 Wood brought psychological insight into the motivations of characters in movies such as "Psycho" and "Marnie", and Wood was admired for his tendency to champion under-recognized directors and films.After his coming out as a gay man, Wood's writings became more – though not exclusively – political, primarily from a stance associated with Marxist and Freudian thinking, and with gay rights.The turning point in Wood's views can arguably be pinpointed in his essay "Responsibilities of a Gay Film Critic", originally a speech at London's National Film Theatre and later published in the January 1978 issue of "Film Comment".