Description
This course explores the history of queer cinema in America from the early 20th century to the 1960s. From the silent film era through the height of the studio system until the dawn of “New Hollywood,” we will examine how movies reflected and shaped societal attitudes about gender and sexuality. We will also investigate the history of how queer characters and narratives were portrayed—often coded or subtextual - on the screen, as well as the lives and influence of queer individuals working both in front of and behind the camera. Finally, we will engage in “queer readings” of movies, to look at how cinema acted as a space for non-normative representations of gender roles, gender identity, and sexual desire. Films studied in this class include: Salome (1922), Frankenstein (1931), Queen Christina (1933), The Women (1939), Strangers on a Train (1951), Written on the Wind (1956), Tea and Sympathy (1956). Some Like It Hot (1959), and The Haunting (1963).