Wedding Bell Blues
Though in need of a narrator and a sense of humor, the independent documentary, Tying the Knot, about the debate over whether gays should be allowed to marry, is surprisingly thought provoking. Held back by low production values—with terrible sound—and by an abrupt ending, the 90-minute movie by Jim de Seve raises interesting issues surrounding marriage.
Despite an opening that pitches the issue as a cause for hippies—finding and using old footage do not go hand in hand, pardon the pun—de Seve's pink propaganda tracks two gay couples, one male, one female, and primarily uses gay activists to make a compelling case for letting gays get married. Most effective are liberal advocates EJ Graff, a women's studies academic, and Evan Wolfson, who runs a group that promotes gay marriage.
Graff makes the point that marriage has always been adaptive to change, including when capitalism's Industrial Revolution liberated men and women from traditionalism and permitted them to marry for love, though she doesn't put it that way. One might argue that marrying for love advanced civilization while same-sex marriage diminishes it—but Graff observes that sexual liberation of the 1920s, when contraception became popular, did not hurt marriage (it didn't stop people from procreating, either).
Wolfson describes the Loving V. Virginia case, in which a legally married interracial couple were persecuted for breaking the laws of God (the subject of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Loving with Timothy Hutton), which are the same theological grounds cited to stop gay marriage. Generously using C-Span to air opposing views, Tying the Knot regularly echoes the conflict between religion and reason.
Less successful are the movie's gay couples, especially a pitiful man whose dire financial state following his male lover's death begs scrutiny. This old coot is not the type one typically associates with being queer, rejecting a style of clothing as "too Nelly," yet he is portrayed as a victim without any evidence he wouldn't have wound up broke had he been allowed to wed. A lesbian, left alone when bank robbers gunned down her female cop lover, seems a more plausible victim of injustice.
Tying the Knot is cheap and choppy, and its guerilla activist approach detracts from powerful segments. But, for the most part, those who promote their agenda raise legitimate questions and do so without hostility. Unfortunately, they also do it without a sense of humor. Gay marriage is an important issue, but some of these lesbians look more manly than the starting lineup of the Pittsburgh Steelers—prepare for some serious double takes—and even a flick this stingy could have afforded to cash in on laughter as comic relief.
Whether one favors gays going to the chapel or going to Hell, the crudely made Tying the Knot asks some smart questions.
Despite an opening that pitches the issue as a cause for hippies—finding and using old footage do not go hand in hand, pardon the pun—de Seve's pink propaganda tracks two gay couples, one male, one female, and primarily uses gay activists to make a compelling case for letting gays get married. Most effective are liberal advocates EJ Graff, a women's studies academic, and Evan Wolfson, who runs a group that promotes gay marriage.
Graff makes the point that marriage has always been adaptive to change, including when capitalism's Industrial Revolution liberated men and women from traditionalism and permitted them to marry for love, though she doesn't put it that way. One might argue that marrying for love advanced civilization while same-sex marriage diminishes it—but Graff observes that sexual liberation of the 1920s, when contraception became popular, did not hurt marriage (it didn't stop people from procreating, either).
Wolfson describes the Loving V. Virginia case, in which a legally married interracial couple were persecuted for breaking the laws of God (the subject of the movie Mr. and Mrs. Loving with Timothy Hutton), which are the same theological grounds cited to stop gay marriage. Generously using C-Span to air opposing views, Tying the Knot regularly echoes the conflict between religion and reason.
Less successful are the movie's gay couples, especially a pitiful man whose dire financial state following his male lover's death begs scrutiny. This old coot is not the type one typically associates with being queer, rejecting a style of clothing as "too Nelly," yet he is portrayed as a victim without any evidence he wouldn't have wound up broke had he been allowed to wed. A lesbian, left alone when bank robbers gunned down her female cop lover, seems a more plausible victim of injustice.
Tying the Knot is cheap and choppy, and its guerilla activist approach detracts from powerful segments. But, for the most part, those who promote their agenda raise legitimate questions and do so without hostility. Unfortunately, they also do it without a sense of humor. Gay marriage is an important issue, but some of these lesbians look more manly than the starting lineup of the Pittsburgh Steelers—prepare for some serious double takes—and even a flick this stingy could have afforded to cash in on laughter as comic relief.
Whether one favors gays going to the chapel or going to Hell, the crudely made Tying the Knot asks some smart questions.
