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Siginificance of Al Pacino "Cruising" Poster in the bedroom, if any

posted 8 years ago by dma-maillist
10 replies | jump to latest

There's no way that this was random. Maybe some books laying on a bookcase, maybe, but a movie poster: no way?

From what I read this movie was kind of controversial in the gay community when it was released. I used to work in a Greenwich Village video store and gays rented it quite often. I'd never seen it (frankly, it just wasn't my thing) so I can't comment on the merits of it.

Generally speaking, though, the cult audience is gay men for this film and we know that Richard isn't gay (it was his bedroom).

It also aired on Gay Pride Day in most of the country--certainly here in NYC.

So, I just wonder what the deal was with the poster. I'm sure it's some kind of inside joke but what exactly?

It is a pretty cool looking poster and one for a re-release (of sorts) but that can't be the only reason for it being there.

What do you think?

http://s39.photobucket.com/user/mcnail/media/Cruising.jpg.html

[–] tp-Isle 8 years ago

Yup, I noticed that too, Pretty hard film so I thought it could be a Valley term but no. Great poster.

[–] dma-maillist 8 years ago

A la Beavis & Butthead (hey, Mike Judge we're getting meta):

He-he, you said "pretty hard." "Pretty hard film." He-he.

[–] tp-Isle 8 years ago

I was 13 when I watched it, We had got Foxtel in New Zealand and it went from PREDATOR to this. I love love love this film now

[–] tp-Isle 8 years ago

Also my parents were way asleep. This was a TP ISle Mission

[–] asc85 8 years ago

Sometimes these are inside jokes and/or political statements that someone in the production of Silicon Valley wanted to put in there. So I'm sure it's something like that, rather than a comment on Richard's views.

I did see Cruising in the movies when it came out. It got awful reviews, and was reviled by the gay community. I'm not sure why, but I still went to see it. And from a story-telling point of view (rather than as a commentary of the gay lifestyle), it's pretty bad.

[–] dma-maillist 8 years ago

I was too young when that movie came out and had never heard of it until I was older, and still haven't seen it but I'm guessing it was just the protesters who cared and not the rank and file.

It was the same thing with Basic Instinct. When it came out, lesbians pretty much liked it, but the activists didn't.

[–] belacane 8 years ago

DO we know that Richard isn't gay? Maybe he is but just doesn't realize it yet, or doesn't really want to bother with it while all this other stuff is going on.

Admittedly I've forgotten a lot of seasons 1 & 2; all I can remember about Richard and dating is the tabs/spaces girl. Were there others?

[–] Sluggr-3 8 years ago

There was the whole scene at tech-crunch with the girl he used to date who thought he was stalking her, and then she mistakenly assumes Richard and OJ are partners and they have the conversation about safety and protection where she is talking about sex and he is talking about software backups and net viruses. Some of the better double entendre writing in the series.

In terms of being a red herring, it isn't even on the chart if compared to the 2 second shot of Colonel Rawls in the gay bar in The Wire. The internet nearly burned down after that scene. ;-)

My Chimp DNA seems to have lost its password temporarily. Sluggr-2

[–] dma-maillist 8 years ago

Forgot about the girl in season 1, but he went out on a date with the girl who only used spaces (or was it tabs) so I'm pretty sure he's straight.

That doesn't mean he can't like some gay-themed movie, but "Cruising?" That's just kind of weird.

I'm guessing it's just some in-joke, making fun of how vanilla Richard is and how sensitive Jared is ("Oh, Jared, you've come undone!) and probably being a very sensitive lover (as shown when his girl leaves him that night) and his talk about "weaponizing my faith in you" for Richard.

Contrast that with Cruising.

And on Pride Day!

Pretty UN-PC, I think. That's the only thing I can think of.

Or was it exactly kind of PC in a slash fiction sort of way for Pride.

I don't know.

Maybe it was, but using Cruising for that--it's all S&M and leather bars--is pretty funny but in a kind of subversive way for the whole slash fiction kind of thing.

I'm going to go on the side of UN-PC because I like the idea of tweaking something like the notion of Cruising being protested by gay activists (I'm sure rank and file gays went to see it in droves--it rented a lot in the Village shop I worked in)

So, I don't know.

I'll think I'll just laugh at it. Like the thought of Richard in a leather bar, with a mustache, leather hat, vest and chaps.

[–] crayola14 8 years ago

It's Erlich's house. All the guys rented already furnished, including Richard. The poster is Erlich's

I could see stoner Erlich being into the film, not cause he is gay, just cause it is a hardcore film.