"Queer Cinema" on 3sat - an exciting journey into the past
In a queer cinema era where Prince and Princess Charming find themselves on TV (or streaming services) in search of great, same-sex love, it seems inconceivable that this very thing would have been unthinkable some 100 years ago.
3sat, however, addresses this very question: "How present was queerness actually on TV or in cinema in the past?"
Excitingly, there are significant differences between "then" and "now." Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, the subject of queer cinema was treated almost stepmotherly. Sure: every now and then there were a few "spotlights" that suggested that there was obviously more to society than the love between a man and a woman. However, some works, such as the silent film "Anders als die andern §175", were banned again shortly after their release.
"Girl in uniform" with Romy Schneider - a caesura within film history
A film that is still considered a milestone in queer cinema film history is the classic "Mädchen in Uniform" with Romy Schneider. What many people don't know is that the film with the Sissi actress was actually "only" a remake. Already at the beginning of the 1930s, the subject was treated by Hertha Thiele and Dorothea Wieck - even a little more directly than it was the case in the 1950s.
Either way, by now at the latest, people were made aware that lesbian love actually existed.
However, "Mädchen in Uniform" was not to be the only film devoted to same-sex love that did not demonize it. Even if it seemed a bit "disturbing" for many in the post-war period that the "ideal world" romanticism otherwise shown through Heimatfilme and co. was interrupted by queer content, a scene seemed to develop already at that time. This is, of course, not comparable to the current circumstances surrounding the LGBTQ community. And yet it showed how versatile love could be felt. Especially art seemed to become more and more open for this kind of representation.
Queer Cinema content also available in the media library
If you are not only interested in "old films" but also in the background information, you should take a look at the media library of 3sat. Here you can find content about "Queer Cinema".
In summary, it is about gay men, lesbian women, and transgender people who fought for their rights even in a time when the community was nowhere near as developed as it is today.
The journey goes back to about 100 years in the past and becomes especially interesting with regard to the content of the 1960s and 1970s, when there were more and more films that consciously dealt with the topic of "queerness".
If you take a little time to explore the topics surrounding "gay," "lesbian" and co. even further, you will also quickly realize that the portrayal of "typically queer" characters in cinema has changed greatly over time. Over time, people who were often considered outsiders and suppressed have become self-confident personalities who - depending on the film - are placed at the center of the plot and not infrequently serve as inspiration for others. Queer sidekicks are now almost as common as queer protagonists.
The differences in the way they are portrayed mean that gay characters in series and films are judged differently today than they were back then. In the past, for example, "Der Schuh des Manitu" and similar films were criticized for supporting homophobia through the portrayal of queer characters. To what extent accusations like these could be justified, however, is certainly something each individual must decide for him/herself.
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