Welcome to Screen Gems, our weekend dive into queer and queer-adjacent titles of the past that deserve a watch or a re-watch.
The Loco: Midnight Express
Hollywood iconoclast Oliver Stone took home his first Academy Award for his screenplay to this film, an adaptation of Billy Hayes’ 1977 memoir. Midnight Express recounts Hayes’ actual stay in a Turkish prison. In 1970, Hayes rather unwisely tried to smuggle hash out of the country, resulting in his conviction by a Turkish court, and sentencing to stay in a draconian prison. There, he befriends a handful of foreigners while enduring daily beatings and torture at the hands of the sadistic guards. Billy also engages in homoerotic relationships with his fellow prisoners, occasionally flirting with full-blown sex.
In the hands of director Alan Parker, Midnight Express caused a sensation in 1978, scoring six Oscar nominations including nods for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actor for John Hurt’s performance. It won two, for Stone’s screenplay and Giorgio Moroder’s score. The movie also generated wild buzz over actor Brad Davis’ leading performance. Davis won rave reviews for his performance in the lead, though his career as a leading man never took off. Though married to a woman with children, Davis’ bisexuality was an open secret in showbiz. The prevailing homophobia of the day limited his career prospects, though he did enjoy some acclaim on stage, starring in the original off-Broadway production of The Normal Heart. He died of AIDS in 1985.
Midnight Express, for all its extreme violence (and it is extreme–it’s Oliver Stone after all), offers a fascinating and erotic exploration of masculinity and male intimacy. It also features a terrific performance by Davis–a queer actor whose legacy remains largely unsung. Critics have also commented on the sensationalistic elements of the film added from the novel (including prison rape) and Hayes himself has decried that the movie actually toned down the consensual gay sex among inmates, which was frequent. Hey, it was 1978–that a major film like this which does extoll the eroticism among prisoners could exist at all is a minor miracle.
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Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
On the other hand, perhaps it’s time Hollywood remade Midnight Express complete with its gay relationships intact. Watch the original, and see the potential for yourself.
Streams on Amazon, YouTube & VUDU.
edin2uand2u
As far as I can remember Davis’ character didn’t engage in sex with any inmate: one guy wanted him to and he declined. Lovely actor, Brad Davis.
DarkZephyr
Yes, the article didn’t claim he had gay sex in the film, it stated that he engaged in homoerotic relationships, and he kind of did. I remember when I saw this film on cable as a kid I was struck by how “cozy” his character got with his friend.
theaterbloke
That is true. In the movie he declined. In the book (and real life) he did not. And making love was part of the relationship he shared with that guy.
I was so pissed when I found the movie didn’t relect this one thing because, at the time, I remember thinking that I would have said yes. And that was an important coming out moment for me.
Kangol2
Brad Davis does bottom for Gunther Kaufmann in Querelle but declines gay sex in Midnight Express. Speaking of gay films and pioneering directors and topics, no gay director since has matched the productivity or vision of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, and he took on quite a few difficult subjects too.
LeBlevsez
Another Brad Davis movie worth looking for is “Querelle.” It’s can be perplexing because the story isn’t told as a single narrative, but rather structured as a series of related vignettes. But it is visually stunning and sexy as all get out. Brad Davis was a universal donor of hotness.
BigE
If you thought that the movie was difficult to follow, you should try and read the novel that it’s based on ,if you can find a good translation! Querelle is often mispronounced as ” queer-elle” . It’s actually closer to “carelle” from the French verb quereller, meaning “to fight”.
DarkZephyr
@BigE, so in other words, “to quarrel”.
harryharris48
And not forgetting the brilliant soundtrack.
NateOcean
I don’t think you can say “Midnight Express” was the *origin* of the Turkish prison meme. It *used* the already existing fact as part of the story.
You recall that even “Lawrence of Arabia” alluded (on-screen) to prisoner-raped-by-guards (off-screen).
In actual fact, Billy Hayes said that there *was* sex, but that it was agreed to exclude that from the filmed version as it would sidetrack from the main story.
And T. E. Lawrence *was* raped by the prison warden; again the explicit details were excluded from his memoir and the movie.