The Lavender Screen: The Gay and Lesbian Films--Their Stars, Makers, Characters, and Critics

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating collection of Gay and Lesbian film lore
Review: I believe this is Boze Hadleigh's best book on Gay and Lesbian Hollywood. It covers films with homoerotic themes, as well as more openly gay films, throughout the history of film. Although the book was published long before some of today's more explicit gay and lesbian films, it is an interesting historical perspective of how gay themes were gradually introduced into mainstream Hollywood film.

All the films covered are put in the perspective of when they were made, and critiqued based on the extent of the portrayal of the gay characters. Films with both positive and negative images are reviewed, as well as stories that may have only gay imagery.

Boze Hadleigh is a great historian of gay cinema, but he does take a lot of liberty with his interpretations. Still, this book is lavishly illustrated and well documented, and a fascinating addition to any film book library.