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Putting On The Dish – a film in polari

Putting on the Dish
In this short set in the early ’60s, two strangers strike up a conversation on a park bench, but you won’t be able to comprehend most of what they’re saying. That’s because the two men are speaking in Polari, a cryptolect of English formerly used in the gay community to speak frankly without detection while homosexuality was still illegal in Britain.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y8yEH8TZUsk
Written & Directed by Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston, 2015
London, 1962. Two strangers strike up a conversation on a park bench about life, sex and the hostile world they find themselves in as gay men. The conversation might be commonplace, but the language isn’t, because the two men are speaking in Polari.
Polari was a form of slang spoken by some gay men in Britain prior to the decriminalisation of homosexuality in 1967. Used primarily as a coded way for them to discuss their experiences, it quickly fell out of use in the 70s, although several words entered mainstream English and are still used today.
Shedding light on a little-known and fascinating slice of gay history, this film is a darkly comic exploration of oppression, resilience and gay subculture in 1960s England.
Written & Directed by Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston http://www.brianandkarl.com
Maureen: Steve Wickenden
Roberta: Neil Chinneck
Director of Photography: Benjamin Barber
Camera Assist: Antonis Tsiakos
Sound Recordist: Patrick Casey
Sound Mixer: James Wright
Colourist: Jack McGinity
Edit: Brian Fairbairn and Karl Eccleston
Production Assistant: Brad Hoyland
Stills: Chris Parkes
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