I went through several clips of the movie The Celluloid Closet. The movie depicts how the characterization of homosexuals in movies had made an impression on the general audience on how homosexuals actually behave. Armistead Maupin in the movie said that “I have always thought sex with another men would mean having to commit suicide.And I got that impression from the movies.”
The movie implies that gays characters were depicted as a funny character to be laughed upon in 1920’s.However in 1950’s and later, homosexual characters were generally referred to as cold blooded villains. This made me think of what may be the reason such a big transformation was made.
Also, I felt that this may be connected to how JFK movie alleged gays to be conspirators in Kennedy assassination.
This article talks about the reaction of the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation reacted to JFK. While one of the main concerns is that gay men are portrayed as the antagonists, it also intrigued me thinking about the psychological aspect of an antagonist. As previously gays were made the comic relief, they now represent a great source of power in this film. While it may be negative, I feel that this is a big step up from being laughed at for their effeminate ways. The project as very masculine and essentially very scary men.
http://articles.latimes.com/1991-12-06/entertainment/ca-583_1_oliver-stone-film