LGBTQ Films in the Ithaca College Library

Vito Russo, author of The Celluloid Closet, said of the Eighties, the films usually are about homosexuality, not about people and their stories.”

Another Country (1984) DVD 10206

A spy reflects on his boarding school homosexuality and Marxism.

Before Stonewall: the Making of a Gay and Lesbian Community (1985) DVD 5503

Chronicles the social, political, and culturalhistory of lesbian and gay life.

Burroughs: The Movie (1983) DVD 10714

An intimate portrait of beat generation author William S. Burroughs that does not shy away from his "often-tortured relationship to his homosexuality."

Brideshead Revisited (1981) DVD 251

Was the friendship at Oxford that started it all more than a friendship? An ITV/PBSmini-series.

Caravaggio (1986) DVD 5099

The Italian painter's life is tragically complicated when he becomes the lover of a male model and his girlfriend.

The Color Purple (1985) DVD 4276

Only after a balck woman forms intimate relationship with another womandoes she find her strength and confidence.

Desert Hearts (1985) DVD 10400

Advocate #8.The first lesbian film in which both women enjoy a happy ending? Really?

Doña Herlinda y Su Hijo = Doña Herlinda and Her Son (1986) DVD 5932

A satire of bourgeois manners. He is gay, and his mother doesn't understand. In Spanish.

Dressed to Kill (1980) DVD 3921

The key to the murder may involve the psychiatrist's transgender patient.

Fame (1980) DVD 5548

Lauded for showcasing "the parallels between a gay man’s and an entertainer’s desire for acceptance."

Hairspray (1988) DVD 5026

Camp classic.

Heathers (1989) DVD 5277

A fierce look at high school culture including its hostility toward LGBTs.

The Hunger (1983) DVD 10215

A vampire film that pivots around a lesbian relationship.

I've Heard the Mermaids Singing (1987) DVD 10194

A clueless temp at an art gallery has a complex relationship with her lesbian boss.

James Baldwin: The Price of the Ticket (1989) DVD 2997

A non-narrated PBS documentary that mixes footage of his speeches, debates, and interviews, as well as readings. His homosexuality is addressed, but not a focus.

Kiss of The Spider Woman (1985) DVD 5220

Cell mates become soul mates.

The Last of England (1988) DVD 5101

An apocalyptic portrait of Englandthat has been called the a potent, troubled work of "gay identity politics."

La Ley del Deseo = Law of Desire (1987) [in Viva Pedro: the Almodóvar collection] DVD 3045

A gay filmmaker makes a film about a gay filmmaker. In Spanish.

The Long Good Friday (filmed in 1979, but released in 1981) DVD 1393

The movie opens with a scene of extreme violence in a gay bathhouse, but has been called tolerant on the subject of gay sex.

Making Love (1982) DVD 10210

Advocate #11. A marriage is rocked when the husband confronts his long-repressed attraction to men.

Mala Noche = Bad Night (1985) DVD 4964

Chicano street kids and a gay bohemian in Portland, Oregon.

My Beautiful Laundrette (1985) DVD 1415

Examines culture clashes, racism, political turmoil, and sexuality.

A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 (1985) [in Nightmare on Elm Street collection] DVD 403

Horror film as a gay allegory.

​Parting Glances (1986) DVD 4127

Advocate #10. The first film ever to deal frankly, realistically, and humorously with AIDS

Prick Up Your Ears (1987) DVD 10216

The life and death of gay British playwright Joe Orton.

Querelle (1982) DVD 3069

A tough sailor gets involved in drug-smuggling, murder, and a strange whorehouse.

Silkwood (1983) DVD 5178

Biopic of a labor activist. Surprisingly, her lesbian relationship is not omitted.

​The Times of Harvey Milk(1984) DVD 933

Oscar-winning documentary of the politician's life, career, and assassination.

Tongues Untied (1989) DVD 3633

Called "part documentary, part spoken-word poetry, and all about black men loving men."

Tootsie (1982) DVD 4032

A crossed-dressed romantic comedy of errors.

Torch Song Trilogy (1988) DVD 7849

Ian McKellen: "the first film, as far as I know, that presents the gay characters as if they are normal and the heterosexual characters as the strangers in the society."

Victor/Victoria (1982) DVD 2008

A female performer masquerading as a female impersonator.

Withnail & I (1987) DVD 4224

A British cult classic about male friendship, acting, alcohol, and a gay uncle.

Yentl (1983) DVD 5819

Gay icon stars in and directs a film about a girl who disguises her sex to become a scholar.