A Bit of Scarlet
Narrated by Sir Ian McKellan
Any minority craves images of itself, and this compilation of clips from Britain’s post-war cinema archives is a testament to the closeted appearances of gay characters and sentiments from filmmaking’s earliest days.
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Following gay characters as they go from being the butt of jokes to full-blown leading characters, Weiss has captured a playful, occasionally melodramatic, insight into on-screen homosexual characterizations.
With Ian McKellen as narrator and witty graphics to bridge the thematic sections, A Bit of Scarlet reveals to what lengths the film industry went to include and yet ridicule gay characters. Both well-known portraits – like John Hurt’s performance as Quentin Crisp in the groundbreaking BBC biography – and more obscure finds, make for a telling look at British cinema’s postmodern queer soap opera.
Selected Festivals, Awards, and TV Broadcasts
- Chosen for “Best of the Fest” at Edinburgh International Film Festival
- Selected for best documentary, Festival de Films de Femmes Paris 1998
- Berlin International Film Festival
- Melbourne and Brisbane International Film Festivals
- TV Broadcast: Channel Four, UK
Directed and edited by Andrea Weiss. Produced by Rebecca Dobbs. Produced through Maya Vision, Channel Four and the British Film Institute.
