Great Moments in Gayness: "Suspicion"
Sunday, June 30, 2013 at 6:45PM 
Team Experience is celebrating Gay Pride with their favorite moments in gay cinema history... Here's Deborah Lipp (from the great TV site 'Basket of Kisses') with an unusual choice...
Happy Gay Pride Weekend Everyone!
My favorite gay cinematic moment is not a gay movie, not a gay scene, not explicitly erotic, not much of anything. I love it for the electrifying presence of gayness in a movie from 1941. I am speaking about Alfred Hitchcock's Suspicion.
I've almost never seen this movie mentioned when discussing gayness in movies, not even when discussing gayness in Hitchcock movies. People talk about homoeroticism in Strangers on a Train or the mad lesbian love of Mrs. Danvers for Rebecca, but Suspicion is overlooked.
Johnnie (Cary Grant) and Lina (Joan Fontaine) visit Johnnie's friend Isobel, a writer of murder mysteries. Also attending dinner is Phyllis. Based on their familiarity and the way they serve dinner, it is obvious the two women live together. Moreover, while Isobel ("Izzy") dresses as a British lady should, Phyllis ("Phil" to her partner) is in a man's suit and tie, with a man's hairstyle
And this is what's so glorious. Phil and Izzy aren't dangerous. They're not villains. They're not the subject of a joke, nor exaggerated, nor horrifying. They simply are. A butch/femme couple, in 1941, relaxing at home, entertaining a straight couple, chatting about books. Fifty years later, Basic Instinct inspired protest from the LGBT community, because it was still almost impossible to see gays and lesbians in a movie unless they were killers or crazy, suicidal or deranged or tragic or pornified, or—best case scenario—the wacky sexless neighbor.
Phil and Izzy are just an ordinary gay couple. They're not in the movie because they're gay, and their gayness is never mentioned. That they're butch/femme—probably the least-represented type of queer couple in the media—just adds to my pleasure.
I love Phil and Izzy so much.
Reader Comments (11)
How about the two women in Auntie Mame, wearing menswear and fedoras?
This reminds me of an early Maggie Smith role where she played Bette Davis's "nurse" in DEATH ON THE NILE. I've never seen a nurse in a suit and tie before. Again, never explicitly stated and they aren't the villains. Great post!
looove this movie.. dont know why people dont talk enought about this one and rebecca, 2 greats ones with joan foantaine and hitchcock
I've seen 'Suspicion' at least three times and I have literally never noticed this. I feel like you just pointed out that there's a killer whale in the shower in 'Psycho', or that Grace Kelly goes through 'Rear Window' wearing a red clown's nose. Now I'll have to watch 'Suspicion' again just for Phil and Izzy!
@ Anne Marie - isn't that Rachel Roberts the 'nurse' and Wendy Hiller the countess? Maggie Smith is in the movie but is an over-the-top movie star (she and Diana Rigg have some ongoing feud?)
@ Kermit The Frog
Anne Marie has it correct: Maggie Smith is indeed Bette Davis' nurse in Death on the Nile and they have some fun & bitchy (at the same time) interchange. Maggie is more memorable in that film.
Kermit, Rachel and Wendy played maid and princess in Murder On the Orient Express, one of my faves.
And, unfortunately, 'Izzy' died the year that Suspicion was released. I've always thought it was such a shame.
While Cary and Joan are the stars, the lesbian couple are played by Auriol Lee (Izzy) and Nondas Metcalf (Phil).
"A butch/femme couple, in 1941, relaxing at home, entertaining a straight couple, chatting about books."
Terrific observation there Deborah and so true what you say in this superbly penned capsule. Most film fans do only talk about the STRANGERS ON A TRAIN homo-eroticism and Mrs. Danver's obsession with the first Mrs. de Winter in REBECCA, too often over-looking this relationship in SUSPICION!!!
That's because Hitch was really ahead of it's time n many aspects, his movies in US are so much more puritane... his english movies it's just normal life. I love them!