#compulsion 1959

[heartandmusic]

was clearing my notes app and i had a note from like 2 years ago that just said "tcm masterpieces of yaoi" and i have no memory of writing that or what it meant but i made this

[the-quirky-lesbian]

Been having this idea for a long time

[attheedgeofthecreek]

A subgenre of films based on real events featuring homoerotically involved schoolmates feeding each other's delusions of grandeur, which cumulates in murder.

[uncommon-lamp]

Some observations from my latest film binge

[sesiondemadrugada]

Compulsion (Richard Fleischer, 1959).

[laurelwen]

Hi! Question! Out of the movies inspired by (or about) Leopold and Loeb, which is your favorite? Other than Like Minds, ofc. I recently became very fascinated by their case (partly because of Like Minds, actually), and am interested in learning more/seeing other interpretations of the story. Thank you!

For those playing along at home, the list:

Rope 1948 Compulsion 1959 The Face of Fear 1990 Swoon 1992 Scream 1996 Murder by Numbers 2002 Funny Games (US version, 2007)

So, terrible confession: I haven't seen all of them so I can't really offer much insight in the way of reviews/comparison. Really, Rope is a classic for a reason (in terms of the film-making aspects alone), but I can't say how it stands up to Compulsion bc I haven't seen that one yet.

If you're up for reading some academic work, you might find this book/chapter interesting: Murder Most Queer: The Homicidal Homosexual in American Theater - Ch. 2 Queer Justice

The rest of the movies are on my watchlist, and I will view when I find a way to watch them (other than Scream, which...who hasn't seen that one). I'm very interested in Swoon, from this description alone:

One of the most daring works to emerge from the New Queer Cinema movement of the early 1990s, Swoon offers a radical, revisionist perspective on the infamous Leopold and Loeb murder case. Channeling the spirits of Dreyer, Bresson, and Jean Genet, director Tom Kalin challenges viewers to identify with two of the most notorious killers of the 20th century, their crime—the Nietzsche-influenced thrill killing of a schoolboy in 1920s Chicago—and punishment recounted in ghostly black and white by Ellen Kuras. Throughout, Kalin cannily deconstructs the ways in which Leopold and Loeb’s homosexuality has been historically sensationalized and demonized—a provocative analogy for queer persecution in the AIDS era.

Sorry I can't be of much help on this one. I'd love to hear your thoughts on anything you do watch!

[beatleology]

Bob Wooler said, “At times, they reminded me of those well-to-do Chicago lads Leopold and Loeb, who killed someone because they felt superior to him. Lennon and McCartney were ‘superior human beings.’”

Quote from Ian Leslie’s book, John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs

Particularly sharing this because I watched Compulsion (1959), which is based off Leopold and Loeb, a few weeks ago and not only did I think, “wow, what an intense dynamic,” but also, “god this is Them.”

[applebostick]

my finger literally slipped and i accidentally posted this on tiktok

anyways i feel like i should be posting the edits on here as well bcus tiktok sucks sometimes 😖