Alice Kuzniar talks at length about this important film, arguably the first gay activist film worldwide. The improbable title means, "It's not the homosexual who is perverse, but the situation in which he lives."
I have a rare English copy of the video, but I can't find it!!! Ack! Here is a clip from youtube without subtitles. Even if you don't know German, you should be able to recognize two voice overs. The first is a regular narrator who explains that Daniel, the protagonist who is making his way through the gay world, has taken up with a rich man. Then comes the shrill voice over of the Marxist sociologist Martin Dannecker, denouncing wealthy "faggots" for their willingness to use their class privilege to exploit others.
I noticed this seemed to be a common theme in Rent Boys, and was curious about it. I believe that the rich people helping the boys are doing good. While they are using their class privilege, and somewhat exploiting others, if they did not use their class privilege, the boys would still be on the streets, probably getting much worse treatment, and would be not getting any of the benefits provided by the rich individuals who take them in. Anyone else have any thoughts on this??
ReplyDelete