# And the most homoerotic movie ever made is... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 19, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571 "2008-08-19T17:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/202 "2008-11-26T13:58:31Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > Or any of the Jay and Silent Bob movies? Again, that ain’t subtext, it’s right there in the text. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/203 "2008-11-26T15:20:34Z")
> [@Lemur866](#): > > Again, that ain’t subtext, it’s right there in the text. [I suppose you’re right.](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79Jt4Q5ulEs&feature=related) (Warning: video, maybe just a _tad_ NSFW.) ---
**Author:** ![Henrichek](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5daacb/32.png) [@Henrichek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Henrichek)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/204 "2008-11-26T18:03:19Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > From the **Village Voice** [review](http://www.villagevoice.com/2007-02-27/film/man-on-man-action/): Ahh, I get the spirit. Then I present to you, the most homoerotic _book_: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. There’s a great deal of wang waving in there, it seems. [Cite](http://www.bash.org/?111338) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/205 "2008-11-26T19:04:44Z")
Re: the 300: didn’t they get awful cold, dressed that way? I understand that the greeks considered the Persians effete, because they wore trousers. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/206 "2008-11-26T19:10:50Z")
> [@ralph124c](#): > > Re: the 300: didn’t they get awful cold, dressed that way? I’m guessing you haven’t spent a lot of time in the Mediterranean. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/207 "2008-11-26T19:28:00Z")
> [@](#): > > Meh. I don’t find movies like 300 to be gay. Just because a movie contains some buff men doesn’t make it gay. Same goes for a movie like Gladiator. Are Arnie movies gay also? If that’s you peoples’ standard for gay, then you’ve made whole genres gay. > [@](#): > > I haven’t seen 300, but can i ask why it is so often cited as a hugely homoerotic film? > > It can’t only be because it features a great deal of hot male bodies can it? You have to keep in mind that movies aren’t documentaries. The camera didn’t just sit off to the side recording what was happening. When _300_ was made, somebody made a conscious decision to cast a bunch of muscular men, dress them in leather loincloths, and rub them down with oil. ---
**Author:** ![shy\_guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a6a055/32.png) [@shy\_guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shy_guy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 7:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/208 "2008-11-26T19:43:16Z")
It isn’t just the costuming in 300, either. A lot of the homoeroticism comes from the interaction among the various characters. When (the very tall and effeminate) Xerxes comes up behind Leonidas and places his hands on Leo’s shoulders, I actually wondered for a minute if the movie was about to make the jump from subtext to text right then and there. ---
**Author:** ![Stauderhorse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce7236/32.png) [@Stauderhorse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stauderhorse)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/209 "2008-11-26T20:37:47Z")
Since I’ve only just seen it, _Rebel Without a Cause_. Holy crap, is Plato gay. Blatantly so. And it isn’t only his obvious love for Jim that makes it so clear. It’s the way people seem to look straight through him even though he’s standing right there; the way he always seems so fearful and anxious and conflicted; the way he goes about his day without quite fitting in anywhere. Then there’s the ending, in which He goes a bit crazy and ends up getting killed. Is this is a subtle lesson that being different in such a way will only bring horrible tragedy? ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/210 "2008-11-26T20:44:34Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You have to keep in mind that movies aren’t documentaries. The camera didn’t just sit off to the side recording what was happening. > > When _300_ was made, somebody made a conscious decision to cast a bunch of muscular men, dress them in leather loincloths, and rub them down with oil. Well, if you make a movie about furry animals you’re making a furry-erotic movie. But, can’t those who just like furry animal movies be allowed to just like furry animal movies? 300 was loaded with beefcake to be sure, but I think straight guy ought to be allowed to enjoy it for different reasons than I might. ---
**Author:** ![Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Helen\_s\_Eidolon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helen_s_Eidolon)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/211 "2008-11-26T21:06:40Z")
Just for the record (although the confusion that was present at the beginning of the thread seems to have cleared up) - the Spartans most likely thought the Athenians were effeminate fops with their philosophy and literature and crap. They most certainly did not refer to them dismissively as boy-lovers. While it was common practice in Athens for an older and a younger man to be romantically involved, it’s reported by the sources that it was legally required in Sparta for men to have younger protegés. A man who did not have a younger male romantic partner could be fined for it. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/212 "2008-11-26T22:00:02Z")
[Felini Satyricon](http://www.amazon.com/Fellini-Satyricon-Martin-Potter/dp/B000059H9C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1227736725&sr=1-1). Or is that TOO overtly gay? ---
**Author:** ![OneCentStamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/13edae/32.png) [@OneCentStamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OneCentStamp)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/213 "2008-11-26T22:37:29Z")
> [@mr.jp](#): > > Rocky 3. A lot of Rocky and Apollo hugging in effeminate tops. Not to mention shorts so short that John Stockton wouldn’t set foot outside his door wearing them. The “jogging and hugging on the beach” scene gives me the squirms. ---
**Author:** ![gigi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a587f6/32.png) [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2008, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/214 "2008-11-26T22:55:55Z")
> [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](#): > > Wait, didn’t they end up sleeping together? Wasn’t that kind of implied at the end of the film? I didn’t think so. I thought it was when they were drunk they could express emotions of love (as friends) but didn’t have sex. I would nominate **Troy** featuring Brad Pitt’s leather-swathed butt. ---
**Author:** ![Punintentional](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9de0a6/32.png) [@Punintentional](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punintentional)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/215 "2008-11-27T07:35:39Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > You have to keep in mind that movies aren’t documentaries. The camera didn’t just sit off to the side recording what was happening. > > When _300_ was made, somebody made a conscious decision to cast a bunch of muscular men, dress them in leather loincloths, and rub them down with oil. What im saying is, to me it seemed that it was only deemed homoerotic because it sexualised men. Which i think would be quite a bit sexist and homophobic. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/216 "2008-11-27T08:02:19Z")
> [@Punintentional](#): > > What im saying is, to me it seemed that it was only deemed homoerotic because it sexualised men. > Which i think would be quite a bit sexist and homophobic. But the _manner_ in which they were sexualized was _very, very gay_. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there you go. If you want to see hetrosexual sexualization of men, see . . . I dunno, a Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves flick or something. Something that shows guys tangoing or acting emo. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/217 "2008-11-27T12:43:29Z")
Batman and Robin (and their nipples) also I’ve always thought just about every cowboy movie,especially The Wild Bunch,has manlove driving the plot ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/218 "2008-11-27T15:32:41Z")
Good to see **priapus** here to lend the weight of his authority. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@Long\_Time\_First\_Time](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Long_Time_First_Time)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/219 "2008-11-27T16:58:19Z")
> [@Skara\_Brae](#): > > When 300 came out, someone (I think at Slate?) described it as being both homophobic and homoerotic at the same time… Sarah Silverman said that is was named 300 to describe how homoerotic it was an a scale of 1 to 10. ---
**Author:** ![Illuminatiprimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/illuminatiprimus/32/11520_2.png) [@Illuminatiprimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Illuminatiprimus)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/220 "2008-11-27T17:19:56Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > “Homoerotic” does not equal “gay” [The dictionary doesn’t agree with you.](http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/homoerotic) ---
**Author:** ![levdrakon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/49beb7/32.png) [@levdrakon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/levdrakon)\ **Post date:** [November 27, 2008, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571/221 "2008-11-27T17:50:30Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > But the _manner_ in which they were sexualized was _very, very gay_. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but there you go. > > If you want to see hetrosexual sexualization of men, see . . . I dunno, a Richard Gere or Keanu Reeves flick or something. Something that shows guys tangoing or acting emo. See, if you go to a body building contest you don’t have to be gay to admire the muscular oiled-up bikini-wearing men. A guy ought to be able to check out another guy’s body work like they’d check another guy’s car. Nice job. But while you can check out another guy’s car, you can’t check out the body work he’s done on his own body without being gay, which strikes me as little homophobic. I went to see 300 in a military town and there were a lot of Marines in the audience. Were they all gay? Go ahead and snicker, but Marines admire hyper masculinity, and they don’t have to be gay to do so, and I think it’s homophobic to make them feel ashamed of checking out those guys’ abs. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/and-the-most-homoerotic-movie-ever-made-is/460571.md?page=12)