It's LGBT+ History Month!
To celebrate, each week I will be releasing a 'phase' of what you might call an "LGBT Cinematic Universe" using existing material.
Why am I doing this?
One, it's fun. It's no secret on this blog that I love a Transmedia story. Piecing together a somewhat coherent narrative from existing material has been a challenge that I've loved trying.
Two, it's in the spirit of the month. LGBT+ History Month is a month to look back at where we as queer people come from. In fact and in fiction, queer people have done extraordinary things that, on occasion, deserve a light shone on them. That's what this month is about, and it's what this little project is about.
So, without further ado, here is Phase 01 of the LGBT+ Transmedia Experience! Enjoy.
PHASE 01: WAR
QUEERS - The Man on the Platform
The Great War. A lonely soldier reflects on trench warfare and how, despite being surrounded by brotherhood, he is undefinably isolated. Except for one time when he was a boy, recognised by a stranger. A man in chains of his own.
BBC iPlayer: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p057t5dm
In Memoriam
To many young men, war is a game. Love is a game. Loss is a competition. But loneliness? Loneliness is a fate worse than death. Two young soldiers learn that there can be love outside of convention and perhaps, if they survive, with each other.
Buy Here:
Benediction
Despite his decoration during the Great War, Siegfried Sassoon is not a soldier. He is a poet, and he is in love. Despite relaxing attitudes in a post-war Britain, Sassoon and men like him must continue to love in secret. This is something the poet and pacifist simply won’t accept.
Where to Watch:
Christopher and His Kind
The Great War is over. For people who love outside convention, things are looking up. Even the heart of the former enemy has softened. After moving to Berlin, Christopher sees first-hand how, despite appearances, a new threat lurks in Germany that threatens to bring his once ignored community into the light and onto the chopping block.
Where to Watch:
Eldorado: Everything the Nazi's Hate
A brief peak behind the curtain of inter-war Germany. Nazism is rising. Their ideals and culture permeating every inch of an increasingly tolerant Germany. For one bar, the Eldorado, it is a fight for survival in the moment, and for their legacy.
Watch on Netflix:
Brutal Torture of Gay Men Under Nazi Regime
n Before Hitler can look outwards towards dominance in Europe, he must secure the home front. For homosexuals, especially homosexual men, chances of survival are slim. Brandished with a pink triangle and sent to concentration camps, this is what will befall all homosexuals should the Nazi’s win the coming war.
Watch Here:
The Letter Men
Europe is again at war. Either side of the war, homosexual men exist either in pockets together or secretively in the wider world. Despite the risk of their discovery, serving couple Gilbert and Gordon send love letters to each other, allowing nothing to come between their fierce love for each other.
Watch Here:
The Imitation Game
Despite their best efforts, the allies are losing the war with Nazi Germany. The issue? The uncrackable Enigma code the Nazi’s use to communicate with each other. Undefinably isolated, genius Alan Turing puts it on himself to crack the code using his new ‘digital computer’. If it works, it will win the war, and forever bare the name of the boy he loved.
Where to Watch:
QUEERS - Safest Spot in Town
Outside, the war rages. A long way from the bright 1920s light of Berlin bars, one man sculks the blackout streets of Blitz London, risking all for a brief moment of intimacy. Win the war or lose it, homosexuals are back to living in the dark.
BBC iPlayer:
See the Trailer:
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