Alison Darren.
Lesbian Film Guide.

 
A t last! This book is a comprehensive film guide we have long waited for. It deals exclusively with lesbian films in contrast to most guides that encompass gay films as well and most likely include only some lesbian films. Of course, the Lesbian Film Guide does not include all lesbian films. This would simply be an impossible task. And as the book is published in Great Britain you will find mostly British and American films in it. Films from other countries are however reviewed as well, e.g. German, Belgian, French, Italian films and many more.

The introduction briefly talks about lesbians in British soaps and when they appeared on screen. It then discusses the development of lesbian movie characters from killers to likable women: "the images we have seen - when they have existed at all - have presented a sad gallery of interesting lovers, victims, killers, neurotics, drug addicts, prostitutes and so on. We have been ridiculed, feared and pitied. Our fate has included humiliation, rape, miraculous conversion to heterosexuality or, if not, death." But the good news is that this is changing: "We are now starting to see lesbians on screen whom we would actually like to meet in real life." Unfortunately, the introduction does not present a history of lesbian film. Those who would like to know more about it will have to turn to other books or the film The Celluloid Closet.

The reviews themselves are excellent. There are more than two hundred of them and they not only talk about explicit lesbian films, but also about those that contain a lesbian side character or lesbian subtext. The reviews provide the usual information on publishing date, director, actresses, etc. followed by a short summary of the story. The critical parts of the reviews try not to be too subjective and condemn or praise the whole film, but to look at the good and bad aspects of it so that we are put into a position to judge for ourselves. Additionally, we are given information how the audience reacted when the film was first screened and on how the critics liked the film and whether they were censored like for example Maidens in Uniform during the Third Reich. What I find very useful as the films are ordered alphabetically is that each review is followed by cross-references to other films that deal with the same or a similar topic. An index listing the films by topic would have been useful though. But as it is not provided, looking for an interesting film to watch this weekend might very well turn into a tour through the whole book. Yet, it is worth it. I strongly recommend the Lesbian Film Guide to everyone interested in lesbian film wether you want to use the guide simply to choose what to watch or to do some research.

Darren, Alison. Lesbian Film Guide. London: Cassell, 2000. ISBN 0-304-33376-X. 246 pages.

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