The Cinema of George Kuchar
By Charlotte Stace
George Kuchar embodied camp sensibility like no other, blending precision and excess. Working on the fringes of independent and avant-garde cinema, his collection of films and videos form a vital chapter in gay and early queer cinema history.
Starting at age 12 with his twin brother Mike, Kuchar reimagined melodramatic Hollywood tropes and Z-movie adventures in Bronx apartments. Lacking actresses, they cross-dressed and created a troupe to explore lascivious themes - animalistic passions, voyeuristic self-pity, and histrionic fits of frustration in the face of heteronormative codes. Full of inventive energy, these satirical films reject irony, embracing exaggerated eroticism and “depraved” moral climates.
The CCCB’s program showcases Kuchar’s lurid, melodramatic glamour. Highlights include Wild Night in El Reno (1977), Eclipse of the Sun Virgin (1967), Hold Me While I’m Naked (1966), and The Sunshine Sisters (1972). Together, they offer a deep dive into the extravagant and uninhibited world of Kuchar’s cinema.