McKellen: Playing the Part

May 25, 2018

1h 32m

★ 7.2

Overview

Built upon a 14 hour interview, McKellen: Playing the Part is a unique journey through the key landmarks of McKellen's life, from early childhood into a demanding career that placed him in the public eye for the best part of his lifetime. Using an abundance of photography from McKellen's private albums and cinematically reconstructed scenes, a raw talent shines through in the intensity, variety and devotion to that moment in the light.

Genres

Documentary

History

Production Companies

Great Point Media

B Good Picture Company

Ugly Duckling Films

Surreal Films

McKellen: Playing the Part Trailers

Cast

Himself

Ian McKellen

Scott Chambers

Luke Evans

Young Ian McKellen

Milo Parker

Adam Brown

Frances Barber

Her Majesty's Smallest Subject

Penny Clapcott

When many people think of Israel, it is often in terms of modern war or ancient religion. But there is much more to the Jewish state then missiles and prayers. In his debut as a documentary filmmaker, adult-film entrepreneur and political columnist Michael Lucas examines a side of Israel that is too often overlooked: its thriving gay community. Undressing Israel features interviews with a diverse range of local men, including a gay member of Israel's parliament, a trainer who served openly in the army, a young Arab-Israeli journalist, and a pair of dads raising their kids. Lucas also visits Tel Aviv's vibrant nightlife scene-and a same-sex wedding-in this guided tour to a country that emerged as a pioneer for gay integration and equality.

4.2

Everything at Once (Paco & Manolo's Gaze)

Apr 8, 2021

Paco and Manolo are two Catalan photographers from the outskirts of Barcelona who have been working together for thirty years as if they were a single person, capturing their images in Kink magazine, a very personal photography fanzine with a homoerotic aesthetic of Mediterranean essence.

1.0

It Is Not the Brazilian Homosexuals Who Are Perverse, But the Situation in Which They Live

Jun 1, 2021

Two queer Brazilians go skinny dipping in a lake where they talk about love, sex, colonialism and migration, on a pandemic summer afternoon in Berlin.

3.7

Uncut

Mar 23, 1997

Circumcision and artistic freedom concern three homosexuals, denied communication during a surreal jail stay.

6.6

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin

Mar 11, 2017

The Untold Tales of Armistead Maupin celebrates one of the world’s most beloved storytellers, following his evolution from a conservative son of the Old South into a gay rights pioneer whose novels inspired millions to reclaim their lives.

4.0

The Carnival

Mar 20, 2021

Since they were children, every summer they used to participate together in the traditional carnivals of their hometown. This magical celebration, transform men of the community into dionysiac figures with makeup, coloured costumes, glitter and feathers. Alcohol, friendship and parties out of control become the limelight. Boundaries get blurred with the heat of the sun at the edge of the imposing Paraná River.

4.8

Race d'Ep!

Oct 24, 1979

"Race d’Ep!" (which literally translates to "Breed of Faggots") was made by the “father of queer theory,” Guy Hocquenghem, in collaboration with radical queer filmmaker and provocateur Lionel Soukaz. The film traces the history of modern homosexuality through the twentieth century, from early sexology and the nudes of Baron von Gloeden to gay liberation and cruising on the streets of Paris. Influenced by the groundbreaking work of Michel Foucault on the history of sexuality and reflecting the revolutionary queer activism of its day, "Race d’Ep!" is a shockingly frank, sex-filled experimental documentary about gay culture emerging from the shadows.

8.7

John Cranko

Oct 3, 2024

The gifted, charismatic artist John Cranko moves to the Swabian province from London, where he is attacked for his homosexuality, and after many crises becomes the great sensation as the new pop star of the arts: the Stuttgart Ballet Miracle.

3.2

Acts of Love

Apr 29, 2021

When his older boyfriend loses interest in him, the filmmaker relocates to Chicago and uses dating apps to cast new lovers in an amorphous project that his mother hates.

6.6

The Capote Tapes

Sep 10, 2021

A portrait of the brilliant American writer Truman Capote (1924-84) and the New York high society of his time.

5.5

Dream Boat

Jun 28, 2017

A cruise ship and 3,000 men – it is a universe without heteros and women that usually remains a mystery to the outside world. Once a year the Dream Boat sets sail for a cruise exclusively for gay men where most passengers are united by the wish to live life authentically as themselves in a protected place.

7.2

Milk

Nov 5, 2008

The true story of Harvey Milk, the first openly gay man ever elected to public office. In San Francisco in the late 1970s, Harvey Milk becomes an activist for gay rights and inspires others to join him in his fight for equal rights that should be available to all Americans.

4.7

The Diary of Heong Yeong-dang

Nov 2, 2014

A historical drama based in the Joseon times about a person who falls in love with his stepsister.

6.6

Wilde

Sep 1, 1997

Oscar Wilde is a married playwright who has occasionally indulged his weakness for male suitors. After much toil, Wilde debuts 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in London, and a chat at the theatre with Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas leads to a full-fledged romance. However, this affair leads to a legal dispute with Lord Alfred's oppressive father, the Marquess of Queensberry, and, given the local anti-gay laws, Wilde is jailed. Wilde's vast intellect helps him survive until he regains his freedom.

4.0

Serviced

Jun 26, 2019

Serviced explores touch based service businesses including cuddling, erotic massage, sex surrogacy and sex work. Meet the men who have foregone the 9-5 grind or are adding on a side-hustle service-based job. From cuddling to sex work we're looking at the world's oldest profession with eyes wide open.

5.5

Have We Met Before?

Mar 17, 2019

Short docudrama exploring the history of sex in the homosexual community from the 1970s to the present day, and how the internet has changed the way gay men meet forever.

4.3

I Am My Own Woman

Oct 30, 1992

The life story of Charlotte von Mahlsdorf, who survived the Nazi reign as a trans woman and helped start the German gay liberation movement. Documentary with some dramatized scenes. Two actors play the young and middle aged Charlotte and she plays herself in the later years.

4.0

How Police Missed the Grindr Killer

Feb 16, 2017

The story of how police repeatedly allowed a serial murderer to slip through their fingers. Stephen Port date-raped and murdered four young gay men in East London within fifteen months and dumped all four bodies within a few hundred metres of each other. The film tells the story through eyes of the families of Port's victims, unpicking how the police failed to properly investigate each of the deaths in turn. The police's assumptions that these young gay men had died from self-inflicted overdoses of chem-sex drugs allowed Port to continue raping and killing innocent young men.

6.0

Pady | Jeff - The Documentary

Jul 16, 2018

Documentary about the musical artist and drag queen Pady Jeff produced by students of the Social Communication degree at the Catholic University of Uruguay.