MovieChat Forums > Z (1969) Discussion > Homosexual = evil

Homosexual = evil

posted 17 years ago by ducdebrabant
27 replies | jump to latest

One thing that does date the film is the use of homosexuality as a handy metaphor for evil, and a way to turn the audience further against the villains. When we find out Renato Salvatori and one of his co-conspirators are gay, that's all it adds, it seems to me. Actually, Salvatori is such an engaging actor that it made it kind of hot. Costa-Gavras did exactly the same thing in "Compartiment tueurs" ("The Sleeping Car Murders"). Homosexuality is such a shorthand for unprincipled, lawless, uprooted, antisocial ruthlessness in his mind that he employs it as a kind of motivation. If guys will do THAT, they'll do ANYTHING.
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[–] met76 8 years ago

It's not homosexuality that is a metaphor for evil, it's the hypocrisy of the right wing. Condemning homosexuality and standing in for patriarchal, Christian values, but employing homosexual, ruthless and violent characters for their needs at the same time.

[–] mulholland_empire 8 years ago

Exactly met76!!!! finally!

Thank you!

[–] gribfritz2 8 years ago

One of the assassins, in real life, was a pedophile. The character based on this assassin is a pedophile. I don't see the issue.

Homosexuality is such a shorthand for unprincipled, lawless, uprooted, antisocial ruthlessness

Replace "Homosexuality is" with "Jews are" or "Blacks are" (or probably a dozen other things) and the sentence still makes sense.