Tootsie Or Dog Day Afternoon

[Guest mia 1]

So what are you and how much do you care.? "Tootsie', the great Dustin Hoffman movie,revolves around a male actor who can't find a job on Braodway as a man. He deciedes his best option for employment is to dress as a women and try out for women's roles. I am going to make the story short, but the whole narrartive is based on the premise that by dressing and PASSING as a women he starts thinking and emoting as a woman and is accepted by women as a women. Believe me the"plot thickens" if you want to know more go to netflix and rent it.

The second movie is a true story based on a bank robber who is in love with a MTF. The bank robber played by AL Pacino is robbing the bank to raise money for his lovers SRS procedure. The movie twists and turns, but the point of the story is he loves her and when he<Al Pacino> is outed by the FBI he doesn't care and...........will love conquer all? My question is who do you relate to, the cross dressing Dustin Hoffman, or Al Pacino whose lover is a transgendered MTF waiting for SRS?

Believe me both movies, circa 1976 and 1986, are sympathetic to both roles and hold up well through the years. If you have been around through the decades and saw the original movies think how you related to them than and how you relate today?

I know how I felt then, how about you? Hint I'm in love with both movies now, but I really wanted Tootsie's gold lame dress in 1986. Love you alll..........Mia.

[Guest mia 1]

Oh I forgot about Rocky Horror Picture Show and the" sweet transvestite song.."

[Guest Elizabeth K]

There have been a few serious crossdressing and even fewer true transsexual themed mainstream movies - and Dog Day Afternoon was probably one of the best early transgender ones. I felt the story line was a bit depressing as the desparation of the transgender person was so intense, which I suppose is probably true to reality.

There have been probably something like several hundred cross dressing films, some with a major charactor, some with a side story. Some Like it Hot was very good - but not that believable. But Tootsie was one of the best played ones - and was played for what I consider a near perfect comedic effect. It still had the sensitivity angle thrown in, which I felt was very idealistic, but somewhat true.

TransAmerica is my favorite transgender film. It nailed the story line most of us live everyday. Normal, was also very good, and was probably somewhat superior technically as it starred a male as the transgender person - but for some reason l liked TransAmerica better. Perhaps it was better scripted.

And I have seen those sci-fi and semi-horror films where for various reasons charactors are suddenly relocated from a male body into a female one. I suggest we don't count those types of movie as transgender. But sometimes the storyline does deal with the a total acceptance by the former male in her new female body - I suppose because the plot suggests the body eventually controls the mind (which we know isn't right or by now we would be accepting of our gender-wrong bodies and wondering why we ever thought we were transsexual).

The Dr. Jeckle and Ms. Hyde? Played for a joke - disappointing. But what is it about Sean Young? She played a similar part in Ace Ventura - hummmmm

Rocky Horror Picture Show - a cult classic - but too drag queenish (I know, no such word).

And Julie Neumar, and Priscilla, Queen of the Desert, and others? Intertaining, but too drag queenish again. Hey , I used that word twice already.

And the boy girl - girl boy switch films? and the movie Switch, and the movie/play Goodbye Charlie? And the Austrailian Dating the Enemy? And the hundred Japanese Manga that are out?

My goodness - gender switching, transgenderism and cross dressing are entertaining?

Well.. kina, sorta = maybe... unless you are transgender yourself, and if you have to watch and laugh, pretending that everything is so amusing, hoping those around you don't see how seriously you are taking everything in - yes... it is sorta intertaining., but embarrasing, at least to me.

Now that I am out to my wife - yikes, watching any of those shows (or the specials such as Sex Cange Hospital) I see her watching me to see how I react. That really hurts somehow. But I am on HRT right now so I can blame it on my sudden sensitivity to the actions of others - ha - you know, the 'what does he/she mean by that?' sensitivity.

When watching transgender themes in a group, anyone else have that 'shuddder' reaction - that is, in front of others who know your 'condition?'

Good topic, Mia

[Guest Drew]

When watching transgender themes in a group, anyone else have that 'shuddder' reaction - that is, in front of others who know your 'condition?'

Good topic, Mia

oh yes, i get the 'shudder' reaction quite a bit in that situation....it just feels so...awkward....i'm not really sure why

there are also some movies or productions that have significant gender bending characters...which is probably more common.

personally, Angel from 'RENT' was a favorite of mine

[Sally]

Wow, we have quite a long list now!

To the original question, I have to admit that I have managed to miss "Dog Day Afternonn" - I need to take care of that.

Not feeling depressed and hopeless - I can't reall identify with that film, but not really with "Tootsie" either - he dressed and felt like a woman, but wanted to remani a man through it all and in the end went back to being Michael Dorsey and left Dorothy Michaels behind (I remembered that pretty well, maybe I'm not so old) so not really so much there either.

I need to watch a couple of the others, my therapist suggested "Normal" for my wife to see - a little late for that but I can still watch it.

[Sally]

OOOPPPPPPPSSSS!

I sent that too early!

I wanted to mention that a lot of the drag queenish (I shouldn't use that term, now that it has shown up in print three times it will be added to the dictionary! Shasbot!

"Mrs. Doubtfire" needs to mentioned as well - like in "Tootsie", just by dressing and acting as a female they overcame their quick tempers and egos and became caring thoughtful individuals and all with out hormones or therapy!

I watch them for entertainment value, not as a roadmap!

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Elizabeth K]

Sally - dear?

Do you suffer from dragqueenishphobia?

Liz

[Sally]

No Liz,

I suffer from Iseemtolosetrackofmytrainofthoughtmidpostaphobia!

I never finished the thought about the dragqueenish films usually just presenting characitures rather than characters. Not all suffer from shallowness, but a lot do.

I seem to be getting over my phobia - I finished this post!

Love ya,

Sally

[Guest Elizabeth K]

[Guest Donna Jean]

Sally said:

I need to watch a couple of the others, my therapist suggested "Normal" for my wife to see - a little late for that but I can still watch it.

My therapist also recomended my wife and I watch that together...got it from Amazon and watched it one night...

When it was over we cried together...hugged..talked..I can understand why therapists want people to see it..Not an Academy Award film, but, it touchs SO many things...Of course the next week it was the topic with my therapist..

I think it is a must see...Two thumbs up!

Donna Jean