out for Phil Daniels aged 16, and Anna Wing, later Lou Beale of Eastenders.
Review of The Naked Civil Servant
