In Praise of Tipping the Velvet

The miniseries, I mean. ;-)

I'm not generally a fan of romances; as you can see from the list of favorite movies in my profile, I tend toward a) raunchy comedies made by people with more on their mind than fart jokes and b) stylistic suspense and/or action flicks made by people with more on their minds than blowing shit up. That being said, Tipping the Velvet does have quite a bit of raunchy comedy and is shot in a modern, stylistic manner despite its Victorian setting. Plus, the featured actresses (all of whom, I think, are straight in real life) totally sell the lesbian romance and sex scenes - the latter of which are among the most genuinely erotic I've ever seen.

Besides, Nan, the heroine, is a delightful character; and her story mirrors my own in some significant ways. Like me, she grows up thinking of herself as straight because she just doesn't know there's any other way to be. All she knows is, she isn't nearly as interested in having sex with her boyfriend as he and her sister think she should be. I've alluded to the rowboat scene before in this blog; that was so me at that stage of my life.

Then Nan goes to a vaudeville show and finds herself absolutely (sorry, there's no better word) enthralled by a charming young drag king named Kitty. Now, Kitty isn't a modern drag king (And thank goodness for that; women who look like men do nothing for me. On the other hand, I absolutely adore drag queens). She's a pretty young woman who cuts her hair short, wears a gentleman's suit, and winkingly sings about all the women she's loved. Before you know it, Nan's joining her act in a number of different ways, all of which are quite enjoyable - for them and for us.

But that's only the first third of the miniseries. In the second third, Nan falls in with a domme who turns Nan into her personal love slave and exhibits her at fetish balls in various outlandish getups. My favorite is when she paints Nan gold from head to toe, straps a ginormous dildo on her, and introduces her as "Hermaphrodite" (with the final "e" pronounced). When Domme Diana leads her out into the crowd, Nan's face is totally impassive, as if she really has been turned into a mindless living statue. Gah, it's just soooo hot. Here, have a closer look - and an even closer one. Wouldn't you just kill to have a woman like this in your bed?

But that's only the second third of the miniseries, and I really would be doing you an injustice if I spoiled the final act. Try not to hear too much about it before you see it; it's full of delightful twists and turns, and the climax is a real gut-wrencher - in the best possible way.

All in all, Tipping the Velvet is a five-star rental, if not an outright purchase. Check it out. You'll thank me later.