JULY 8, 1994

GAY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE 11

ENTERTAINMENT

Troche and Turner: 'Making a lesbian film for lesbians'

by Charlton Harper

Rose Troche and Guinevere Turner are the newest additions to the growing field of lesbian filmmakers. Troche, director of the current lesbian splash, Go Fish, and Turner, the film's star and co-writer, shed a little light on the triumphs and troubles of putting a lesbian vision on film.

Charlton Harper: First of all I loved the film. Everything just flows. Where did the idea come from?

Troche: Guin and I were those lesbians attending those other lesbian movies, and we kind of got tired of seeing the same thing over and over, and didn't understand why no one was making the next step. I wanted to make a film before going to graduate school. When we got together and said we're going to write this thing, we had a list of things we wanted to 20 and that was to present, without it being an oxymoron, a happy lesbian movie. A romantic Comedy.

That's what's so nice. You don't get a straight man's idea of what women and beauty is all about. You get a lesbian perspective for once.

Troche: The genesis of the project was about making a lesbian film for lesbians. And because of that I think Go Fish really lacks a certain self-conciousness that would have relegated it to the same old kind of movie.

Turner: It also comes from not having any money. If someone actually gave you the money, then you would owe them something. But since no one gave us any money, it was just us.

Did you feel that you compromised much as the big players came on board? Samuel Goldwyn came in later on and (Producer) Christine Vachon. Did you lose any of your integrity?

Troche: No we didn't feel that. There were two things that changed because of someone else's involvement. There used to be a documentary portion of the film, and because of Christine's involvement we were advised, 'That's been done. Why don't you think of taking it out?' It was never contractural. It was a really good suggestion and that's why we took it out.

The second suggestion came when John Pearson came on board. He's the producer's

Guinevere Turner, left, gets advice from director Rose Troche.

rep. He suggested that we change the title of the film, from 'Ely and Max' to something that was a little bit more fun. Every time someone suggested we change something, we were like 'We're not changing that, we're not selling out.' And then we sat down one evening and toyed with the idea of changing the name and came up with 'Go Fish,' and really liked it.

Turner: And we also didn't know John that well and we said 'If this straight man wants us to change the title, then we need to come up with something that makes him nervous.' But he's a little hipper than that. He thought it was hilarious. I'd have to say that the biggest compromise we both felt is when you're bought by the Samuel Goldwyn company. They own the movie in a sense, and they own the way they market it. And as much as we have input, I think if we had designed the poster, it wouldn't look the way it looks. It would be more obvious that it's two women. They obviously are trying to market it so that it's a little bit vague, so it's not a poster that scares people when they walk down the street. We're more into scaring people, I think.

Was it hard accepting male involvement?

I know that was something you were trying to avoid from the start. Was that a let down?

Turner: I think we got over it pretty quickly Troche: We sure did.

Turner: We realized that what we wanted was to get a movie down. Since no one took creative control and the movie is what we wanted it to be, we pretty much said, 'okay, you get a movie done so everyone can see it, or you have these rigid rules and you sit with a bunch of film in your closet for the rest of your life.'

Troche: I think maybe at some point I was afraid of someone taking creative control in terms of male involvement. I really wanted to see what a film that was made by women looked like. And how successful that would be. It didn't change Go Fish at all. So it wasn't this compromise I might have thought it would be. Go Fish was totally meant in another way to empower women. To say, 'This filmmaking thing is not rocket science. We can do this.'

And at the same time you've said that you can do it without taking political vacations. Troche: Exactly! It can become your activism. You don't have to compromise on that. How about Even Cowgirls get the Blues.

NOW LEASING

Did it fail because it didn't fully embrace the lesbian aspects that are inherent in that film?

Turner: Oh god, there are so many ways in which that movie failed! But I think that is one aspect. It seems like a fetishization of lesbians that was from a surface concept of who lesbi-

ans are.

Troche: It was about lesbians as plot device. Turner: Lea DeLaria said she thinks it should be called 'Even Worse Than You Think. (Much laughter)

How did you get such natural performances out of your actresses? Was it this common desire to get the film out?

Troche: I think that was a really huge part of it. Everybody was really committed. These were people who weren't getting paid, after all. I think that's what helps in having real lesbians play these parts. They could see the same sort of urgency about having a new image on screen for us. Even the people who came out and worked as extras, same thing. It's about wanting to see this movie get done. Where did the decision to film in black and white come from?

Troche: It was really economic for the most part. And aesthetically I have no qualms with black and white. I like it.

The still shots are gorgeous. They add so much in reflecting the characters' states of mind.

Turner: It's so funny. One of the biggest criticisms from the mainstream press was something like 'What is that stuff?'

Troche: I think people want to see a straight narrative. Go Fish just isn't that. It never wanted to be that. I never wanted it to be that at all.

What's next for either of the two of you? Troche: Another movie for me. I'm doing a treatment for it right now. It's been hard working on it because of promoting this film. But I plan on hunkering down now. But it's not Go Fish II at all.

And Guin. More acting or more writing? Turner: Both. I've sort of been talked into it. Acting is something that came out from this. But I just decided it would be stupid not to do it if people are interested in helping me do it. I'd rather be an actress than a receptionist any day.

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Two in war and six in shorts

July gay films at the Cinematheque

by Jeff Houston

July is going to be a great month for fans of queer cinema at the Cinematheque. Audiences will have a second chance to see For A Lost

Based on a true story and a theme that shocks many, the film also examines the distortions of memory and their role in shaping perception. Absolutely stunning is the scene in which Walt, the soldier, teaches Jeroen to dance the jitterbug. Mark the date on your calendar.

Boy's Shorts: The New Queer Cinema, runs July 14 and 16. Six films comprise the series. Particularly appealing are Marlon Riggs' Anthem and Michael Mayson's Billy Turner's Secret, seldomseen perspectives from gay African-Americans. Also look for Mark Christopher's Dead Boys Club, a humorous study in desire and restraint with a '70's disco backdrop. Coming Out Under Fire will be shown July 28 and 30. Based on Alan Berube's book of the same name, this award-winning film interweaves archival footage and declassified military documents with interviews of nine lesbian and gay World War II veterans. While the public debate on the fate of gays in the military seems over, the court battles underway keep this film current and relevant.

Maarten Smit and Andrew Kelley in For A Lost Soldier.

Soldier and Coming Out Under Fire, in addition to the Cleveland premiere of Boys 'Shorts: The New Queer Cinema. All three evenings are well worth their $5 admission fees.

For A Lost Soldier, showing only on July 10 at 7 pm., is a bittersweet tale of a boy's sexual awakening with a Canadian soldier during World War II. Set against the backdrop of the Netherlands' liberation from the German army, the film sensitively relates the story of 12year-old Jeroen and his own sexual liberation.

For exact times and location, call the Cleveland Cinematheque at 421-7450.

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