Hollywood Pride

Reviews

“Cinema is often discussed as an empathy machine because of its power to draw our attention deeply into faces, details, and situations we would otherwise miss. But this only works because of cinema’s less-often discussed power to draw our attention away from other details. As much as it illuminates, cinema also obscures. So much so that queer people, people of color, and of course women are often placed into the position of the outsider, fighting their way into a system not designed for them. Hollywood mythologizes the role of the outsider as something romantic but, in reality as a gay Black filmmaker, I can say it’s more often than not exhausting.
But then someone like Alonso Duralde and his meticulously researched Hollywood Pride comes along to fill in the staggering blanks of the accepted history with a people’s history. Suddenly we realize that in the fight for authentic queer expression within cinema, we are not just outsiders seeking our way into a foreign land, but in fact this is territory we have a right to. As Duralde uncovers for us with characteristic wit and passion, we find that queer people and queer sensibilities were there from cinema’s inception. After all this time, we were not crazy to read into the subtext or to stare into a cavalcade of supposedly heteronormative realities and gendered faces, and instead see something more like ourselves.”—Justin Simien, filmmaker “As another sociopolitical war against LGBTQ+ people, our history, and our culture wages on, Hollywood Pride catalogs the enduring spirit of our community as manifested in film. Alonso Duralde’s offering—comprehensive and digestible, perfect for cinephiles and the everyday moviegoer—is simultaneously a necessary reflection of how far LGBTQ+ representation has come and a reminder of how far it can still go.”—Tre'vell Anderson, authoress of We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV & Film “Hollywood Pride isn’t a recitation of the most important LGBTQ+ films; it is an exploration of the forces that have made film queer. From gay love for straight stories, queer charisma from closeted actors, or ridiculous trends which shifted the performance of gender on film, Alonso Duralde masterfully traces an often-hidden lineage of queer culture on the big screen. His short, poppy essays combine authoritative research, incisive criticism, and dishy gossip to let gay text and subtext shine with the glitter they deserve.”—Guy Branum, writer and comedian “With his sharp wit and vast movie knowledge, there’s no one better qualified to tackle this formidable subject than Alonso Duralde. I know this book will be enjoyed and consulted for years to come.”—Leonard Maltin, film critic and historian “This deeply researched, beautifully written, and wildly entertaining volume is bursting with truly unique fresh scholarship—and astutely relevant gossip—on the many queers of Tinsel Town past (and present). Featuring insightful perspectives on the best LGBTQ films of all time, Hollywood Pride is another essential item for your queer cinema bookshelf from the inimitable Alonso Duralde.”—Jenni Olson, queer film historian and archivist “A smart, swift, extensively researched and often deeply-moving celebration of the movies, actors, writers, directors, composers, designers, and cinematographers that indelibly marked queer cinema and the wider culture during each successive era—for better or worse. What Duralde has accomplished here is, especially during our dark and reactionary times, vitally important.”—Stephen Rebello, author of Alfred Hitchcock and the Making of Psycho and Dolls! Dolls! Dolls! Deep Inside Valley of the Dolls “Eclectic and smart, irreverent and daring, Hollywood Pride stitches together a magnificent history of LGBTQ+ films, one by one, through the decades, their contexts unpacked and brilliance manifested. With original takes on a rich and contested history that actually goes well beyond Hollywood, written as only Alonso Duralde can, this book will convince readers to dive headlong into the turbulent waters of LGBTQ+ film history, its heroes, heroines, and villains, coming up only (maybe) for air.”—B. Ruby Rich, author of New Queer Cinema: The Director’s Cut “Alonso Duralde has written and assembled a gorgeous and expansive volume that captures over a century of LGBTQ+ cinema with all the nuance and detail it deserves. From blockbuster films to the rich worlds of underground and experimental cinema, Duralde pays homage to the icons, creators, and visionaries—some lost to history—who captured the full spectrum of our queer imaginaries. Cinephiles from all walks of life will need and want this beautiful book, and students at all levels, along with teachers and scholars, will benefit from having such a luminous compendium of LGBTQ+ culture available to them.”—Karen Tongson, author of Normporn: Queer Viewers and the TV That Soothes Us “A beautiful object, written with panache.”—Matt Zoller Seitz, author of The Wes Anderson Collection and Mad Men Carousel Expand reviews