ABSTRACT
It had seemed that there was so much promise. A movement was underway, the movies seemed primed to be a part of it, there were good intentions, and enlightenment seemed to be slowly approaching. So—how great a role do any of these play in the film industry's bottom line? The answer was clear after the disappointing financial performance of The Boys in the Band. It became clearer still over the next few years. Where lesbians and gays were concerned, the film experience essentially came down to seeing themselves in big movies as bit players or evil or invisible. There were a few nuggets in indie films and imports, and there was porn. Otherwise the heightened awareness and visibility, the sense of identity that came with the rise of the Gay Liberation movement, were in no way reflected on the screen in the 1970s. The disconnect seemed nearly total.
