Since the earliest days of filmmaking, there have always been (and always will be) artists and cultural production that eschew the dominant norms around sexuality and gender. While the Hays Code (1934-54) was extremely restrictive, even it was unable to entirely un-queer the industry. In some of these examples, repressive cultural norms would allow depictions of non-cisheteronormativity, but only to moralize against it. In others, we see a clear and unapologetic critique of patriarchal gender norms, and in others we are able to witness joyful and free expression of gender fluidity and non-hetero sexuality.
"In the film, Lulu's allure transcends gender, attracting both male and female lovers, exemplified by the character countess Anna Geschwitz, who openly loves Lulu. Their passionate interactions, including a notable dance scene, highlight the film's…
Openly gay, suit-wearing "Dorothy Arzner, the sole woman to work as a director in the Hollywood studio system of the 1930s and early ’40s, brings a subversive feminist sensibility to this juicily entertaining backstage melodrama. A…
Bi-icon Marlene Dietrich was not openly queer--but she did little to hide her membership in the "sewing circle." From cross dressing in top hats and tails, to kissing women on screen, Dietrich dared to exist as she wished during a time when many…
"Addiction, nonmonogamy, and female sexual liberation: decades before such ideas were widely discussed, Dorothy Arzner, the only woman to work as a director in 1930s Hollywood, brought them to the screen with striking frankness, sophistication, and…
In "The Knockout" Minta Durfee dresses in men's clothing under the pretext that doing so is absolutely necessary to gain entry to a boxing match (there is always a pretext). What we see though is a character unabashedly enjoying the experience of…
"Illicit sex. Glorified vice. Crime that pays. You can't do that said the film industry's Production Code. But in the pre-Code era, Hollywood could - and did - with lots of classic style. On Disc 1 of this set of five pre-Code sizzlers, Norma…
Chaplin's playful gender-fluidity was a consistent facet of his on-screen persona. Whether he does so by overtly flirting with and kissing other male characters, or by completely transforming his appearance, the tramp subverts cishetero norms time…
