Musing's musings

101 gay movies meme

Found this one on a friend's site and thought it might be fun to let it propagate. There's a book out as of last fall, 101 Must-See Movies for Gay Men (BN, Powell's), though I have to say I'm a bit surprised at some of the movies that made the list--and a lot more that didn't.

Anyway, to play along on this meme, copy the list (below the fold 'cuz it's a looooong one). Boldface the ones you've seen, and then let fly with comments, if any. I got 23, which is three times as many as my friend did--but some of them I never did get all the way through.

Follow me below the fold if you wish (or if you dare).

Goodnight, Mrs. Robinson

Can I just say that today has rather sucked? Short on sleep last night, I worked right through my physical therapy appointment this morning without even noticing. And then, when I went by mom's to grab a glass of wine after work and relax a little, I learned that Anne Bancroft has died.

I've always loved her work, though probably not for the roles that other people remember most. Two stand out in my mind: Helene Hanff in 84 Charing Cross Road a fact-based tale (which I swear I was just watching the other day) in which she played a quirky New York writer addicted to English literature that she can only obtain from an "antiquarian bookshop" in London. The story is told through the vehicle of her letters back and forth with one of the shop's employees, over the course of nearly two decades. It's one of the definitive movies for bibliophiles like myself.

The other role of Anne Bancroft's that stands out for me was as Mrs. Beckoff in Torch Song Trilogy, one of the definitive gay movies, and which she made just a year after 84 Charing Cross Road. This was a demanding role, which she played to the hilt. The fight scene between her and her son (played by the playwright, Harvey Fierstein) at the end of the film is simply a masterpiece.

God be good to her. We'll miss her artistry.