This was such an engaging read about the history and evolution of trans representation in cinema. The authors give historical context for what was happening in the world when the movies were coming out, discuss who the filmmakers were, give plot explanations, and show how language and film images have changed over time.

Big movies like Psycho, The Silence of the Lambs, The Danish Girl, Boys Don’t Cry, and more get coverage within the book. But what I appreciated the most was learning about all of these different trans narrative films and documentaries that I had never heard of before, even with all the research I’ve already done into the history of LGBTQ+ movies. I have such a long list of films that I’m now dying to seek out. Another strength of the book was how the authors discussed how even if a movie isn’t intending to depict a trans character, audiences still take away messages from the film. That can be negative, like even though within The Silence of the Lambs they say that Buffalo Bill isn’t trans, many walked away from that movie with a negative association with trans women being killers. But it can also be positive, like when people have trans reads that help them feel represented within movies that don’t have canonical trans characters.

This isn’t just an encyclopedia of different movies, it brings up discussions of persistent stereotypes, commonly used images, cis vs trans casting, the lack of trans masc films, important figures in trans history, and the filmmakers who are bringing new and unique trans stories to the screen today. It covers so many years of films and so much ground in terms of different topics of conversation.

The book does have an academic tone, but not in the way that makes it difficult to read. The information is portrayed clearly and the connections between the different chapters and topics are easy to follow. I’d definitely recommend this book for anyone who has an interest in trans history or film history. You’ll most likely learn about movies you’ve never heard of before to add to your watchlist.

This book is as the title says: the history and future of transness in cinema. It’s an academic text that references cinema throughout the 20 and 21 century that featured trans representation and how that representation could be harmful or helpful to trans people and the public opinion on trans people - shown as corpses, fools and monsters. It considers the time period the movies were made and released in while also considering the films through a modern lens. For each film mentioned, there’s ample description of the cast, characters, plot, and how transness is shown. I wrote down several of these movies to watch and then revisit the text here. This is so well researched and argued. It is heavy and dense, but it’s an excellent read, especially if you’re interested in cinema or are a queer person or want to know more about how trans people are portrayed. It’s an amazing collection of research and thoughts on the history, current day, and future of trans people depicted in cinema.

Corpses, Fools and Monsters is a journey through the history of 'trans images' in cinema, looking at how representations of trans people on screen have come about, changed, and evolved over time. The book is structured through time but also theme, taking into account wider changes in trans liberation and representation over the decades as well as cinematic depictions, and it is organised in a way that allows for a comprehensive overview as well as in depth exploration of individual films and performances.

The book is fairly academic but very accessible, not just for people studying film, and it is ideal for anyone interested in how trans people have been represented on film, covering some of the often more infamous examples as well as less well-known ones. It focuses on history and readings of films, not dense theory, and explore some of the debate and issues around films like The Silence of the Lambs or Boys Don't Cry, whilst also looking at the work of trans filmmakers and where trans film might be going, ending with films like We're All Going To The World's Fair. By nature of the book as a history of trans cinema, it doesn't go into particular analytical depth about films or creators, but it offers a journey through film that is likely to be enlightening for many people, trans and cis alike.

This book is fairly explanatory- it's a detailed history of transgender representation throughout the history of TV and film. As a side effect, it also serves as a good study of how cultural perceptions of trans people changed throughout America, in particular, in that same time period.
It was a bit of a slow read, in part because of the careful plot descriptions of so many movies, but I enjoyed it, especially the chapters discussing the representation of trans people in horror, particularly Psycho and Silence of the Lamb, and the chapter on The Matrix.
All in all, it's a fairly academic book, but well worth the read.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my fair review.

This is one of the most comprehensive, well-researched and discussed academic books about transness on screen. Maclay and Gardner address a lacuna and generate an important discussion about the evolving trans film image. I wish this book were published before one of my students’ wrote their dissertation on transgressiveness - there are several great discussion points in his book. I particularly found the chapters 3 through 11 (inc.) extremely insightful. I will request this book for my work and refer to it.