Hormones and Silk. Gay Men in the Spanish Film Comedies of the Transition to Democracy (1976-1981) Articles uri icon

publication date

  • October 2013

start page

  • 1450

end page

  • 1474

issue

  • 10

volume

  • 60

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 0091-8369

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 1540-3602

abstract

  • This article studies the representation of gay men in Spanish comedies of the 1970s. It analyzes how cinema used the stereotypical image of gay men projected by the dictatorship and how, once it ended, this image endured in the comedy genre. It introduces film theories on the construction of humor taken from relevant authors, such as Jordan, Charney, Voitylla, and Petri. Afterward, it focuses on the works of Ozores as a filmmaker who encapsulates the main characteristics of the so-called comedia de mariquitas (sissy comedy). It analyzes how the construction of humor was based on the Francoist conception of gay men, and questions why the figure of the gay man was so effective in the production of comedy. Finally, this article refers to Dyer's theories around stereotyping, and develops them to study the Spanish context.

keywords

  • comedy; rancoism; gay cinema; stereotype; richard dyer