DIRECTOR: Paul Newman

BOTTOM LINE:

Paul Newman produced and directed (his debut) “Rachel, Rachel”, a slight tale about a schoolteacher’s (Newman’s wife Joanne Woodward) sexual awakening in her mid-30s in a small Connecticut town. Highly regarded at the time of its release (NYFCC awards going to Newman as Best Director and Woodward as Best Actress), it seems a bit underwhelming today. However, it does offer one of the first sympathetic portraits of a lesbian character in an American Film; Rachel’s fellow schoolteacher Calla. Calla, who has a crush on Rachel, is nicely played by Estelle Parsons coming off her Oscar in “Bonnie and Clyde”. The screenplay is by Stewart Stern.

POST TITLE: Twenty-Seven Queer Films 1967-1976. Queer Cinema Comes Out.

CATEGORY: My Favorites

SUBCATEGORY: Queer Film

STREAMING: Amazon Prime and Apple TV+