MovieChat Forums > The Killing of Sister George (1968) Discussion > The scene inside the bar

The scene inside the bar

posted 17 years ago by madatthedirt
4 replies | jump to latest

I'm curious what others think about this as it has me asking questions.

I just rewatched the movie over the weekend after not seeing it for at least 10 years.

I found the bar scene different, almost surreal. The music seemed "funky" and you could tell the four band members were not singing to the music. I understand from the trivia section the scenes filmed there caused quite a stir when this film was first released.

Does anyone know if it is still in operation?

Barbara...Pllleeease!!!

[–] kayekaye-1 17 years ago

The Gateways finally closed in the summer of 1985. It was the first and most iconic lesbian bar/club in London. Its heyday was the 1960s but the owners had provided a welcome for lesbians since the 50s. The wikipedia entry and links have all the details

When morning comes twice a day or not at all

[–] madatthedirt 17 years ago

Many thanks for the info!

I've tried finding it on Wikipedia but am unable to find any links :-(

Barbara...Pllleeease!!!

[–] kayekaye-1 17 years ago

On Wikipedia: just type in Gateways club and press Go. And there it is.

When morning comes twice a day or not at all

[–] Moonlighting 16 years ago

I'll try find the article again, but in a film journal I read, a writer researched the events surrounding the filming of the scenes in Gateways. There was alot of controversy and trouble surrounding the scene. Firstly, nobody making the film knew firsthand were to go to find a lesbian bar at this time, and practically everyone behind the camera was male, so Robert Aldrich got a secretary at the production company to find out. Her process of finding Gateways seemed to be a "friend of a friend" operation, but this didn't stop notes being passed and comments being made suggesting several women involved in the production were lesbians.

Secondly, although the patrons and owners of Gateways got along well with the film crew etc, Aldrich used the patrons of the club as film extras, yet in his advertising campaign exploited them with ads saying that real lesbians in a real lesbian bar are shown in the film, and as a result of this several women in the scenes lost their jobs.