For today's Throwback Thursday, I want to talk about American Gigolo. Of course, that means talking in-depth about Richard Gere's penis. Duh. Obviously. But that also means talking about how monumental this movie was for male nudity and I also want to ask an important question: is this a gay movie? Let's get into it!
Richard Gere plays Julian, a male sex worker with high-class clients. His clients are mostly women, a lot of them married, who need some extra help getting their rocks off. That is when Julian comes in, perfectly sculpted and well-dressed. You've heard of the male gaze to refer to portraying female sexuality for straight male audiences on screen. Well, this is the female gaze.
This film launched Richard Gere into sex symbol status and that was helped by the fact that he showed his penis in the movie. This was at a time when male nudity was even rarer onscreen than it is today - especially male nudity that is shown in an explicitly sexy way. There is no doubt that we are supposed to find Richard Gere's body beautiful in this movie. We are meant to understand that he is sex on legs...and one of those legs is his dick.
But is the intended audience for American Gigolo really female? Is Julian's character actually gay?
You might be surprised to even hear that insinuation, but there are indeed a few lines in the script that suggest that. For example, there is a line in which Gere's character tells a woman who clearly wants him that women never see his home. That can be read in many ways. Is it an intimacy issue? Is he scared to bring hookups home? Or does he only sleep with women for work and it's men that he brings home? Do you see what I mean? There is a lot left between the lines.
And then there is the style in which the movie exudes. Paste Magazine called the movie's style "queer aesthetics" from its kitschy design to the music to the color scheme. Julian tries to uphold masculine ideals to keep his clients happy, but it ends up undoing him. He finds more freedom in queer aesthetics.
American Gigolo was written and directed by Paul Schrader, the man behind such hit scripts as Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, and the modern masterpiece First Reformed. Paul himself has had a complicated history with intimacy and his own sexual fluidity which he has since said is evident in his early scripts.
Writer Paul Schrader has also said that the script is an autobiographical metaphor and it seems like it was a metaphor for his intimacy issues. He has also said in interviews that he used to go to gay clubs to unwind and explore intimacy. He found inspiration in the ways that men were able to dance with each other, touching and flirting to their heart's content. Yeah, I find that pretty inspiring, too, my guy.
Schrader has since said in multiple interviews that some of his characters, like Julian, are "now gay". He's admittedly all over the place with this, as he is with talking about his own sexuality, but I personally like to think of all of this as a step forward. At least he doesn't deny the homoeroticism in this movie! In fact, it seems to present itself to him more and more over the years.
The role was originally offered to John Travolta, but rumor has it that he dropped out of the role because the film seemed too gay. This is according to Paul Schrader. John Travolta has never come out as gay, despite numerous rumors, but if it was true that he was/is in the closet it's not hard to see why he might shy away from something that (barely) suggests that the character has sex with women AND men. Is there any truth to that? I can't say, but I can say it would have been amazing to see Travolta's cock!
Is American Gigolo a perfect gay film? Not at all! But it does show us a young Richard Gere's penis and that's a huge win for everyone. It is clear to see why he was such a sex symbol in the 1980s when you watch this scene. He truly is sexy! #TBT to that cock!
