How gay men used to speak - A short film in Polari

I found this awesome short film in Polari. For those that don't know, Polari was an extreme form of slang that functioned as a secret code language used by gay men in the U.K. This was necessary to assist them in communicating among themselves, which allowed them to avoid being abused and arrested by the police.

It started to fall out of use once homosexuality was decriminalized. This is important context to understand what is going on in the film.

[YOUTUBE]Y8yEH8TZUsk[/YOUTUBE]

 

Indeed. It is somewhat hard to understand, though I do know some Polari, so I can figure out the gist of the conversation. Of course, the point of the short film isn't really to so much understand what is going on, as it is to hear and witness what it would have been like watching two gay men talk in their secret code.

I'll try and break it down.

Okay, so there are two men who I will refer to as Book Guy and Smoking Guy.

If I understand the setting correctly, they are both supposed to be cruising in the park ("trolling" would be what it is called in Polari), and it is supposed to be done covertly. So the park is likely a frequent hookup spot for gay men, and both are reasonably sure of bumping into other gay men there.

Smoking Guy is people watching, waiting to see if anyone approaches him, and that is when Book Guy sits down. Since Book Guy approaches by sitting down, Smoking Guy opens the conversation. He tells Book Guy that he's read the book he's reading. Book Guy kinda ignores him, because they're kinda like spies and he's waiting to get a signal from Smoking Guy that he's gay and knows the code.

That's when Smoking Guy calls the ending of the book "naff". That word in Polari is always something awful, bad, or negative. So, he's saying the ending of the book is awful. This is important to remember for the end of the film.

When Smoking Guy says the Polari word, Book Guy obviously pauses, but it's just a single word. It doesn't mean anything, yet. Who knows if the guy is an undercover cop who knows a few words here and there. It's too soon for Book Guy to show his hand as a gay man. It's still too dangerous.

Smoking Guy then puts out his cigarette and asks if Book Guy has "three drags and a spit, doll?" Three drags and a spit is obviously a cigarette and a light. I know what doll/dolly means. It means pretty, beautiful, sexy. So, he's asking him, "Do you have a spare cigarette and a light, sexy?"

This is sort of a test to see if they really understand each other. So Smoking Guy is waiting for Book Guy to respond, which he does. This is the confirmation that they are both gay men, and that they understand one another.

Smoking Guy asks if Book Guy is from around here, and Book Guy is coy in his answer, "more or less."

Smoking Guy then goes into full Polari. I don't understand everything he is saying, but I know that "bona" is the opposite of "naff" so it means good or positive. From the context of the conversation, I am confident that Smoking Guy is complimenting Book Guy on his shoes, and asking what size shoe he wears. Book Guy responds that he thinks he wears a size ten shoe.

So far Book Guy is playing things extremely coy. So Smoking Guy turns up the heat by asking him if his dick is size ten too. Book Guy kinda smirks, amused. He doesn't respond though. That's when Smoking Guy tells him that he bet he fucks guys real good. This gets more of a reaction from Book Guy, who is kinda annoyed at the forwardness of Smoking Guy, but doesn't seem surprised. He asks Smoking Guy if this is his usual spot. Smoking Guy asks somewhat returning Book Guy's coyness, "How do you mean?" That's when the tables turn and Book Guy becomes the one who is more forward, "I've got your number, ducky." Meaning he knows what he wants from him, which is to have sex.

After calling him out so bluntly, Smoking Guy turns away, and there is a moment of silence between them. There was a brief moment of sexual tension there, but it seems to dissipate when this happens.

This is when things start to really slip out of my depth. They're talking about another gay man, and Smoking Guy says that 'she' "dyed her riah, her ends are a real mess." "Riah" is just "hair" spelled backward. So he's saying that the guy who they're talking about dyed his hair and his ends ended up a real mess. Book Guy says he hopes he went straight back to the hairdresser.

There is an exchange that I don't quite understand, but then the conversation turns asking if the guy they're talking about is still with another guy. It might be that it is a well known gay man they're talking about in the community, as it seems that he is mutually known between them. Book Guy is asking if he's still with another guy (likely another well known gay man in the community). Smoking Guy responds with, "Oh no. Haven't you heard?"

That's when Smoking Guy tells Book Guy that "Phyllis" (whose real name is likely Phil) had been cheating on "Pauline" (whose real name is likely Paul). Phil/Phyllis had been giving blow jobs to random guys, and having all sorts of anonymous hookups. This shocks Book Guy, "She didn't!?"

Smoking Guy tells Book Guy that Paul/Pauline caught Phil/Phyllis having sex. This further shocks Book Guy who exclaims, "Dish the dirt!" Basically, saying give me all the details. They are going into full gossip mode now.

I don't really understand all that Smoking Guy is saying next. I understand a few words, something about Paul and money. Handbag means money. Then he says, "They had to refake her entire basket." I am not sure exactly what that means, but I know basket usually means the same as packet, which refers to a guys crotch bulge or his dick and balls in general. EDIT: From later in the conversation, it becomes clear that Phil/Phyllis is a drag queen, and thus "refake her entire basket" means that he had to re-do his tuck.

Then an attractive man walks buy. They both check him out together, Book Guy says, "Speaking of baskets." This obviously means he's checking out this other guy, and is eyeing his crotch specifically.

Smoking Guy tells Book Guy, "That'd stretch your coybungus." Which if I am not mistaken likely means that he has a big dick and will stretch his asshole out. Book Guy responds, "Fortuni." The tone of his voice says more than the word. Book Guy is clearly thirsty.

That's when Smoking Guy says, "Mind you, it's the dolly ones that disappoint." Keep in mind, Smoking Guy is trying to arrange the hookup here with Book Guy. He's saying it's the pretty ones (remember doll/dolly means pretty, sexy, or cute) that disappoint. So basically, even if he has a really big dick, it doesn't matter. He's basically inferring that he's better at sex than big dick attractive guy that Book Guy is now eyeing.

Smoking Guy talks about how he was seeing a guy who had a dick the size of bowling pins, and that he thought he was in for a really good time sexually speaking. I don't quite understand the exchange they are having, but I think Smoking Guy is saying his dick was so big he had to get drunk to be able to take it. This sort of kills Book Guys desire to hook up with new attractive guy, and the conversation turns back to Phil/Phyllis.

It turns out that Smoking Guy had hooked up with Phil/Phyllis in the past, and apparently Phil/Phyllis has some real skill sexually. Smoking Guy is bragging about Phil/Phyllis' sexual skills. Apparently they were both in the military (sailors) together, which is where they met, and Phil/Phyllis was basically fucking everybody which is where he apparently developed his crazy sex skills. This is when the conversation starts to turn south.

Smoking Guy tells Book Guy that Phil/Phyllis had a run in with the police. Apparently, Phil/Phyllis is a drag queen (this would explain how both men know Phil/Phyllis), and he was in drag when the police nabbed him. I don't understand exactly what is being said next. At first I thought it was something about Phil/Phyllis eyes, but I think he's actually saying that he doesn't appear very masculine, that it's pretty easy to realize that he's a gay man (or as they may be more directly saying, 'he looks so gay that he can't even see straight, in fact he can only see sideways'). This seems to be the implication of the exchange.

Phil/Phyllis was dragged before the magistrate/court. The judgement was harsh, meaning that he has likely been imprisoned. The judge/magistrate asked if Phil/Phyllis was sorry, and that Phil/Phyllis got sassy with the judge saying, "Only that it wasn't worth the look she got." (Keeping in mind, of course, that Phil/Phyllis was in full drag when he was nabbed by the cops. Hence why they find it funny and are laughing. The judge asks him if he's sorry and he responds that he wasn't, "only that it wasn't worth the looks he got.")

There is a moment of silence after this... I mean, it's funny and all that, but this is one of them who had been imprisoned by the police. So it's sad and worrying as well. It's a reminder of the world they live in.

That's when Smoking Guy says that he figures they'll all end up in prison soon. The conversation has already turned to a debby downer, but it's now taking a dark turn. Smoking Guy tells Book Guy that he was almost caught last week. He tells him that he was having sex with "a chicken" (a young gay man) "in that cottage" (a public bathroom). He had basically given him a blowjob, and was standing outside the bathroom "wiping his screech" (his mouth) when he bumped into a cop ("one of your orderly daughters"). He then rats out the young gay man, telling the cop, "There's a poof in there." He likely did this to save himself. He thinks the cop caught him with his pants still down around his ankles. The young gay man apparently didn't even see it coming.

Of course, this admission is horrible, shocking, and disgusting. Smoking Guy turned on one of their own, and ratted him out to the police to save his own skin. Book Guy says, "You're disgusting!" He then starts getting his things together, not wanting anything to do with Smoking Guy. Smoking Guy tells him to basically leave then, he seems to call him fake, and his words imply that Book Guy would have done the same to save his own skin.

Book Guy is leaving, but in his hurry to get away from Smoking Guy, he forgets his book. "You forgot your glossy!" (Glossy usually means magazine, but could be used to refer to any type of reading material I suppose.)

Book Guy returns to get his book, but Smoking Guy holds onto it, and leans in to tell him, "They cure him in the end." Remember that in the beginning of the film Smoking Guy called the books ending "naff" so now he's spoiling it. However, there is greater implication from his words. He's not only spoiling the ending of the book, he's referring to the young gay man he ratted out and by implication all gay men. I'm assuming he's suggesting chemical castration (similar to what was done to Alan Turing). Remember, Smoking Guy thinks they are all going to eventually be rounded up by the police. Thus he's essentially implying, in not only spoiling the ending of the book, but the cops are going to castrate or kill them all in the end.

This is why Book Guy spits in his face. The film ends with a focus on the Smoking Guy, who is a traitor, a guy trolling for sex in a public park, who holds a cold hard assessment of the world that he lives in. Most gay men likely would have agreed with him, and he isn't necessarily wrong that when push came to shove, Book Guy may have sold out the young gay man as well to save his own skin. After all, being revealed to be gay essentially means your life is over. Your career is over. Your family turns against you. Everything ends. And of course, it not only means jail time, but potentially being chemically castrated or worse as well.

So the camera ends on that dark note, all of the lightness of the earlier mood gone. And the cold reality of their situation and world is all that remains. It then fades to black.

Hopefully, this will provide some context to the film.

 

No problem. I hate the idea of Polari dying off due to lack of use. It is an important part of our cultural history, and it needs to be preserved. I have two more videos, both of these much more lighthearted than the original.

This video is a hilarious poem in Polari. Even if you don't understand everything, you should still pick up the jokes.

[YOUTUBE]Z2hfqYyf8w0[/YOUTUBE]

This video is a music video of a song written in Polari, which appears to be from a play called 'In the Life' (which I shall be looking up!). It is also quite funny (and somewhat sexually graphic at some points) once you understand a few of the terms, which you might be able to infer from context. It's a pretty catchy tune.

[YOUTUBE]oGgdXyO1UiY[/YOUTUBE]