Christopher and His Kind

Synopsis:

In 1931 budding author Christopher Isherwood goes to Berlin at the invitation of his friend W. H. Auden for the gay sex that abounds in the city. Whilst working as an English teacher his housemates include bewigged old queen Gerald Hamilton and would-be actress Jean Ross, who sings tunelessly in a seedy cabaret club. After a fling with sexy rent boy Caspar he falls for street sweeper Heinz, paying medical bills for the boy’s sickly mother, to the disapproval of her other son, Nazi Gerhardt. With Fascism rapidly rising Christopher returns to London with Heinz but is unable to prevent his return to Germany when his visa expires. Years later Christopher, now a successful writer, returns to Berlin for a final meeting with Heinz, now married with children.

Quick Thoughts:

If you’ve seen “Christopher and his Kind”, then you might be thinking: “Isn’t this just a retelling of the musical film, Cabaret”? Well, it’s actually the reverse! The queer musical hit “Cabaret” is actually a reworking of the play, “I Am Camera”, which itself is a retelling of Christopher Isherwood’s autobiographical memoir, “Christopher and His Kind” published in 1976. Back in 2011, BBC took the original course of Isherwood’s memoir and adapted it into a TV film, which is the one I am remarking upon today. This queer biography film is quite interesting to watch. While the film naturally has some tragic and darker moments, it also portrays some of the happier times in Isherwood’s early life including travel, wanderlust, and even romance. Whether you’re after a recreating of gay life in Weimar Germany of the 1930’s or if you’re simply keen to know more about the source material for “Cabaret”, I highly recommend watching “Christopher and His Kind”!