Tag, You're It

Saturday, August 18, 2007

Tag, You're It

Lines of dialogue aren't the only words written for a movie that can be quoted. A memorable movie tagline can sometimes become just as big as the movie it came from ("In space, no one can hear you scream." from Alien) or even be better then the movie (take your pick from these two Jaws sequels: "Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water." or "This time, its personal.").

Entertainment Weekly recently asked their readers to name their favorite movie taglines, and their subsequent list is filled with such usual suspects as ''They're young ... they're in love ... and they kill people.'' from Bonnie and Clyde and ''Be afraid. Be very afraid." from The Fly.

Although you wouldn't know it from EW's list, gay-themed films have had taglines for years too.

Considering the controversial subject matters of early queer films, tagline writers of the day had to get creative when a film dared to broach such themes back then:

"You don't know women until you know them without men!" - Caged
"What made these women different?" - The Children's Hour
"Tennessee Williams shocks you again as he transports you to a STRANGE, NEW BOLD WORLD!" - Suddenly, Last Summer

As censorship loosened over the years, and more and more realistic, adult-themed stories were being told, you still had to read between the lines of some tags to glean the movie's queer content:

"The Boys in the Band ... is not a musical."
"Between Ellen and Jill came Paul ..." - The Fox
"Only his draft board and his girlfriend know for sure." - The Gay Deceivers
"There's more to love than ... Making Love."

Others were more blatant, yet nevertheless proved to be truth in advertising - they were as offensive as the movies they were touting:

"Benson is a cop who wants to clean up the streets ... His partner just wants to redecorate." - Partners
"A sad gay story." - Staircase

Some just told it like it is:

"Weird. Wild. Sexy. Strange." - Myra Breckinridge
"An exercise in poor taste." - Pink Flamingos

Or out-right lied:

"The Musical Comedy Smash of the 80's!" - Can't Stop the Music

While others were just downright indecipherable:

"When you run into yourself you run into feelings you never thought you had." - Personal Best

As more and more movies with gay content were produced, taglines got better and more open:

"An urban fairytale." - Beautiful Thing
"For Money. For Murder. For Each Other." - Bound
"It's not who you love. It's how." - Chasing Amy
"School's out, so is Steven Carter." - Get Real
"There's a first time for everything." - The Incredibly True Adventure of 2 Girls in Love
"Sometimes you just have to be yourself." - Ma Vie en Rose
"Having a ball ... wish you were here." - Paris is Burning
"How's a guy supposed to find Mr. Right when his dad won't stop trying to help?" - The Sum of Us
"One girl. Two guys. Three possibilities." - Threesome
"You are cordially invited to a wedding where everybody wants to kiss the bride ... except the groom." - The Wedding Banquet

Or maybe not:

"No one would take on his case ... until one man was willing to take on the system." - Philadelphia

Nowadays, gays are everywhere, and recent movie taglines reflect that with some of the best of the genre:

"Parenthood is about to get a little hairier." - Bear Cub
"Love is a force of nature." - Brokeback Mountain
"The shortest distance between friends isn't always a straight line." - The Broken Hearts Club: A Romantic Comedy
"You can't fit in when you already stand out." - Camp
"An actress is nothing without a meaty part." - Girls Will Be Girls
"An anatomically incorrect rock odyssey." - Hedwig and the Angry Inch
"When it comes to love, sometimes she just can't think straight." - Kissing Jessica Stein
"Aaron prays. Christian plays ... Opposites attract." - Latter Days
"Open Your Mind. And Everything Else." - Shortbus
"Life is more than the sum of its parts." - Transamerica
"A story about two guys trying to make it in the big city." - Trick
"Love should never be a secret." - Yossi & Jagger