Films
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.
