The Silver Screen: Color Me Lavender (1997)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Strictly average movie

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

It is interesting even when nothing much happens, which is for most of its 3-hour running time. Read full review

I really like Dan Butler and he's the reason I decided to give this so-called "documentary" a try, but I gave up after about 30 minutes. I simply can't agree with the conclusion that this program seemed to be trying so hard to reach: it seems to honestly believe, and be trying to get viewers to believe, that almost everything including the old Bob Hope/Bing Crosby comedies had blatant gay undertones, and that simply isn't the case. They can repeat it as often as they like, but that doesn't make it true. Under the same principle, would that mean that every time Daffy Duck kicked Porky Pig in the backside, it was an allegory? There's a quote often attributed to Sigmund Freud: "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar". I think that should be given some serious thought here.

the problem with this movie is that it's just not made by anything like a filmmaker. I've never seen this guy's subsequent offerings but I really can't imagine anyone who started off making this amounting to hill of outtakes! anybody who really cares would not use little clips ending with them in freeze frame to stretch them out half a second! that in itself is a dead giveaway that this person should have his video equipment confiscated! Funny that my review isn't long enough but what else is there to say? I am told by IMDb I could be kicked off if I use "junk words" to round it out. Ironic when I just suggested MR should be barred from filmmaking. Instead it's probably the case that he will be welcome with open arms at the gay film festivals for all time.

It's interesting to read the outraged "reviews" others have posted here. The title makes it clear what the author/director's point of view is –Why act shocked? This documentary explores themes and images that are now archetypal, from a modern gay perspective. That it could merely be our modern eyes seeing more than the various filmmakers intended is a question that is explored, but the director provides so many examples that, in the end, you find yourself accepting his point of view.This documentary is unabashedly gay; written and directed by, and starring gay men. It assumes that the viewer is either gay, or completely comfortable with and knowledgeable about homosexuality. This is not meant for closet cases. Those who approach it with an open mind (and a decent knowledge of old movies and character actors) will find it extremely interesting and enjoyable. Film buffs and queer historians won't find too much here that's new, but the included clips provide clear, specific examples of the topic.

Worse than the films it features!! Concentrates on a few actors and movies. No idea what clip is from what movie. It all got very confusing - well for me anyway. Also irritating was that some clips went for .3 of a second. I was barely able to understand what was said in the clip, let alone 'get' the lavender part to it. Clips are put on freeze frame while the narrator talks endlessly about what could be almost considered 'gay conspiracy theories'..One of the most boring...and irritating documentaries I've ever seen. The Celluloid Closet and Fabulous puts this documentary to shame! I'll be steering clear of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye movies for a LONG time..