Queer links in Tom Ford's "A Single Man"

＜English＞

Translated by K.M.

Hello everyone, TW writer Kondo here!

In a few days I'll be posting about Tom Ford's new movie and directorial debut "A Single Man" but, before I do, I thought I'd share a little background on stylists and actors from the film.

First of all, in charge of costume design was Arianne Phillips. Phillips' styling power can be seen in the cult queer film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch", the Hollywood hit "Walk the Line" (which won her an Oscar nomination in 2005 for Best Costume Design), and the jacket for the debut album by Leisha Hailey's band, Uh Huh Her. Arianne Phillips is not only an incredible stylist, but a stylist who wields strong ties to queer culture. Icing on the cake, indeed.

Colin Firth stars in Tom Ford's film as a British college professor. Many folks will remember Firth from "Another Country", the 1984 movie which practically spurned a gay boom in England in the 1980's along with the 1987 hit "Maurice". Originally a theater production, “Another Country” was based on the true story of a gay spy and for its 1984 film adaptation, out gay actor Rupert Everett was selected to take the starring role while Firth, who had played lead on stage, played the lead's best friend.

"A Single Man" also stars Matthew Goode, cast as the professor’s younger partner. Lesbians everywhere are sure to recognize Goode as the man dumped by Piper Perabo in the hit British film “Imagine Me & You”. In fact, Goode himself is not lacking for ties to queer culture. He appeared opposite Ben Whishaw in the film “Brideshead Revisited”, Kinky Boots director Julian Jarrold's retelling of a famously gay-themed romantic period piece.

I could go on and on with an endless list of the queer elements found in "A Single Man", but I'll stop here. Casting outdid itself in finding actors that possess excellent chemistry with queer directors and films. This also gives us a good indication of just how committed Tom Ford is to this release. I can’t wait until it hits the theaters in Japan!

★To return to Tokyo Wrestling's homepage, follow the link here.