Filmes de Interés Gay

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In the previous post of Sally Potter's film 'Orlando", Quentin Crisp's appearance as Queen Elizabeth and news that John Hurt will reprise the roll of Quentin Crisp in an upcoming sequel (see aritcle below) prompted this post.







When Quentin Crisp was asked at the embassy "Are you a practicing homosexual?" He replied,

'I don't practice.
I am already perfect.'

Between Oscar Wilde and Boy George, Quentin Crisp was the most important gay icon in England. The TV movie The Naked Civil Servant, adapted from Crisp's autobiography and broadcast in 1975, had a significant social impact in the cause of gay rights, and it's easy to see why. Packed with witty aphorism but also unflinching in its portrayal of the verbal and physical abuse Crisp received for being an openly effeminate homosexual; throughout most of Crisp's life, simply being flamboyant was a political statement, one not always appreciated by other gay men who sought to pass unsuspected.

The film briskly moves from when he stumbled into London's gay demimonde to his bohemian social world and career as an artist's model to a particularly superb scene when he was put on trial for solicitation.

The Naked Civil Servant also brought the brilliant John Hurt, who played Crisp with intelligence and humanity, to wide acclaim. Hurt has since appeared in movies as diverse as Alien, The Elephant Man, V for Vendetta, and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but Crisp remains a signature role for this unique actor. The fortuitous combination of Crisp and Hurt makes The Naked Civil Servant essential viewing. ~Bret Fetzer

Does 'The Naked Civil Servant' need a sequel?

With his fall from gay grace shortly before his death, a new biopic about the autumn years of Quentin Crisp's life should make great drama

When it was first broadcast in 1975, The Naked Civil Servant - starring John Hurt as the notorious homosexual Quentin Crisp swishing through 30s Soho "dumb with lipstick and blind with mascara" - was praised to the very heavens. And rightly so.

The Guardian's Nancy Banks-Smith said it "justified the existence of television". It won the Prix Italia, a raft of Baftas, and In 2000, the BFI voted it the fourth greatest British television programme of the 20th century. Not bad for a film that the BBC had refused to make.

It's hard to convey what a shock it was. Witty, tragic, brave and pathetic, audiences sympathised with Crisp, even if they didn't empathise with him. At the time of The Naked Civil Servant's broadcast, the number of out gay public figures was still close to zero. Crisp practically invented the idea of coming out: "Instead of hiding my sexuality, I would announce it." He soon fulfilled his own prophecy, becoming one of the "stately homos of England". ~ Richard Smith

To some, the very idea of a sequel seems at best pointless, at worst sacrilegious. But in August filming will begin on An Englishman In New York, about the final act of Crisp's life, from his move to the States in 1980 to his death in 1999. Scripted by Brian Fillis, it could be as wonderfully macabre as his Fear of Fanny, or as clumsily clunky as The Curse of Steptoe.

Thankfully, Hurt will reprise the role. Crisp once commented; "Mr Hurt is born to play victims. He played me and then he played Caligula, which is only me in a sheet." When I see Hurt in The Elephant Man stalking the mean-spirited streets of London, it seems like Crisp with a sack over his head.

Quentin Crisp's life had a coda every bit as fascinating as his early years, and one that was shaped by the reception to The Naked Civil Servant. He noted wistfully; "I am a man who's famous for wearing make-up. It's hardly enough." In New York, he was also famous for being famous - which sounds like one of his own aphorisms. There were cameos in Philadelphia, and incongruous ads for Impulse, Calvin Klein and Nike trainers. He also wrote an irregular column for the Guardian, which he endearingly insisted on calling "the Manchester Guardian".

Quentin Crisp's New York years are perfect for drama because they saw the tragedy of his fall from gay grace; the man first seen as the John The Baptist of gay liberation was later reviled as its Judas.

He said that "homosexuality is a curse and I wouldn't wish it on anyone," and often remarked that being gay was an "abnormality" and an "illness." The new drama's pre-publicity hints that it hinges on Crisp being dropped from New York society after calling Aids "a fad". His biographer Tim Fountain recounts Crisp addressing a gay meeting in London in the late 70s, where one man angrily berated him, saying that The Naked Civil Servant had led him to believe Quentin Crisp was our Martin Luther King, but he'd turned out to be a queer "Uncle Tom."

Crisp's stock reply to such critics showed a sense of defiance; "I am first and last an individual, not a spokesman for any group. I have lived my life with my sexuality clearly apparent. I cannot do any more."

I still think we owe much to that great arch man, even if he was only out for himself. ~ Richard Smith

Film Information: 'The Naked Civil Servant'

Web: Cast, Bios and Additional Details at IMDb
Director: Jack Gold
Writers: Quentin Crisp (autobiography) & Philip Mackie (screenplay)
Cast, Crew & Credits: Full Cast, Crew & Credits
Genre: Biography | Comedy | Drama
Runtime: 77 min
Awards: 3 wins & 1 nomination
Spoken Language: English

Preview Clip: 'The Naked Civil Servant'



Download: 'The Naked Civil Servant'