Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/1946/18100
The purpose of this essay is to explore the queer representation in the films of director/screenwriter John Waters. His entire feature-length filmography is discussed and elements, such as dialogue, characters, themes, acting styles and references, with queer intent, whether they be overt or subtle, are brought to light. The aim is to show how queer representation was depicted in his films while working as an independent filmmaker, outside the studio system, and how that representation went through a transformation once Waters began working within the studio system. Therefore, the films are split into two groups: the pre-studio films (from 1969’s Mondo Trasho to 1977’s Desperate Living) and the in-studio films (from 1981’s Polyester to 2004’s A Dirty Shame). The films, being examined both as stand-alone films and in comparison and contrast to other films within Waters’ filmography, are placed in chronological order, and the queer representation of each film is examined. It is evident that Waters’ films changed when Hollywood studios began funding them, as he had to follow and respect the studio’s rules and guidelines. Within the studio system, Waters had to abandon his main-theme of mocking the bourgeois, as the films now had to appeal to a mainstream audience, rather than the queer and hippie audience of his earlier films. By adapting to the mainstream, the queer representation of Waters’ films underwent a change, going from an obviously queer visual style to a more coded representation. Having been crass, exaggerated and sometimes vulgar, Waters’ queer representation became more subtle and restrained, while still managing to keep some of its edge.
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Heteronormative Villains and Queer Heroes - Queer Representation in the Films of John Waters by Asta Karen Olafsdottir.pdf | 531.53 kB | Open | Heildartexti | View/Open |