“An American Werewolf in London” A realistic and sad wolfman created by John Landis and Rick Baker

Nazi Germany and homosexual persecution

David's last name, Kessler, means he is of German descent. His bushy eyebrows and big nose give him a stereotypical Jewish appearance, and when the nurse says, "He's Jewish. I saw him," she is referring to his circumcised genitals.

The nightmare he has is that his whole family is killed by a monster dressed in a Nazi German military uniform. It is natural that David, who is Jewish and has German roots, would have nightmares about the Nazis, but another meaning may also emerge.

In Germany under the Nazi Party rule, being gay was illegal, and the Gestapo created a list of gays. Between 1933 and 1945, it is said that about 100,000 men were arrested for being gay, about 50,000 were sentenced to prison, and 5,000 to 15,000 were interned in the Holocaust, many of whom were executed. For David, the Nazis were a source of fear not only as Jews, but also as gays.

"An American Werewolf in London" (C) McMLXXXI AMERIcAN WEREWOLF INc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

When "An American Werewolf in London" ​​was made in the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was even less understanding of gays than there is today. In 1981, when the film was released, the first HIV-positive person in America was found, and because the person was gay, intense homosexual bashing erupted. Coming out in that kind of world would have been very scary.

In the opening scene of the movie, Jack brags about how sexy his girlfriend is, but David keeps telling him, "You're only good at body and no good at brains." It's a typical vulgar conversation between men, but if David is gay, it takes on a different meaning.

Also, just as many closeted people pretend to be reactionary homophobes, in the film David shouts the words "Queen Elizabeth is a man! Prince Charles is a faggot!" in Trafalgar Square in an attempt to get himself arrested.

At the end of the movie, Alex approaches David, the werewolf who has plunged London into a crucible of terror and is finally surrounded by police. "Let me help you. I love you," says Alex, and David's angry expression softens.

This scene can also be seen as a look of "resignation" on his face at Alex's lack of understanding. In other words, Alex confesses to David that "helping him = making him stop being gay" as a woman he once loved, and David gives up on everything at the sight of Alex's lack of understanding, stands up, baring his fangs, and falls to the bullets of the police. If we read it this way, we may see a similarity between the image of David being shot and the martyrdom painting of St. Sebastian, known as the oldest gay icon in history.

Michael Jackson was so impressed by this work that he asked John Landis to direct and Rick Baker to do his makeup, and the resulting music video for " Thriller " is so suggestive.

However, in his case, it makes more sense that he was trying to satisfy a strong desire to transform.

Text: Samurai Isao

Designer by profession, film writer by profession. He is working hard to promote Indian films in Japan.

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"An American Werewolf in London"

DVD: 1,429 yen + tax

Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment

(C) McMLXXXI AMERIcAN WEREWOLF INc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.