A Bit of Scarlet

Andrea Weiss has produced an extremely entertaining and empowering documentary of the queer side of British film history which compliments The Celluloid Closet beautifully (they were both works in progress, by pure coincidence, at the same time - but are very different in style and purpose).

I interviewed Andrea when she was in town to present her film on 2nd August '97 at the Brisbane International Film Festival and she was deservedly proud of this feature, however she was shocked when the projectionist showed the last few reels out of order (that's one problem which cannot happen these days with digital projection). In November 2008 Andrea released a very good quality "burn on demand" DVD edition of "A Bit Of Scarlet" through Jezebel Productions and I loved viewing the entire film as Andrea intended.

Ian McKellen's beautiful narration is a key element - and with Ian being a genuine veteran queer rights activist, there is no more eminently qualified actor for that role. "A Bit Of Scarlet" is a very welcome celebration and appreciation of queer identity in film (especially from the British viewpoint), rather than an attempt to define the history of that element.