1. Queer Theory and Nontheatrical Films: Perversion in the Public Domain
- Author
-
Lauren Pilcher
- Subjects
Perversion ,Psychoanalysis ,media_common.quotation_subject ,Pornography ,Queer theory ,Sociology ,Public domain ,GeneralLiterature_MISCELLANEOUS ,media_common - Abstract
This chapter considers the intersection of queer theory and nontheatrical film studies by examining antipornography film Perversion for Profit (1962). Produced and distributed by Citizens for Decent Literature, the film visualizes a range of straight and gay pornographic images by censoring and categorizing them as evidence of societal aberrations. Now in the public domain and streaming on Internet Archive, the film’s pornographic images have been repurposed for new meanings. By analyzing Barbara Hammer’s inclusion of Perversion in her experimental film History Lessons (2000) and a mash-up of the original film titled Come Join the Fun! (2004), shared on Internet Archive, the chapter argues that the Perversion’s value now lies in what queer creators make of its cinematic time and space.
- Published
- 2021
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