Belmondo wrote:was either unintentional or coded - any conscious attempt at camp, such as the TV version of Batman, was nothing but rot, and certainly not camp.
BATMAN had its moments, sir. Batman & Robin tied together & pushed off a roof, are halfway down. Someone from inside the building sees the blur fly by their window and throws a line down to them, which catches up to them before they hit the ground, and
which Batman catches with his teeth... hauled back up to safety, they get untied & Batman sez to Robin with dire utter seriousness, "We owe or lives to good dental hygeine Robin."
I disagree about the "conscious effort" thing. Look at BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN-- much of what puts people on the floor rolling (in alternation with the states of awe at one of the finest movies ever made) is Whale's irritation with having to make a sequel, and quite deliberately threw the high bitching of Thesiger and the raw peeled screeching of Una OConnor specifically to get under people's skin. Almost revenge at the film itself.
As a het, I can say: it's impossible to co-opt camp. What's camp for one is irritating crap to another. But in it's best possible form the common denominator I see running thru it all is a feeling of comfort or reassurance granted to the viewer by something in the material not originally intended to be this way, though there are exceptions (i e Whale but he was a frigging genius and knew how to walk the fine line). (Granted the origins of the term from the Jazz age had nothing to do with this.. was more along the lines of something deliberately effeminate/slightly-spastic/sardonic, with an edge of parody thrown in which elevated the performers above embarassment at the material for those who "got" it)
Camp is reassuring to anyone who fears that their facade or "front" is not Making It out in the world. Salves folks who are petrified that they are seen as frauds and that the whole world is privvy to this and secretly chuckling. In other words EVERYBODY. Everyone is insecure. Everybody is plagued by doubt. Edie Beale is brain salve to anyone, straight or gay, who is plagued by insecurity.. the woman and her s t a u n c h n e s s of character is absolutely sublime for anyone to behold, so obviously affected by her tragic circumstance yet seemingly so unaffected.
This "mass" definition of camp certainly covers the Ed Wood variety as well; through his movies, the average underachieving lump viewer sits there subconsciously thinking that this is the movie HE would probably make if he got the chance (i e the quality, not subject matter), and adores it feeling like he is among freinds watching the bad dialog, the terrible props, etc. (Of course what that viewer misses is the extreme motivation and drive.. and yes talent.. there behind the person of Ed Wood. No normal fuckup he).
Camp is much more than "gay funny". Of course owing to it's historical origins camp will always seem to be more than anything else part of queer culture, but that's a hypersimplification of the wonderful comforts provided to all kinds of souls by genuine solid camp, in how incredibly good it can make a person feel. In many cases like the BEALES it's the very core and essence of what humanity goes to a piece of artwork to get out of it: a form of comfort, reflection and reinforcement of their own llives & worlds, and a feeling of not being alone in feeling torn apart by a nasty society of inartistic & insesitive predators. Camp can provide the inspiration thru example to get back up on your feet no matter how silly or ugly or talentless you feel.
And of course it can be piss your clothes/shit your pants fucking hilarious, which I didn't really touch on here...
