It's difficult to clearly mark "queerness" in stone. I don't think that in the particular case of Heavenly Creatures it matters whether or not Peter Jackson, Kate Winslet or Melanie Lynskey are homosexual or heterosexual. The film's queerness still measures up to those directed and acted by truly queer individuals. I can believe, however, that the queerness of a film could be detracted by its makers' heterosexuality. In the case of Female Trouble, I absolutely believe that it's queerness was birthed by John Waters and his fan base gave it an even clearer identity. It is probably safe to say that a large portion if not majority of John Waters' fans fit into the LGBT category, which gave him an immediate captivated audience for many of the films he created. Many people were bothered when Brokeback Mountain appeared on the big screen, because none of the actors were actually gay in real life. As a straight person, I feel less qualified to pass judgment, but I didn't think the film suffered one bit from its casting. This film, as well as Heavenly Creatures, has led me to believe that a "queer eye" is not as important as one may think. It may affect the films initial popularity with the gay community, but as Harvey Fierstein said in the documentary we viewed earlier in the semester, any representation is better than none at all. I think that Peter Jackson's interpretation of Juliet and Pauline's relationship is really captivating and interesting. They way the girls miss each other, and Juliet's jealousy regarding Pauline's relationship with the lodger were both realistic and beautifully told. The letters they write to one another in their fantasy world are so unique and fantastical; I think Peter Jackson did an excellent job.
I agree with what you said about John Waters' queerness drawing in a large queer audience. If he had been non-queer, I think Female Trouble would have fallen flat on is face. But, given the role of Divine in the film and John Waters public queerness, Female Trouble drew in a very queer audience and has become a classic in the Queer community.
Within Celluloid Closet and within our class, Fierstein's comment that any representation of queer culture and people in film is better than none was extremely controversial. Many feel that this statement is anything but the truth. I do believe that certain depictions of queers in cinema--especially when the actors and director are straight--are inappropriate. However, I felt that Heavenly Creatures was well acted and directed, and the fact that the girls' relationship was more-or-less ambiguous makes it hard for me to criticize this movie for misrepresenting queers in the cinema.
I think that it is possible that John Walters queerness could have drown in more of a queer audience, but too many factors are in play to decide that.
I totally agree with you about the sexuality of a cast in a queer themed film, and also about Female Trouble succeeding largely due to the pre-captivated John Waters queer fan base. I think you distinguished a very fine line here and did a great job of doing so. I like that you bring up the case of Broke Back Mountain, I never knew that so many people were upset about the sexual identity of the actors in real life.
I appreciate the diversity of opinion within the queer community and feel the need to point out that the word community seems to be used a lot here in a very general sense. I think it's important to remember that while maybe some people in the queer community feel certain ways about a film, there is a lot of individuality to be accounted for. I totally agree with tayl0598's comment about how Female Trouble would have been a failure without the queer cast/crew, but disagree that it is a "classic in the Queer community". I had the opposite experience when talking with queer friends about it, and gathered that many people weren't fans or even familiar with the film. I'm not saying that the comment was wrong, there is of course no right or wrong in matters of opinion, but I am saying that there is a lot of disparity and disagreement within the Queer community and that when we generalize, or speak only of the majority's view, then we uphold the same hegemonies that seek to oppress us as individuals.