Screen Dreams by Clare Whatling

From the introduction, '(in)appropriate(d) others or how Vanessa Redgrave turned me lesbian', to the afterwood, 'persistent desires and pleasurable frustrations', Clare Whatling argues that there is no such thing as a lesbian film per se, rather that films are lesbianised by the audiences that watch them. This book is not just about looking lesbian, however; it is more an examination of audiences' interpretations of films in general. In fact, one of the arguments of this book is that the most interesting thing about films are the audiences who watch them. From Streep to Foster, 'Maidens in uniform' to 'Heavenly creatures', Whatling reinvestigates mainstream feminist and lesbian film theory, and provides an engaging introduction to a complex area, whilst developing new accounts of the relationship between an audience and a film text.