Pride Month on The Archive

Welcome to TheArchive's cinematic celebration of Pride Month. As we come together to honor and support the LGBTQ+ community, it's the perfect time to explore a diverse range of films that capture the essence of love, identity, and self-discovery. From heartfelt dramas to uplifting comedies, we've curated a list of movies that remind us of the power and beauty of diverse stories. 

In Alto, Francesca “Frankie” Del Vecchio (Diana DeGarmo) is adamant about many things in life. Headstrong and passionate, she loves her family, her band, and her fiancé; but disagrees with all of them about one thing: "Mob Hit" a TV show symbolizes the fetishizing of Mafia culture that to Frankie obscures all the more important aspects of the Italian American culture she longs to feed her soul. 

But Frankie’s abhorrence of–and her sister Heather’s attraction to–Mob culture remain symbolic, that is until Frankie opens the trunk of a rental car and finds her world turned upside down.

Also features: Natalie Knepp, Billy Wirth, Annabella Sciorra, Lou Martini, Jr., Jake Robards, Anthony Gallo

Director Mikki del Monico says, "Alto was always intentionally a movie to make people laugh, and through humor, help heal the wounds that separate us, particularly from those we love.

In the end, I wanted to make a film that would break through the differences between people and encourage authentic lives.

It just so happens, some of those lessons are the stuff of comedy.

I learned that what matters in the world is simple but getting there is not. Alto emerged from a place that knew both. It emerged from family."

Two men with AIDS develop a close friendship while roommates at a residence for people living with the disease. One man is a heterosexual ex-con, and the other is a homosexual educated professional.

Roommates stars Elizabeth Peña, Randy Quaid and Eric Stoltz.

                                                                                                            

Sometimes love grabs you by the legs and asks you to sit down and commiserate. Fat Legs from TheArchive is free, in 4K and the perfect companion to a pint of ice cream.

For our heroine Anna, it has been a year since she and John split, but things for her aren’t getting any easier. She isn’t landing auditions, and the mounting pressure from her parents to find a more stable career is starting to get to her. 

Dreading the uncertainty of her future Anna travels to Paris to the home of her best friend, Jean.

Jean has given up the dream of acting for a stable paycheck and idyllic life with his partner Phillipe,

however Phillipe’s dying mother has caused for some turmoil recently. Eager to find a distraction from his own problems, Jean shifts his time and attention to helping Anna who herself is devoted to another task entirely. You'll have to watch Fat Legs to find out more.

If you have not fallen madly in love with Fat Legs by now, we suggest you search TheArchive until you find your match! In 4K no less.

Hugh Grant stars alongside Julie Andrews and Ann-Margret who play the mothers of two gay sons, one of whom is dying from AIDS. Luanne Barnes must overcome her own homophobia and learn to love her son Donald unconditionally.

Our Sons stars Hugh Grant, Ann-Margret, and Julie Andrews.

RuPaul is widely regarded globally as a bold voice of change and authenticity, and we are sharing a bit more on his film from the 90's Red Ribbon Blues.

If you are hoping for a full drag, over the top dance sequence starring RuPaul in all his fabulousness, please watch his eight time Emmy winning Rupaul's Drag Race or To Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything! Julie Newmar, which incidentally came out the same year. No pun.

Red Ribbon Blues is an action dramedy about four friends who take to ripping off pharmacies so they can procure impossibly expensive HIV medication in an attempt to distribute it to those who can't afford it. Like most people!

RuPaul is Duke, an L.A. art gallery owner whose partner is starting to slip in to dementia due to complications around HIV. They start contemplating all kinds of illegal activity in order to get the drugs they need to save lives!

With RuPaul playing lookout, he and his friends start a crime spree. They leave red HIV ribbons behind at the crime scene as the media calls them the “Red Ribbon Bandits” and “the Robin Hood of the ’90s.” Their social action inspires others to protest the unfair drug pricing. It's strong social commentary represents a time when HIV drug policies created were wildly discriminatory.

The commentary here is as relevant as ever. Even in 1996, gainfully employed high income earning HIV-positive people did not pay for their HIV meds with their employer’s insurance for fear retaliation or being outed at work. The irony here is not lost as even today, discrimination in the workplace runs rampant despite the laws and the progress. Just yesterday RuPaul tweets his desire to "empower members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community to bring their authentic selves to work."

Years ago RuPaul also commented on the work he does and his approach:

"What other people think of me is not my business. What I do is what I do. How people see me doesn't change what I decide to do. I don't choose projects so people don't see me as one thing or another. I choose projects that excite me. I think the problem is that people refuse to understand what drag is outside of their own belief system."

The world of work has changed far less than progress has pushed for and we just hope this little slice of nostalgia helps remind us of the progress we HAVE made but how much further we have to go.

Red Ribbon Blues stars RuPaul and Debi Mazar and has just been fully restored to beautiful 4K. We hope you enjoy.

Fueled by the poverty of his youth, Liberace was determined to become the world's greatest entertainer amid his opulent lifestyle and grandiose stage shows.

Liberace: Behind the Music stars Victor Garber, Saul Rubinek, Maureen Stapleton, and Shawn Levy.

In Darker Than Midnight, a twisted Italian indie, Davide is unlike most teenagers his age and his father constantly berates him for it. When Davide finally takes to the streets, he finds a hidden world the rest of the city has turned its back on.

Stream more free, 4K, LGBTQ+ content on TheArchive.

TheArchive channel is dedicated to aficionados and lovers of story, craft, and silver screen fun – streaming rare, retro, and 4K restored films and classic TV. From indies and series, to Oscar winning documentaries, unearthed MOWs, and a killer horror library, TheArchive delivers forgotten, never-before-seen gems for free. Marilyn, Karloff, and Orson Welles stream alongside Reese, Keanu, and Samuel L. Jackson. Find true stories of Queen, Hendrix, and  Sinatra, an LGBTQ library, MLK bios, and world history docs. TheArchive has the movies and shows you either saw, should’ve seen, or should be watching now!