Director Tom Hooper's decision to present The Danish Girl—the story of transgender pioneer Lili Elbe's marriage to Gerda Wegener, scripted by Lucinda Coxon from David Ebershoff's book—within the trappings of an old fashioned, lavish Hollywood studio biopic is no doubt going to come in for its fair share of criticism.
Hooper's tasteful approach—the same he used to make dull-as-wood George VI's stuttering problem in The King's Speech galvanizing—will no doubt have the effect of making the "shocking" subject matter in The Danish Girl palatable to mainstream audiences that might otherwise stay away in droves. It will also help the comfort level of skittish viewers that the story is set far in the past—in Copenhagen in the late 1920s. This same distancing helped filmgoers accept Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal as gay lovers in Brokeback Mountain and has worked to help other touchy, atypical subjects enthrall movie audiences. ( Suffragette, a treatise on women's rights, is another current example. )
To some, this spoonful-of-sugar method will seem reductive but it in this case I think it works beautifully—and will go a long way in helping film fans of all persuasions empathize with the transgender community, just as Transparent has. It will also school audiences about an important moment in trans history, as Elbe was one of the first to have gender-reassignment surgery.
Given its time and place, the story is astonishing. Einar Wegener was a successful painter of landscapes while wife Gerda, a portrait artist, was significantly less so. In the film, Einar's first awareness of his feminine proclivities are awakened when he fills in at a sitting for one of Gerda's missing female models, giggling while donning a pair of stockings to pose. Soon, he's fondling Gerda's underthings while gazing longingly at her lipstick; the next thing he knows, he's wearing them. Gerda is tantalized at first and delightfully helps Einar to create Lili, who makes her first appearance at the annual Arts Ball, introduced as her cousin.
When Lili becomes Gerda's model, success follows and the couple move to Paris. But the appearance of a gay suitor ( portrayed by out actor Ben Whishaw ), Einar's growing affirmation of his need to become Lili fulltime, and no help from the medical or psychiatric community ( no surprise there ) deepen Einar's resolve to live full time as a woman.
Ultimately, the exquisite performances of Eddie Redmayne as Einar/Lili and Swedish actor Alice Vikander as Gerda, of course, drive the picture. Redmayne has shown a tendency for risk-taking before ( just check out his work as the gay schizophrenic murderer in 2007's flawed but compelling Savage Grace ); here, he shoots the moon. I found his delicate but decisive work much more moving than the physical gymnastics that drove his portrayal of Stephen Hawking in last year's The Theory of Everything ( which brought him the Best Actor Oscar ). Vikander is no less impressive as the conflicted Gerda, who decides to remain with Lili at all costs. "You were the first to hear my wish," Lili says to Gerda late in the picture and, no doubt, so will audiences who heed the call of this tender, heartbreaking Danish woman who is nobody's girl but her own.
See related coverage, Eddie Redmayne explains life as The Danish Girl, at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/NUNN-ON-ONE-MOVIES-Eddie-Redmayne-explains-life-as-The-Danish-Girl-/53628.html .
Queer-themed movies for the holidays
Recent home releases of a host of queer themed films are definitely worth adding to your collection or giving as gift for your discerning film fanatic. They include:
—Bessie: Lesbian director Dee Rees ( Pariah ) elicits the strongest performance of Queen Latifah's career as Bessie Smith in this energetic biopic of the legendary bisexual blues singer and her tempestuous relationships. Mo'Nique, Khandi Alexander and Mike Epps co-star.
—The Girl King: Mika Kaurismaki's fascinating story centers around Sweden's lesbian Queen Christina ( famously portrayed by Greta Garbo in the 1933 MGM epic ), who was raised as a boy and ascended the throne at 18, all the while exploring her sexuality with her lady-in-waiting.
—Mr. Holmes: Out actor Ian McKellen reteams with his Gods & Monsters director Bill Condon for this reflective look at the last days of Sherlock Holmes. Doddering about his garden and tending to his bees, Holmes has become a mentor to the young son of his no-nonsense housekeeper when he is drawn back to a final, unresolved mystery. McKellen's intricate performance is worth the price of admission in this restrained, bittersweet drama.
—My Own Private Idaho: The Criterion Collection has recently issued out writer-director Gus Van Sant's 1991 new queer cinema classic on Blu-ray. Ostensibly the story of two aimless hustlers ( Keanu Reeves and the late River Phoenix ) working the streets of Portland, Van Sant's portrait of disaffected youth seen through the lens of Shakespeare's "Henry IV" is much more complex. Phoenix's performance as the narcoleptic, forlorn Mike who dreams of the mother who abandoned him still astonishes as does the film's visually stunning cinematography. The new Criterion Blu-ray boasts a remastered edition and carries over all the special features from its previous deluxe edition.
—Prick Up Your Ears: In 1987, two years after the release of his queer classic My Beautiful Laundrette, director Stephen Frears offered audiences the true story of the dysfunctional, comic/tragic relationship of Swinging 1960s English playwright Joe Orton and lover Kenneth Halliwell, which ended tragically. Gary Oldman's portrayal of the sexually promiscuous Orton, after his turn as Sid Vicious in the previous year's Sid & Nancy, solidified his stardom. Alfred Molina is no less riveting as the troubled Halliwell.
A special note should be made of Vanessa Redgrave's performance as Orton's cool, unflappable literary agent. Olive Films has released the film in both Blu-ray and DVD editions.
—Tangerine: Writer/director/producer Sean S. Baker's sensationally entertaining movie—which takes place on a sunny Christmas Eve—follows a day in the life of two very memorable and very sassy trans hookers working the streets in LA. A transgender variation on the typical female buddy picture, shot entirely on an iPhone ( but you'd never know it ) with strong leading performances by Kitana Kiki Rodriguez and Mya Taylor.
Upcoming movie calendar
For highlights from films opening in Chicago, Dec. 18 and Dec. 25, see this week's Winter LGBT movie preview at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/Winter-LGBT-movie-preview/53626.html .
See related coverage, Eddie Redmayne explains life as The Danish Girl, at the link: www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/NUNN-ON-ONE-MOVIES-Eddie-Redmayne-explains-life-as-The-Danish-Girl-/53628.html .
