The Early Works Of Cheryl Dunye (First Run Features DVD)

 

Picture: C     Sound: C+     Extras: C+     Shorts: B-

 

 

In Gay cinema, the lesbian voice seems more marginalized than that of Gay males, but Cheryl Dunye has tried to change that and with distinction.  Before her feature success with The Watermelon Woman, she produced a series of shorts starting with analog video and working her way up to film.  The Early Works Of Cheryl Dunye is a collection of six works in the early 1990s including Greetings From Africa, Vanilla Sex, Janine, An Untitled Portrait, She Don’t Fade and The Potluck & The Passion.

 

Some are experimental and others narrative, but the one common denominator besides the lesbian story is the various ways she tries to get this captured in images.  They are not pretentious, phony or formula, can be rough in the way they were made (think low budget) and can show their age, yet the lack of such a voice in mainstream visual media make these seem more immediate than their age would suggest.  I give her credit for establishing such a voice, somewhat distinctive.  She may not be an auteur, but she is an original and that is why this set is key in its rareness.

 

The 1.33 X 1 image varies of course, but this can be rough to watch, especially with the early NTSC tape soft and with flaws.  The Dolby Digital 2.0 is usually monophonic and can be noisy, but is not too harsh or shrill.  Extras include Director’s Introduction, new Dunye interview and look at Watermelon Woman.

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo