1980 – a controversial film as a snapshot

The film Cruising as a snapshot

Cruising, the film based on Gerard Walker’s novel, was released in 1980 but not shown in Belgian cinemas until 1981. The film caused a lot of controversy – especially with pictures like the one above – but at the same time offered a unique insight into a relatively new phenomenon to the public: the gay subculture that was experiencing an explosive growth anyway in the Anglo-Saxon metropolises.

In the conservative Flanders of the time, homosexuals often felt isolated and confined to small communities. It was therefore shocking to see in this film how by now a lively gay scene had emerged in the world cities where freedom and openness prevailed. Men having sex several times a day with anonymous partners were no longer the exception here.

Cruising is set in New York – incidentally, the epicenter for homosexuals looking for decadent parties, fleeting contacts and intoxication – where an undercover cop, played by the legendary Al Pacino, must unmask a serial killer. To do this, the agent must immerse himself in the gay scene, particularly the sm scene.

At the time, the film was criticized for its content and was not a commercial success. The filming was even regularly disrupted by gay activists who feared that their orientation was being misrepresented. Although Cruising presented a somewhat distorted picture and emphasized mostly the extreme aspects, it did draw attention to a reality that was there: the rise of gay culture and the increase in the influence of the gay community as consumers. It marked the beginning of “gay economics,” in which an atmosphere of boundless sexual liberation prevailed and places arose for quick, anonymous encounters, ranging from parks, public restrooms, saunas, beaches to bars, sometimes even in obscure corners.

In retrospect, I see this film as a snapshot of the world as it was before the outbreak of the AIDS epidemic, which would profoundly influence the next decade, fueling and radicalizing the activism already in place. Gay culture then began to exert great influence on fashion, music, entertainment and pop culture as a whole, with icons such as Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson, Grace Jones and David Bowie leading the way.

 

Resources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cruising_(film) Accessed 10/12/23.

https://www.vprogids.nl/cinema/films/film~345050~cruising~.html Accessed 10/12/23.

Photo: Al Pacino as Steve Burns, the police officer who goes undercover as a member of the gay S&M scene in New York City. Source image: Cineaste.com

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