Answer EACH of the following questions. For your answer, you may use information from our power-points and textbook. However, you will also need to conduct research on your own. Each answer must be at least 1,000 words in length. To help guide you, each answer must reference EACH of the associated terms, names, and/or films attached to the question.
1. People like Oscar Wilde was long an expression for gay. Describe the life of Oscar Wilde, the controversies connected to his work, the circumstances of his trial, and his legacy (cinematically and otherwise) as a gay icon. (10 points)
Associated terms/names/films: “Salome”; Belle Epoque-era Paris; Andre Gide; Cleveland Street Scandal; Edward Carpenter; gay bohemian enclave; homosocial environments; dandy; Sir Roger Casement; “The Picture of Dorian Gray”
2. Citing at least three gay-related films from (or connected to) this era, describe gay life during the Weimar Republic (1918 – 1933). (10 points)
Associated terms/names/films: cross-dressing; gay bars; Nazis; “Bent”; Lili Elbe; Magnus Hirschfeld; Berlin; Marlene Dietrich; gay publications; Thomas Mann; “Cabaret”; Christopher Isherwood; Paragraph 175
3. In the 1930s, homosexuals took on greater menace because of their nature. They called into question such fundamental societal cornerstones as male supremacy, gender and social arrangements, and the sanctity of church and family. With the enforcement of the Production Code in 1934, homosexuality became specifically forbidden as movie content. Citing at least three films, describe how filmmakers in Hollywood fixed or remedied this problem between 1934 and 1960. (10 points)
Associated terms/names/films: allegorical symbol; metaphor; Dorothy Arzner; Edmund Goulding; gay subtext; lavender marriage; horror films; sissy characters; James Whale; Cary Grant; pirate films; Judy Garland; “The Wizard of Oz”
