*By submitting your contribution, you agree to TCM's Terms of Use. TCM will use your personal information consistent with our Privacy Policy

• A Cult Classic: Way Before It's Time...

  • Jaymes Mansfield
  • 1/5/11

  Myra B. is a film that was panned when it first was released. Based off Gore Vidal's book. The film loosely follows the story of a post-op transsexual who wreaks havoc on her lecherous uncle's acting academy. The film fails in many aspects of where the novel was progressive. Instead it is more of a variety show that happens to share the same names as the book. I praise the film for being if anything endearing in it's own failure. The script is weakly written by it's director who clearly knew nothing about what he was assigned. And by accident made one of the first theatrically released gay art films. That's right I said it! Myra Breckinridge is an art film. It has creative camera angles, use of classic cinema to tell a story within a story. Beautiful costumes by Edith Head and Theodora Van Runkle. It plays with color, sound and sexuality all within the contains of 94 minutes. Is Myra B. a worthy title within the LGBT cinema? Yes and no would be my answer. Though the film features a cast of gay characters, they are pretty much stereotypical. But it is one of the first films to feature LGBT characters that are joyous and not approval seeking. Raquel Welch will blow away anybody who dares approach this film. Her acting is great, and she really never has topped this. In total Myra Breckinridge is a fun time, it's a not so serious accidental art film from the 1970's I think has gotten a bad rep.

• More Reviews