User Reviews

I caught this documentary back in a repertory theatre back in 1992. I haven't seen it since but I never forgot it. It's basically talks with lesbian writers who talk about writing and having published books about lesbian lovers. Also they talk about what it was like in lesbian bars back then.

Some people may think that this will only appeal to a limited audience (i.e. gay and lesbian) but I saw it with a straight friend and he was fascinated. The talks are lively and fun--there's no despair or negativity. One writer speaks openly about fighting with publishers to have her books have happy endings! Interspered is a sequence in which two women meet in a bar (no dialogue), go to one of their houses and has sex. I have no problem with that, but the sequence seems way too explicit for this. Still this is an excellent documentary about a subject that is never covered. How about one with gay male writers?

Kitschy paperback covers from the golden days of pulp fiction frame this documentary about a group of gay Canadian women and their separate stories of growing up lesbian in the 1940s-1960s. The reenactments of "forbidden" stories of passion are a little enervated and weak, but the women themselves are funny, smart, candid and exciting to listen to. There are some great quotes here, and plenty of funny and poignant memories; the only thing the movie isn't is suggestive (it doesn't even flirt with being sexy). Striving (and succeeding) to be informative, we still don't get a sense of the sexual thrill behind the headlines. We learn why a married woman would leave her family and surroundings for the embrace of a lesbian lover, but we don't sense the drive and passion that keeps them together in the face of so many obstacles. **1/2 from ****

I am viewing: Forbidden Love, now on LOGO- NYC, still NO captions!!! in 2006!!! sorry- but this is my story:

When I first saw this ground-breaking film- truly outstanding among the early documentaries- (possibly the first depiction) of: lesbian (hidden) history & culture, I enjoyed it immensely, but I had difficulty understanding any speech in the film, because I am deaf- I rely on captions! It's hard to believe that an up-dated newer (closed caption) version is not now being shown on LOGO! At the same time, as I write, I am amazed how well "Forbidden Love" remains one of the best- if not the best- documentary on: Forbidden Love: The Unashamed Stories of Lesbian Lives.

I love watching movies, and often times, I ignore documentaries, because I feel they're too dry. You see, they try to educate you or inform you, and I want to be entertained. Well, this did all three! I was fascinated with the women's personal stories, and would often compare theirs to my own. It was insightful to here about life back then, dispelling others into thinking that it's some sort of trend (tsk, tsk!) or some other backwards idea. If you want to get cozy with a bowl of popcorn and lend your ear to some tales of long ago, if you're straight and disbelieve that older lesbians existed, if you want to rid yourself of ignorance to find out more than "what lesbians do in bed", if you want to see fiction mixed gracefully with true life stories, watch this. You may have met one of these fascinating women and not known it. I was at a bookstore, and I heard a familiar voice behind me, thinking it was someone I knew. I peaked behind me, and there stood the Native woman who appeared in it. I was excited, but did nothing about it. If I wasn't so shy, I might have thanked her for sharing her story and for being an inspiration to the younger generation who heard it.

If you have any interest whatsoever in lesbian lives as they really have been and still are lived this is THE documentary to see.

No doubt that we have to salute those women who "dared" to show their faces on screen in this documentary; it's not anything we are used to at least not outside the North America.

Even though the woman portraited are, of course, living in North America it is still a fabulous documentary, actually quite breathtaking in all its "naturalness".

Also spiced with a bit of "filmic erotica" I feel is it a necessity to watch for any lesbian woman.

Bravo to those who came up with the idea and bravo for the woman who dared all along!

This was a wonderful film i also saw it when it first came out into theaters..It's a very positive look at lesbian lives. One of the best documentary films i have ever seen. There is some pulp fiction type lesbian story lines and a great discussion with lesbian authors whom writes the classic pulps.

I saw this when it was released and never forgot it, most of my friends also remember it clearly! It is a wonderful glimpse into the lives of lesbians in the 50s, in many ways different from now - the hidden=ness and secrecy, the butch femme culture - and in many ways so the same - who was going out with who, when, how they fell in love, broke up, wove their lives and made family of their friendships.

Highly recommend it as an uplifting piece of Lesbian History, and a vision of what we younger lesbians may look like as we age. DELIGHTFUL!