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A Single Man Is No Longer Gay Or Straight. It’s A-Sexual

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A Single Man, which tells the story of a gay professor mourning the loss of his partner, is being promoted with very heterosexual imagery, because Tom Ford is too cool for gay. But all of that is about to change — because on a re-printing of Christopher Isherwood’s novel that the movie is based on, the University of Minnesota Press, piggybacking on the movie’s buzz with a 27,000-print run, is going with just an image of Colin Firth. Because the film is now devoid of any sexual connotations.

But don’t blame the publisher. Minnesota Press originally wanted a photo of Firth and Julianne Moore, just like the movie posters, but it was director Ford who, reportedly, insisted on the solo shot.

What’s the marketing strategy behind Ford’s choice? We’re guessing he figures all the gays who are going to buy a copy (or see the movie) already know about the gay angle, and the readers (and audiences) he really needs to work on attracting are straight women. And their reluctant male partners.

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