What is up YouTube, it's your girl Evelyn and a couple of months ago
I made a video highlighting some of your favorite classic lesbian films.
So today I thought I'd explore some even older classic lesbian films and see
just how well they've stood the test of time.
So sit back, enjoy the video and make sure to let me know which classic is your favorite?
"I've never loved a man. I never knew why before."
"And you say to yourself, did she see it? Did she sense it?"
"But you know it could have been any lie. She was looking for anything to..."
"But why this lie? She found the lie with the ounce of truth."
'The Children's Hour' is a 1961 film,
based on a 1934 play, based on a true story from 1810.
And it tells the tale of two young teachers who run a girls
boarding school that caters to wealthy families.
Unfortunately for them, one of their students is a psychopath.
Seriously, this little girl is a straight-up psychopath.
She tells her grandmother that the two teachers are involved in an "unnatural affair"
And the lie not only destroys the teachers livelihoods,
but also their lives.
"It's our lives you're playing with. That's very serious business for us. Can you understand that?"
"I can understand that and I can understand a great deal more.
You've been playing with a lot of children's lives."
'The Children's Hour' is easily my favorite film on this list.
It's compelling.
It's well written.
It's well acted.
And even though it is very much of its time,
it's also a reminder that cancel culture is not a new phenomenon.
It's just gone digital
The film's controversial ending has been criticized as being problematic
and understandably so.
But 'The Children's Hour' is one of those films you have to watch through a historical lens.
Its source material, the 1934 play, was actually banned when it first came out.
Because during that time, people equated homosexuality with deviance,
and it was illegal to even mention gayness on stage.
And that is the world these characters exist in.
Is it all that shocking a character would rather die than be gay in that society?
If you've never watched 'The Children's Hour' I can't recommend it highly enough.
It's not always the easiest film to find, but it is currently streaming on Amazon Prime.
I urge you to check it out while you can.
*Almost Lover by A Fine Frenzy playing*
'Olivia' is essentially The Children's Hour if
a) the teachers were gay and in a long-term relationship and
b) one of them was f@!#-ing five percent of the student body.
Allegedly.
Olivia is a brand new student at a French finishing school
run by the emotionally unstable and chronically-ill Miss Cara
Along with her partner or ex-partner, Miss Julie.
Who is charming, elegant and beloved by all the girls.
It doesn't take long before Olivia falls head over heels for Miss Julie
And the rest of the movie is
I KID YOU NOT
Miss Julie trying not to f@!# Olivia and
Olivia trying to get miss Julie to f@!# her.
THIS MOVIE IS WILD
Despite these themes, there are no explicit scenes between Olivia and Miss Julie
Or even Miss Julie and the other girls.
And on the surface it seems like Miss Julie is a predatory lesbian.
But she is depicted in a surprisingly sympathetic way.
She's aware she's hurting the girls.
She doesn't want to hurt the girls.
She loves Olivia more than the other girls, which is why she tries not to "go to" Olivia...
IT'S A LOT
To be fair, we're never explicitly told that Miss Julie is...uh...
But it certainly seems like it.
'Olivia' is a strange film to recommend for obvious reasons, but it is a very well made film.
It's easy to watch.
It's compelling,
And it's a little creepy.
You can check it out on the Criterion Channel
and if you don't have a subscription, they offer a 14 day free trial,
Which is how i watched it.
"I use half a level teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda."
"Oh, now you're giving away trade secrets."
"And one level teaspoonful of cream of tartar."
"Shut up."
"And one egg."
"Shut up!"
"Some people prefer two eggs but i think one's enough."
"SHUT UP!"
The black comedy, 'The Killing of Sister George' is definitely
the most controversial film on the list.
It has been reviled for perpetuating harmful lesbian stereotypes
But it's also been applauded for its groundbreaking sex scene
As well as showing non-salacious affection between women on screen.
The film is about June, a middle-aged actress who becomes terrified that the beloved soap
opera character she plays, Sister George, will soon be written out of the series.
June is an absolutely vile human being.
And I mean vile.
She sexually assaults women.
They were nuns.
She sexually assaulted nuns.
She's verbally, psychologically and physically abusive to her much younger girlfriend.
She's crude, rude, selfish, self-pitying, paranoid and conniving.
Not to mention she has a drinking problem.
It's easy to see how this film is harmful to lesbians,
specifically lesbians in the 1960s and 70s.
"These were horrible images of gay women
and at that time there were very few media images of gay women.
So we were really upset that these demeaning stereotypes were what the public would see."
'The Killing of Sister George is high satire and based on the ending of the film
I do think they were trying to paint June as a
tragic figure but ultimately she's just too unsympathetic to feel sorry for.
This is definitely a film that does not stand the test of time very well but I will say
Beryl Reid gave an amazing performance as June.
You will absolutely despise her by the end of the film.
*Everybody Hurts by REM playing*
'The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant' is not easy to watch.
It is a two-hour film adapted from a stage play about Petra Von Kant
An indulgent fashion designer who falls in love with a young aspiring model
under the watchful and super creepy eye of Petra's silent assistant
Needless to say, this is a very strange film.
It's part stage play.
Part painting.
Part existential dread.
It's not a good time...
but it's a time.
And I'll be honest, it did somewhat resonate with the jaded, 'glass half empty' part of myself
And even though it came out in 1972 and is the most current film on the list
There's almost no physical intimacy between any of the women.
But there is an abundance of emotional intimacy.
To see a woman completely shattered over another woman
in a romantic and emotional way was not the norm when this film came out.
In the 70s lesbianism was often portrayed in very exploitative, salacious ways.
The sole purpose being to titillate the audience. To hell with an emotional connection.
So in that respect, 'The Bitter Tears of Petra Von Kant' is very much groundbreaking
And if you'd like to check it out it's currently streaming on HBO Max.
*Old-timey Instrumental Music*
Considered by some to be the first full-length feature lesbian film,
Mädchen in Uniform is a 1931 German film about Manuela,
a sensitive young girl at a strict boarding school who falls in love with a popular teacher.
And I have to say, for a film that is 90 years old It is still very watchable today.
There's also a 1958 version by the same name which is also really good.
What's most fascinating about 'Mädchen in Uniform' is even though it's the oldest film on the list,
it treats homosexuality in a very non-scandalous manner.
Of course Manuela is in love with her teacher...
All of the girls are in love with the teacher.
And when Manuela's feelings begin to run deeper, she doesn't question them.
It's just a natural and wholesome extension of her love and she sees nothing wrong with it.
In the 1931 version it's not clear if the teacher returns
those feelings or if Manuela is just her favorite student.
Because we all know teachers have favorites...
just like parents.
Weirdly enough the oldest film on the list is the one that best stands the test of time.
It inspired 'Loving Annabelle' And it probably inspired 'Cracks' to some degree.
It was almost destroyed by the nazis.
It was almost banned in the United States.
I don't know how this film survived but i'm glad it did.
It is over the age of copyright and
freely available to watch online and I definitely recommend it.
That is it for the list, I want to give a quick shout out to my newest patron, Angel.
*Angel by Shaggy playing*
As always thank you so much for watching and I'll see you in the next one.