Homoerotic


Now I'm not someone who finds the gay in everything/everyone, but I must say this movie struck me with its homoerotic images and situations. Price has always seemed effete to me anyway, but one of the earliest scenes has him put his arms around two hunky sailors and walk off somewhere laughing smugly. Bronson is even hunkier than usual and fairly early he dons one of the crew's tight 'sailor' shirts (amusingly, he picks up one of the matching tams and after glancing in dismay at the red pompom - referenced in another post - glances at it in dismay, and discards the hat.) He is then framed in several shots to show off his physique. At one points, the hot crew members (including the glorious Richard Harrison) have lost their shirts when working furiously on the ship. (Sadly, Bronson never loses his.) After that, Harrison stands at the helm still shirtless. I saw MOTW all the way through for the first time recently on TCM in High Def, and was quite surprised and a little titillated.

waldolydecker

reply

Maybe it was for the ladies dating the nerdy guys who liked Victorian sci-fi. 

I mean, look at what they had to make out with in the theatre. I think the director knew that the ladies needed something to get their fires going.

reply

Back when this movie was made, the macho men--and the gay men who loved them--wore those outfits ad took off their shirts to show everyone the muscles they worked so hard to build. It was hetero as well as homosexual to appreciate attractive men---and about this time, the men who'd returned from WWII so pumped had faded to ordinary, so their women probably enjoyed a look at the guys on this airship.

High-waisted pants were the style for both sexes too, ever since the 1930s, at least. Macho men Howard Hughes and Clark Gable wore higher waisted pants than gay guys Cary Grant and Randolph Scott. As did Katherine Hepburn and Marlene Dietrich. ;)

reply

Oh, you have gay on the brain trust me. There is nothing erotic in this movie.
Bronson sure is in fine shape and that uniform shows it well. But, no. Nothing erotic at all. All them handsome young men living in close quarters is not ... well, maybe I am wrong.
:-)

reply

A man putting his arm across another man's shoulder as they stand or walk side-by-side was once common, and not regarded as homoerotic. Only in very recent times have we become so worried about the underlying meanings of touching each other.

reply