Vampires and Violets: Lesbians in Film, by Andrea Weiss

(pb; 1992, 1993: non-fiction)

From the back cover:

"Andrea Weiss tracks the often elusive trail of the lesbian through Hollywood films as well as B-movies, European art cinema, and the work of contemporary directors. With wit and political acumen, she opens the concealed sexual world of a host of movies both popular and forgotten and reclaims the secret history of gay women in film."

Review:

Weiss's short-but-sharp analyses and explanations of the social and cinematic dynamics of lesbianism (from the 1920s to the early 1990s) make for an informative, entertaining work. Weiss's writing, stated in everyday language, isn't so deep that it drowns in psychoanalytical excess, nor is it so shallow that it's puff-work.

This is a great gateway book for those interested in the above subjects, or, like me, who read it for research purposes. Worth owning, this.