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Bonus Video! Did actor Dirk Bogarde owe the world a coming-out?
🕑 Added 2024-03-03 17:00:12 +0000 UTCHello there!
For this week's bonus video, we're taking a closer look at some of the overwhelming opposition that was faced by Victim, the 1961 film that was the first to say the word "homosexual" out loud. From censors to critics to the film's own cast, there was quite a lot of institutionalized homophobia to overcome -- and overcome it they did.
But in looking more deeply at the film, something struck me: Despite being a movie about the importance of being brave enough to come out publicly, the film's star never did -- even into the 1990s. Bogarde was zealously protective of his privacy, which is certainly understandable! But it's also a bit at odds with the message of this film, and I'm still trying to figure out exactly how I feel about that.
Backup link to the video: https://youtu.be/d2fpZ2oexoc
Comments
Karin Storm
Thanks for the video. As for Julian and Sandy: here is a video with some of the sketches : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHPej0crz8U. I also found this comment from one of the viewers (PavarottiAardvark) of Rowan Ellis'video very interesting so I wanted to share it: "Round the Horne is interesting, because 'Julian & Sandy' and their open use of Polari was a way to be openly gay in an era where Mary Whitehouse was causing trouble for any media which offended traditional sensibilities. Indeed, the show had been running for two years before the Sexual Offences Act of 1967 decriminalised homosexuality. So when Kenneth William's lawyer character quipped that he had "a criminal practise that takes up most of his time", it was deeply relevant satire."
Lin Kibblemom
The age Bogarde lived in had everything to do with how public he was (or wasn't) about his sexuality. The fact that he made 3 films playing queer characters says everything about his courage. His character in Victim was very sympathetic and many have credited that film with the repeal of the UK's anti-gay legislation just 6 years later. That he was in a long-term, loving, same-sex relationship says a lot about his character. On a slightly different, but related, topic, are you familiar with Polari, a secret gay code language used by queer people in the UK that began to die out after being gay was decriminalized? Here's a video Rowan Ellis did on it a few years ago: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvdxfLTk80Y
Tony Holewinski
James, thank you for posting the interview. It was truly enthralling! The way he spoke of Judy, his philosophy on life & his legacy, the candor with which he expressed his own personal experience, all very telling without saying anything out loud.
James Bigwood
Here's the Russell Harty interview that Mike mentions above. The section where Harty tries to force Bogarde out begins at 12:26 and lasts about five minutes. It ends with, "But I'm certainly in the shell and you haven't cracked it yet, honey." The whole fifty minute interview is definitely worth watching. Bogarde's memories of liberating a concentration camp during the War are harrowing. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QfeDhkJ-w_8
