Michelangelo Signorile
Queer Images is an indispensable book for anyone studying the history of gays, lesbians, bisexuals, and transgendered people in film—and for anyone who just simply loves the movies. Comprehensive and entertaining, Queer Images takes us on a fascinating journey through old Hollywood and up through the world of independent film, looking at queer films, filmmakers, and audiences, and how they treated, reflected—and sometimes shaped—sexuality and sexual identity. An important, timely must-read for film buffs of every stripe.
Boze Hadleigh
Mssrs. Benshoff and Griffin ably guide the avid reader through this by-now vast yet still under exposed field of entertainment and concern. For better or usually worse, motion pictures and the visual media are overly influential in defining who and what non-heterosexual people are. Understandably, a minority that mostly fails to identify and define itself will be 'explained' and misrepresented by others, especially its cross ill-wishers. Benshoff and Griffin point out, entertainingly and urgently, the false either-or 'thinking' that informs American attitudes toward sexuality and gender in real life and reel life—crucially so, for the huge chunk of citizens who believe they have never met 'a homosexual.' Gay-, lesbian-, and bi-themed films and characters are undeniably engaging—and often upsetting—but as this fun and riveting book makes clear, it's one thing to preach 'liberty and justice for all,' and another to practice it—on screen or in life.
William J. Mann
Queer Images is a fascinating, sweeping overview of the ways gay men and lesbians have been portrayed on screen and what those portrayals tell us about who we were—and are—as a society. An impressive achievement.
Thomas Waugh
The productive duo Harry Benshoff and Sean Griffin have provided in Queer Images a much-needed survey of a field of ongoing historical discovery and socio-cultural turbulence. An ideal textbook for the burgeoning network of queer cinema undergraduate courses, Queer Images is an elegantly clear and comprehensive, jargon-free update of Vito Russo and Richard Dyer for the queer twenty-first century. The book bursts with vivid questions and case studies drawn from the tapestry of film history—a tonic for an amnesiac generation of readers, queer and otherwise.
Chris Holmlund
Kudos for Queer Images! Here's a book for anyone who loves films and for everyone who's interested in broader discussions of sexuality and culture. Chock full of background information on shifting political, cultural, and industry contexts, a gold mine of titles and names, Queer Images is a rewarding read. One of the most comprehensive and up-to-date histories on the topic, Benshoff and Griffin's volume surveys over one hundred years of movies, presents key criticism, and introduces a range of directors, actors, and film execs, too. A well-researched—and timely—addition to the field.
Alexander Doty
Do you want to know anything and everything about gay, lesbian, bisexual, trans, and queer films, filmmakers, and film characters? Then Queer Images is the book for you. It is a one-stop treasure trove of information and sharply written observations. Each chapter is filled with insights and surprises. No other history of queer film has covered so much so skillfully.
