Golden

When Jimmy recently mentioned how different gay life was in the sixties when I posted about Pride, it made me curious. How were gay stories told back then? Nowadays we have an avalanche of Pride merchandise and Pride 'support' in the most unexpected places. So much so that people forget that  homosexuality was only depatologized after 1973, so the sixties were still fertile ground for it to be treated as a disease/mental issue/yucky. The Hays code had taken a toll in what concerned having LGBTQ stories being told in movies, and there were not many examples of gay men on screen. So when I found about Reflections on a Golden Eye being available for streaming, I immediately jumped into it. 

It had Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor. Hello? It's like clash of the titans. The movie was in a list of movies with 'gay' themes I found online. So I decided to watch it, but deep down I knew it was not going to end well, of course. Back then (and until recently) movies that dealt with homosexuality or any other 'perversion' always ended with the protagonist (the gay man or lesbian) killed or emasculated in some way. There were no happy endings for gay people back then. Even in the eighties and nineties, it was all about AIDS and being gay, gloomy and unhappy. 

If you have not seen it, rest assured there'll be spoilers ahead. Duh. So, let's get to it: It all takes place in a military base in the South (where else?), where Elizabeth, an army brat, marries Brandon's character. The thing is, their marriage is not as perfect as it seems. He, for all appearances, is the perfect military man: strong, self-assured, the epitome of gung-ho masculinity. But behind closed doors, we see that Elizabeth is the one with the pants. And she's quite enthusiastic about donning riding pants. Well, she really enjoys riding horses and her neighbor, who is also married. 

Elizabeth (super beautiful, damn!) catches the eye of the Private who takes care of her favorite horse. And boy, that man had issues. Super intense and ruggedly handsome, he happens to catch the eye of Brando's character (a Major, mind you, so the power dynamics are crazy). I was expecting more titillation, but this is a movie about human nature and the unexpected and wild nature of desire. I can imagine it caused quite the stir when it came out. Brando is the typical closeted homosexual of the times (looking longingly at photos of Greek gods and pumping iron in his free time), lusting after the handsome Private, whom he seeis riding a horse bareback. How's that for steamy in the sixties? 

But I think the movie is more about the untamed nature of desire and how it drives us. Coveting what we don't have is something we all can relate to. Elizabeth's character wants the passion that her husband cannot give her. Her lover desires the passion Elizabeth brings and that his wife seems unable to provide, given that she's clinically depressed. The man's wife wants the flights of fancy her filipino servant (paid companion?) indulges in (he's the gay Yin to Brando's Yang bluster and totally stereotypical). The Private wants the woman that belongs to the Major. Brando wants the Private, who stands for everything he feels he lacks. It's a full circle of frustration and pent up desire that ends up with dead people, of course. 

I am happy that we are in 2021 and that I can watch movies like God's Own Country or watch series like Love, Victor, where gay love stories do not end in death. Don't get me wrong, it's a beautifully shot movie and the themes are very intriguing, but I'm glad we're living in a time where LGBTQ+ stories can be told without having to resort to tired stereotypes or well, death.

If you have time (and if you have a streaming service, YouTube, a DVD player or watch movies On Demand) try to watch Reflections in a Golden Eye if you haven't yet. It's very Tennessee Williams without the camp. I'm sure it was not a box office smash, even though the leads were huge movie stars. Bet 1967 was not ready for it.

Happy Pride!

XOXO

P.S. I went to the tiniest Pride celebration ever over the weekend and it was a blast. It was literally in the parking lot of a Lutheran church (Huntley told me about it!) and I got to make soap bubbles with a giant plastic bubbler and eat cookies and get color bracelets and pose with Miss Foozie, the hysterical Drag performer who was in charge of the Bingo. It was much more fun than I thought I'd have in a church's parking lot. The people were super nice and I got to show my support for the community. After all, these ARE the suburbs and you don't see that many Pride flags in June. I may even go to one of their meetings. I hope the smell of brimstone is not too overpowering.