Experience Nearly a Century of LGBTQ+ Representation on the Silver Screen
The Egyptian Theater is set to host “Hollywood Pride: Queer Lives on the Silver Screen,” a film series co-programmed with critic and author Alonso Duralde. This event celebrates the release of Duralde’s new book on queer films and artists in Hollywood. The series, spanning nearly a century of filmmaking, explores the evolution of queer representation from subtle coding to overt and proud expressions on screen.
The program kicks off with James Whale’s horror classic “The Old Dark House,” a film that influenced “The Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This showcases how early Hollywood films featured queer themes, often hidden but detectable to the observant viewer. Joseph Mankiewicz’s “All About Eve,” a Best Picture winner produced under the restrictive Hays Code, sublimates its queer characters yet has become a queer cult classic. Tennessee Williams’ “Suddenly, Last Summer,” starring Katherine Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor, and gay actor Montgomery Clift, offers one of the era’s most explicit acknowledgments of a character’s queerness.
The series also includes Rock Hudson’s performance in the rom-com “Pillow Talk,” where his off-screen secret life contrasts with his on-screen feigned gayness. The 1990s New Queer Cinema movement brought forth bold films like the Wachowski’s “Bound,” presented in a new 4K restoration, which is notable for its depiction of a passionate lesbian romance. Andrew Ahn’s “Spa Night,” set in Los Angeles’ Koreatown, exemplifies the era’s independent productions that allowed queer artists of color to tell their authentic stories.
The series concludes with the Los Angeles theatrical premiere of “OUTSTANDING: A Comedy Revolution,” a documentary by Page Hurwitz. This free community screening will feature special guests from the film. “OUTSTANDING” highlights the journeys of LGBTQ stand-up comics, from trailblazers like Margaret Cho and Rosie O’Donnell to current stars like Joel Kim Booster and Wanda Sykes. The documentary celebrates the resilience and impact of queer comedians who have pushed boundaries in the comedy world.
For more information on the “Hollywood Pride: Queer Lives on the Silver Screen” series and screening schedules, visit the Egyptian Theater’s website here.
