Voyage of the Banned : Glen or Glenda
Presented by Accidental Theatre & CinePunked
Glen or Glenda (1953) is legendary – inspired by the real life successful sex reassignment surgery of Christine Jorgensen, director Ed Wood swapped the originally commissioned piece for something rather more personal about transvestism – fans of Tim Burton’s biopic Ed Wood (1994) will be familiar with the broad brush strokes.
Wood combines an exploitational sex shocker with a treatise on understanding human nature, featuring himself as the titular character, his then girlfriend Dolores Fuller, and former Dracula actor Bela Lugosi as the omniscient narrator. The resulting film may surprise you!
Join us at the Never Seen It Film Club for an immersive, phone-free screening in Accidental Theatre’s main space—where we’ll throw out the seating conventions and get comfortable in a true celebration of classic cinema. This is more than just a movie night; it’s an opportunity to dive deep into a film that was once deemed too shocking for its time, and connect with fellow film buffs in a dynamic, community-driven setting.
The Voyage of the Banned season is curated by CinePunked, with Accidental operating and hosting the events. The films picked have all been subject to censorship or banning at some point in the UK.
Made in 1953, the British authorities (BBFC) deemed it unsuitable for classification and the film was effectively banned to UK audiences until 1995.
The screening will be followed by an interactive discussion led by CinePunked’s Robert JE Simpson and Neil Sedgewick. They’ll be joined by special guest, actor Matthew Cavan, otherwise known as drag queen Cherrie Ontop. They’ll be chatting over their responses to the film, the issues around its censorship and its prescient portrayal of trans relationships.
A truly unique experience for anyone passionate about film history and the impact of controversial cinema. The discussion will be recorded.
Date: Sunday 23rd February, 6pm – 8.15pm approx GMT
Location: Accidental Theatre
Approx duration of event including screening and discussion: 2 1/4 hrs.
Tickets: From £5 – pre-book online, or tickets will be available on the door.
For more information on the Voyage of the Banned season click here.
CinePunked 