Back in 2015, a series of letters were uncovered—the correspondence between a World War II veteran named Gilbert Bradley and his sweetheart, who signed each note with the initial “G,” dated from 1938 to 1941.
Eventually, those letters made their way to a museum in the small English town of Oswestry, where a curator made a surprising discovery: “G” stood for Gordon.
Yes, Gilbert’s sweetheart was a man, and they were in love at a time when not only was homosexuality illegal, but they could’ve faced deadly consequences had their relationship been discovered while serving in the armed forces.
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Today, Gilbert and Gordon’s messages are considered the largest known collection of LGBTQ+ love letters from that era, and they remain a crucial time capsule to our community’s past.
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“Wouldn’t it be wonderful if our letters could be published in a more enlightened time…? Then all the world could see how in love we are.”
Shortly after the letters’ discovery, husbands and filmmakers Andy and Danny Vallentine—a.k.a. The Vallentines—set off to dive deeper into the story, which eventually became the basis of their short film The Letter Men, a romantic war drama that brings Gilbert and Gordon’s moving love affair back to life.
“What I think is so special about Gilbert and Gordon’s love story is that Gordon never mentions feeling conflicted or ashamed about being gay,” co-writer Danny Vallentine shares in a press statement. “In fact, through the letters we are able to see that there was a really inclusive, thriving gay scene during this time in the UK. I was so surprised to learn this, and that can partially be attributed to the fact that people aren’t yet telling stories that represent that experience.”
At just over eight minutes long, The Letter Men manages to be a sweeping vision of a life on the frontlines of WWII and a life between-the-lines, as these brave men kept their love a secret from the rest of the world.
Known for his breakthrough role in the musical Teen Beach Movie and the dark drama King Cobra, Garrett Clayton delivers a powerful, heartbreaking performance as Gilbert. And Peaky Blinders star Matthew Postlethwaite brings the passion as Gordon. Together, they show us the spark that drew these two together over 80 years ago.
And, for the Vallentines, it was all right there on the page to begin with, optioning the letters and using Gordon’s actual words on screen, which Andy—the film’s director—felt a responsibility to honor. He adds:
“In one of his letters, Gordon said, ‘wouldn’t it be wonderful if all our letters could be published in the future in a more enlightened time. Then all the world could see how in love we are.’ I can think of no better way to honor his wish than to use his own words for this film.”
And see it they have. Since 2021, The Letter Men has played 20 festivals—including the acclaimed Tribeca Film Festival—wowing audiences and winning numerous awards in the process.
The short’s success has kept The Vallentines quite busy, especially as this year also saw the world premiere of their feature film debut, The Mattachine Family, a moving ode to family, lost and found (which, by the way, features appearances from both Clayton and Postlethwaite!).
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Andy and Danny Vallentine made a movie about their dream to start a family. Shortly after production wrapped, their daughter was born.
But, all the while, Gilbert and Gordon’s story hasn’t left their hearts, which is why the writer-director duo is excited to share that they’re currently developing The Letter Men into a feature film of its own, revisiting those beautiful letters to delve deeper into this timeless romance.
While we eagerly await to see their vision on the big screen, Queerty is honored to be the exclusive web host of The Letter Men, now available to stream online for the first time.
Watch The Letter Men in full below, and be sure to follow both Andy and Danny for the latest on The Mattachine Family, The Letter Men‘s feature-length film, and so much more.
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Baron Wiseman
Beautiful story. Beautiful words. Beautiful visuals. I love hearing and watching love stories that survive – survive through time and even through war. I think it is important these stories be shared and remembered.
ZzBomb
Touching story. I remember reading about the letters when they were discovered but this really painted a beautiful portrait.
I was looking for further reading on the 2 of them and found that the BBC has an excellent article on their letters and lives after the war. I’d post the link but every time I ever tried that I get “awaiting moderation” so if you want to find it google:
“Forbidden love: The WW2 letters between two men”
swingbozo
Great read! Thanks for the google hint.
GayEGO
Love is what it is all about! I was in the Navy when I met my love back in 1962. We were together 57 years, married the last 15 years. Now, I am a widower!
woodroad34
Does anyone know what happened to Gordon?
Miles Crown
Looking forward to this one. But does anyone else think all the scruff and 5 o’clock shadows (make that 11 o’clock shadows) in the trailer are out of place? I’m a fan of scruff and short beards, but that was not a thing in the 40s. Men were clean-cut, except for a few mustaches. In old movies, when a man appeared unshaven they were escaped convicts or on a drunken bender.
still_onthemark
Good point! In fact, WW2 movies have always tended to overdo it in the other direction: men at war for several days are still mysteriously clean-shaven. In real life they wouldn’t have the time (or water) to shave, although they’d do so when they got to safety. That generation regarded beards as old-fashioned relics of their grandfathers’ era.
toddlicious
That was beautiful. If only relationships today could understand the enormity of what it used to be to be gay and in love….
Major
What a beautiful story! And such a part of our history.
Thank you to the Vallentines’ for bringing us this story.
MSM
Now that i stopped tearing up, i can write.
This short film touched me like nothing else. I and my late husband met in 1972 and married as soon as the Supreme court said we could. That was 2013. We stayed together, not thru war, but thru illness and i lost him in 2020. (Not from covid). I want you all to know, that true love endures forever.
Ok now i am crying again. But i wanted to say, i have found someone whom touches my heart but war keeps us apart. He is in Israel, and we chat daily. But we long to meet in person one day soon.
Saps48
I’d like to watch this on my TV, but it doesn’t seem to be streaming on YouTube yet, or any other platforms, although the trailer is there.