Seems like it shouldn't be an issue, but back in the 50s? Madness at an all-boys school! A modern take on the tale would probably see some sexual tension or shenanigans arise, but these were simpler times leaving the film to focus on morality, social expectations, and what it means to be a great teacher instead. The structure here is as expected with the conflict between teacher and student finding resolution on a path of respect and love, but the change-up here is with the addition of a female teacher (played by Greer Garson). It's a story that could easily be updated and remade for new American audiences, although the argument could be made that Scent of a Woman was already an unofficial adaptation of sorts so never mind. Bullying is a real issue, and private schools have long proven to be a hotbed for the barbarity of youth.
Thomas Hughes' source novel was first published in 1857 and has been adapted for the screen several times - twice for television and three times for the movies - and its core themes and plot remain every bit as relevant today. It's an extremely well-crafted and smart morality tale. The ruffians aren't fooling around as they abuse, berate, and even burn young Tom, but his actions spark a rebellion resulting in a terrific montage of kids turning the tables on the bullies with orchestrated pranks and attacks. The new headmaster wants to squash it out of his school, but while most kids just go along with it (whether it's happening to them or others) it takes Tom stepping up to bring it all down. Then Quibi died.Friendship, honor, and respect are the threads running through this classic tale, but all of them are wrapped around a main narrative involving bullying. He went to Quibi and the streaming platform went for it.
He shopped it around as a TV idea and received zero interest. It just felt so prescient and especially at Fire Island, where the artificial class system that gay men have created for themselves has been laid bare and is so oppressive.”īooster joked about making a gay “Pride and Prejudice,” and the idea stuck. Booster read Austen’s beloved 1813 novel “Pride and Prejudice” and was struck by the relevance of the author’s “observations about class and the ways we create class and the ways people communicate across the class lines. The idea came about after a 2016 Fire Island trip Booster took with his bestie Bowen Yang, of “Saturday Night Live” fame. It’s a sign of the times that a film like ‘Fire Island’ got made and I think it’s significant that our three lead executives at Searchlight were two Asian American women and and one gay Latinx man.”īut the road to getting the comedy made was a bumpy one. It’s really privileging straight white actors who can greenlight these movies.
“I’ll say there are have been many films made before about queer people of color (and) about queer joy,” said Ahn, who directed 2016’s award-wining “Spa Night” and 2019’s “Driveways.” “It’s just that they haven’t gotten the platform that they deserve and I think the American studio system is really impenetrable to many people. Want more LGBTQ+ entertainment? You’re in luck this month and beyond as many other LGBTQ+-themed stories get told with aspirations that they too could break out into a mainstream hit like Netflix’s coming-of-age rom-com “Heartstopper,” which connected with critics and audiences alike and has been renewed for a second and third seasons. Two episodes of “Queer as Folk” will also screen June 17 at Frameline.
That lineup also includes a June 4 sneak peek of the third and final season of Hulu/Disney’s gay-themed hit series “Love, Victor” (adapted from the film “Love, Simon,” about a high school student’s coming out), which will be available to stream June 15. The new “Queer as Folk” receives a world premiere June 3 as part of Los Angeles’ new OutFronts Festival. The eight-episode program streams June 9 and sounds a timely theme in the wake of recent American mass shootings by depicting characters coping with trauma in the aftermath of a Pulse-like club massacre.