Transgender On Screen

Transgender on Screen explores the cultural representations of transvestism and transsexuality in modern screen media, against an essential historical background. This fascinating and original study examines how cross-dressers and transsexuals are represented in three different film genres - comedies, thrillers and mixed genre productions - focussing on a dozen examples, including classics such as Some Like It Hot, Tootsie, Mrs Doubtfire, Victor/Victoria, Psycho, Dressed to Kill, Silence of the Lambs,The Crying Game and Boys Don't Cry. Phillips' study also includes a major chapter on 'shemale' Internet pornography. Relying on psychoanalytic, queer and other post-modern theories, the book considers the influence of these cultural representations in the context of an increasingly, problematic distinction between the worlds of the imagination and reality, demonstrating the interdependency of our perceptions of transgender and its culturally constructed images.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgements Introduction Transgender in the Historical Imagination Cross-Dressing in Film Comedy Psycho-Trans Drama Queens and Macho Men Walking on the Wild Side: Shemale Internet Pornography Representation and Reality Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
JOHN PHILLIPS is Professor of French Literature and Culture at London Metropolitan University, UK. He is the author of three books on the Marquis de Sade and two books on twentieth-century French literature. In addition, he has translated two novels, a book of essays on Gilles de Rais and a collection of Sade's letters and diaries.

Review :
'John Phillips offers progressive views on the complex phenomenon of transgender as represented in popular culture from mainstream cinema to the Internet. Supported with up-to-date thinking tools, the study concludes on the potential impact of transgender on the reshaping of desire. Truly an eye opener on the subject.' - Gaetan Brulotte, Distinguished University Professor, University of South Florida, USA 'As Phillips rightly asserts in this study, the considerable cinematic and cultural exposure of transgender in recent years is largely unmatched by serious scholarly criticism of these representations and discourses. This highly readable and lucid book; wide-ranging in its coverage and eclectic in its theoretical approach; constitutes a significant step towards redressing the balance. Phillips's work offers a timely and essential contribution to the fields of interdisciplinary sexuality studies and film criticism.' - Dr. Lisa Downing, Reader in French Discourses of Sexuality, Queen Mary, University of London, UK 'In this fascinating exploration, John Phillips proves that transgender is central to understanding contemporary problems with sexuality and gender. By using cultural theory to examine visual staples from cinema and the Internet, Phillips has created a remarkably clear and to the point work. Phillips's incisive examination illuminates the politics behind transgender and points toward ways that we can escape from binary fixity, anxiety, and guilt. He teaches that learning to come to terms with the laughter and revulsion that transgender inspires means coming to terms with the modern age.' - Dr. Lisa Z. Sigel, DePaul University, USA 'This is a book that needed to be written. John Phillips has found a topic that is both original and important and combines breadth with a clear focus. It should therefore appeal to a wide audience without diminishing or trivialising the potential subversiveness of its material!it will make a valuable contribution not only to gender and representation but also to social and cultural studies.' - Owen Heathcote, Bradford University, UK