Flat foot floogie with a floy floy...

[ealgylden]

So. Leni Riefenstahl died yesterday, and very smart people said very smart things about her complicated position in filmmaking and history, and about the responsibilities and culpability of artists living under oppressive and murderous regimes. Me? I watched Swing Kids.

If you haven't seen it, and you like pretty, slashy boys in very stylish period clothes, you should give it a rent. Peter (Robert Sean Leonard) defies the Nazis by listening to Benny Goodman and charming Thomas (Christian Bale) into falling for him. But alas, Thomas isn't ready to deal with all these new feelings he's having for his best friend, so he sublimates with a little vandalism. To straighten him up, his parents force him to join the Hitler Jugend, where wrestling muscular blond boys in their underthings is an approved activity. He thrives, and even tries to transfer his affections to loyal Nazi pup Emil (Noah Wyle), who's safe because he'll never return them (unlike sweet, dangerous Peter). But it doesn't work, of course, and he spends the rest of the movie in angry denial. Violence and evil are just no fit substitute for the love of a pretty brown-eyed boy. If only Thomas had accepted his need for a life full of swing music and Peter, they could have had... well, most likely not a happy ending, but at least a happy middle. Pity. Anyway, it's a good-looking, well-acted, enjoyable movie with a great soundtrack. Also, slashy as heck. Check it out if you haven't.

And nicked from kathlaw,

Morpheus


?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla

Comments

[carolinecrane.livejournal.com]

I love that movie so much. It's so gay. And so tragic. And it has wee Frank Whaley. And did I mention that it was gay?

Um. I might be focusing on the 'gay' too much and making it seem like I missed the point of the movie. I didn't, it's just that Robert Sean Leonard breaks me in everything he films, so I have to focus on the gay when I think about it to keep myself sane.

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Tcha, I would never accuse anyone, least of all you, of missing the point and focusing too much on the gay. The point wasn't subtle; you'd have to be blind, deaf and stupid to miss it, so no worries there. The gay is a lot more enjoyable (and not exactly subtle either). I'd forgotten how much I liked this movie, since it had been so long since I'd seen it. And Robert Sean Leonard just kills me, I swear- when he cries, I cry. But I never really realized how much influence his movies had on me as a slasher. He's like my first fandom all by himself. *g*

(Frank Whaley used to be my "local actor" of choice, until I found out that Viggo has ties to Watertown, which is an hour's drive more local than Syracuse. I think Frank's still more my type of guy, though.)

[thenightsfall]

If you haven't seen it, and you like pretty, slashy boys in very stylish period clothes, you should give it a rent. Peter (Robert Sean Leonard) defies the Nazis by listening to Benny Goodman and charming Thomas (Christian Bale) into falling for him. But alas, Thomas isn't ready to deal with all these new feelings he's having for his best friend, so he sublimates with a little vandalism.

LOL! Y'know, I saw this movie, and loved it, in my pre-fandom days, but I think I'm gonna have to give it another looksee, now that I know the real score.

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Hee! The world looks very different, post-fandom... *g*

It's funny, I've always been a big Robert Sean Leonard fan, but I didn't realize until pretty recently that he's, like, my proto-slashy guy (the sort of character he leaned toward back in the day, I mean). He's sort of my first fandom, all by himself. Kind of neat, really.

[ex-declinean757.livejournal.com]

Oh, I love that movie. I even have the soundtrack; I adore the rendition of "Sing, Sing, Sing [With a Swing]" they used.

And yeah, it's really gay. ;-)

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Really, really gay. *g*

I remember I made my mom drive me to, like, ten stores before I found one that actually had the soundtrack in stock, but I had to have it. I agree, it is a fabulous version of "Sing, Sing, Sing" that they used, and that version of "Bei Mir Bist Du Schon" is probably my favorite ever. Such a good album.

[przed.livejournal.com]

I'm so glad to see that someone else appreciates Swing Kids. I saw it in the theatres when it came out and was roundly mocked by my friends. (The disadvantage of being in grad school film studies at the time.)

It's been far too long since I've seen it so it's obviously time to give it another viewing. The soundtrack has never been too far from my CD player,however.

[ealgylden.livejournal.com]

Ah, what a shame. Your fellow film scholars deprived themselves of an enjoyable movie. They could have gone to pick on it, if nothing else; that's what I end up doing with three-quarters of the movies set in the Middle Ages that I see, and it can be great fun). But at least you didn't let them stop you from seeing it. It was much better than I had expected back when I first saw it, and I haven't grown any less fond of it over the years.