Description

"Beefcake," Thom Fitzgerald's (The Hanging Garden) provocative blending of fiction and documentary, tells the story of Bob Mizer, the pioneering founder of the Athletic Model Guild, a company which produced still photographs and short films extolling the beauty and chiseled physiques of men. The fiction story follows photographer and enterprising businessman Mizer, who teamed up with his mother in 1945 to film his beefy star-wannabes around his sun-drenched pool. It is here that Neil, a naive, right-off-the-bus teen is lured into using his handsome looks to become a model. The wide-eyed Neil soon learns about the world of sex and prostitution. But a police raid and ensuing criminal trial soon threaten both of the men's worlds. Interspersed with the story are rare archival footage and interviews with former co-workers, customers and models. ... Read more

Reviews (19)

Phony baloney!
The most frustrating thing about this film is the lackadaisical way it moves back and forth between engaging interviews and authentic 50s/60s film footage and the silly, flacid narrative about a physique magazine photographer who involves his unwitting (?) family in the creation of benign bordello/porn factory. Clearly, the beefcake pictoral magazines depicted were intended to be erotically provokative in an era of censorship when postal regulations prevented anything more graphic from being distributed. But the filmmaker seems devoid of a point of view. The film is little more than a blown kiss to a blessedly bygone era. Any perspective setting comes from the talking heads, the former models (like Joe Dallesandro and Jack LaLanne) and photographers who reflect on what it was like to be in the business back then. Also, frustrating was the failure to address the issue of the prevailing double standard; at a time when Hugh Hefner was taking female nudity into the middleclass mainstream, why was the male body such a persistant taboo? As clever as the intercutting of new and vintage footage is, the vintage films are best appreciated when run in their entirety as DVD "extras" (there are six in all, including one involving alien spacemen with antennas!). Watching them provokes a lot of questions. But alas, the viewer is left to come up with his or her own answers. This could have been the "Atomic Cafe" of gay erotica, but instead it's an after-school special with a little eye candy thrown in.

Please Pass the Beef
First of all, for those of you out who like straight-forward plot lines with twists and turns throughout, object to male nudity and get bored if something doesn't blow up in the first 15 minutes - then do not watch this movie.

As for the rest of us, who can appreciate intelligent mock-u-mentory styled films, "BeefCake" is a fabulous way to spend a Sunday evening. Through flashback sequences, photo clips and interiews with ex-hustlers/models from the 1950's, we receive the story of Robert Henry Mizer and his Athletic Model Guild. The movie jumps around a bit between Mizer's history with his pulp art magazine, his legal troubles for running escorts as well as the interviews, which makes one wonder how scatterbrained director Thom Fitzgerald really is. But the acting is good, the scenes are funny/interesting and there's plenty of male nudity to go around. Where can you go wrong?

Just OK.
An interesting film, respectful and with a touch of humour. Not a "must see" material but nothing I felt sorry after buying it.

With a title like Beefcake...
...you don't expect Shakespeare! But what you do get is an incredibly entertaining look at the birth of gay society's fascination with the male form. If the viewer can tear his attention away from the bountiful eye-candy he/she will also get a glimpse into the hardships and very real dangers that these seemingly cheesey photographers and publishers went through just to give us a glimpse of the body beautiful. Part movie, part documentary...all delightfully delicious!

Nudity galore!
Beefcake is a light-hearted, semi-documentary about the life and times of a muscle-magazine, Physique pictorial. Published during the puritanical 1950ies, it made quite a stir.

PP was the original hunk-o-rama, with hundreds of smiling, tanned and muscled young men flashing their goods at you. Of course, it was not strictly a nude-mag (the models wore small pouches in front of you know what..) but the gay readers had a field time anyway! The publishers also made short films featuring their hunky stars. It was all marketed as "promoting health and physical fitness in young minds"

Looking back at those "innocent" times from this liberal day and age, we can only smile at the cunning and bravery that went into it. The brains behind PP, Bob Mizer, was actually jailed and fined several times on charges of renting out his models as escorts to rich men. Still, the mag continued into the 60's and 70's.

Watching Beefcake is like flipping through those pages of PP, stopping occasionally for some reconstructed dramatic scenes. But the best parts are watching the guys modelling, doing some amateur acting in front of Mizer's camera and generally horsing around. Great fun!

There are several interviews with the guys who posed for the mag, one of them, Joe Dallesandro, apparently did his posing mostly nude! There is, in fact, copious nudity in Beefcake, and the men are all fabulous looking.

There are some great contemporary songs on the soundtrack, as well. A good time movie for the (mostly) gay crowd. ... Read more

Amazon.com

As Robert Eads puts it in one of the first scenes of this remarkable documentary, he lives in "Bubba-land"--which wouldn't be unusual if Robert weren't a female-to-male transsexual. Southern Comfort chronicles the last year of Robert's life, as he succumbed to, ironically, cervical cancer; over that year, documentarian Kate Davis developed an amazing intimacy with Robert and his adopted family of other transsexuals living in the depths of Georgia, including his vivacious male-to-female transsexual girlfriend Lola. The film's title comes from an annual gathering that Robert describes as "the cotillion of the trans community, the coming-out party"--an event part convention, part high school prom. Every scene testifies to both the enormous difficulties they face and the grace, humor, and sheer will with which they take it all on. It's not surprising Southern Comfort has won numerous awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Inspirational!
This film started out to be a curiosity for me and turned into a near tearjerker. This award winning documentary follows Robert Eads and his girlfriend, Lola Cola, during the last year of Robert's life (ironically, he's dying of Ovarian cancer). The story is told with Robert in the lead with his many friends and family around commenting on how life simply is. It's told in such a matter of fact way, you wonder they don't all just give up. In the extreme face of adversity, discrimination and hate, they have the courage to continue living. In fact, they prefer the isolated redneck country, as even in the more liberal city, there is more prejudice.

All the 'female to male' guys are believable and only Lola Cola seems more like a drag queen, but this attitude soon diminishes as you see Lola for who he/she really is. Lola is simply a loving, caring person; someone that you feel just doesn't deserve this kind of hardship. In fact, none of these fine people deserve their fate. However, this film is careful to keep in the middle and there is no smaltz and few judgmental remarks - except, oddly enough, between themselves. These are people who have the courage to face their lives and live them to the fullest.

It might be difficult to try and get into the heads of these people, but it is an exercise worth the effort. What one ends up seeing are simply true human beings with emotions and love for each other. This is something that seems to be lacking in so many other areas of society. This documentary is an invaluable slice of life. It is truly inspirational.

touching, enlightening, and profound
This sensitive documentary chronicles the lives several gender-bending and mind-bending sets of transsexual couples. The central character, who has become a man, is ironically dying of ovarian cancer. He was repeatedly refused treatment by the medical establishment because of his identity as a transsexual. The unconventionality of these individuals is touchingly contrasted with their fight for basic human rights, and their desire to enjoy the simple pleasures of domestic life taken for granted by most Americans. Despite some petty differences, they achieve compassion, humor, and tolerance in their interractions among themselves and with their "straight" families and friends. The dignity of their struggle brilliantly reveals that it is actually "mainstream" culture which is freakish, both in terms of its outrageous persecution and its irrational phobia of them. The final line of the film really stayed with me (I'm paraphrasing): "Nature delights in diversity, why can't human beings?" I was tempted to give the film five stars but I felt the cinematography could have been more creative and the editing could have been tighter. In terms of content, though, this film has a rare and transformative vision which would merit the highest rating.

A Gold Standard for Documentaries
SOUTHERN COMFORT is everything documentary films (or 'docurama' as the film makers call it) should be: it is honest, illuminating, straight-forward, and technically well made. Kate Davis has given us insight into a community that is sadly neglected by society at large - the transgender community of male to female and female to male who are caourageous enough to follow their convictions that they were born with the wrong body. The film documents the last four seasons in the life of Robert Eads, a warm, crusty guy who was denied full gender change surgery by the medical profession in Georgia and thus still retains his cervix and uterus which have become malignant and eventually cause his death. His extended family of two other female to male friends (one of whom was given a botched breast reduction by the same medical profession), the two wives of these men (one a genetic female who had been married 7 times before to extremely abusive genetic males), Robert's love Lola Cola (a male to female woman of beautiful warmth and support, and Robert's own biological son (who still calls Robert 'Mom') and grandson. To see the way this quiet and lovely group of people stand tall in a world that despises them, who look forward to the annual Southern Comfort Weekend where transgendered people gather to nurture and celebrate each other, and who invite us into thier private lives is simply a beautiful experience for the viewer. Where other less sensitive directors could have made this film a sensational expose, Kate Davis has elected to keep it tender and true. Kudos to all concerned. This film should be in the archives of all Gender Studies programs.

A true must see
This is the one of the best documentaries I have ever seen. It is a heartwarming, beautiful depiction of the last year of Robert Eads' life. I have seen it 10+ times and cry each and every time. It always leaves me filled with indescribable emotion for all those shown in the movie....I can't recommend it enough.

Humanity
This was an incredibly beautiful, perfectly edited documentary. At first I thought it was a movie "based on a true story"--Robert Eads was so charming and crusty and southern, it was hard to believe he wasn't playing a part. The film does a great job of showing the humanity, concerns and pain of the subjects. All the folks who consented to be shown on camera should be given medals of courage. The film is lovely, melancholy, sad, uplifting, and honest. I highly recommend it--for ANYONE. Heck, I think my *mom* should see it! ... Read more

Description

Meet James.He's 32, single, drop-dead gorgeous, and looking for Mr. Right. James has his pick of 15 potential soul mates, and they'll do anything to get his attention. Watch each episode as James eliminates suitors until only his number one man remains. But what James doesn't know is, there's a catch...some of the 'mates' are actually straight men, pretending to be gay! Should James select a gay suitor as his final choice, the two will ride off into the sunset on an all-expense-paid dream vacation. But if it's a straight man who catches James' eye, he wins $25,000, and James goes home alone.

Relive television's groundbreaking gay reality dating show, complete with a bonus DVD completely filled with exclusive extras! Watch the deleted scenes and never-before-seen footage that the network couldn't air, and follow the cast from their earliest audition tapes to their exit interviews and "where are they now" updates.Take James home - and experience television history.

Over 3 hours of DVD Extras Including: Unseen Interviews; Andra Reacts to the Twist; Casting Reels; James and Andra's Elimination Deliberations; The Mates Enter the House; More of the Infamous Shower Scene; Hula Performance; Performances with Miss CoCo Peru; Original--and Never Aired--Boy Meets Boy Opening Sequence; Cast Biographies; Where Are They Now? Updates Written The Cast; Interactive menus; Scene Selection ... Read more

Reviews (8)

Wow, this is a hard one to write.
I never actually watched this show when it aired because in the initial round of advertising, we, the viewers, were actually told what James was not: that of the 15 guys fighting for James' attention, 8 were straight. However, I admit that in a moment of weakness, the absolutely adorable star of the show was enough to get me to fork over the cash to see what the heck it was actually about.

When watching 'reality' TV one has to realize that 'reality' TV has nothing to do with reality at all; rather, it's an opportunity to take the non-famous and put them in dangerous/ridiculous/humiliating circumstances and see how they deal with it. This show was no exception - and while I'm glad that Bravo has been delving into gay-themed television, shame on them.

There's a catch, here, though. If you actually get the DVD's, a few key points shine through. Number one, James and Andra truly ARE quality people. On the third disc, there is a 30+ minute segment just showing their discussion about their manipulation by the producers of the show and how disappointed they were that they had become pawns in a stupid gay-for-pay game. For those fans of 'reality' TV - take a good hard look at this segment and maybe you'll learn a bit more about what the networks DON'T show - people getting hurt and not wanting to be used for entertainment purposes.

The rest of the set with the shows themselves are fairly forgettable simply because the premise itself was deceptive not only to the participants but to the audience. It's almost excruciating to watch James develop feelings for people who are simply there for the cash 'n grab. While James is beautiful and sweet and charming (there's hope after all, kids) it's a shame that he and his friend (and most of the 'contestants') were used for the sake of a television show. I hope they found happiness elsewhere.

Forget Political Correctness..this is fun fun fun
If you paid attention to the critical media you would think this show was an affront to gay people everywhere, but that is "B.S." (to paraphrase James' pal Andra). I watched this show on Bravo, taped it and watched it a number of times. I find it to be fun and original. And the Twist (that some of the guys were straight) that was so reviled by the gay thought police was the very hook that reeled in the masses and made it a ratings success (at least by Bravo's expectations). I would have been happy with my grainy video but when I read that there were over 3 hours of extra interviews and deleted footage I couldn't resist, and boy am I glad I bought the DVD. The 3rd disc with extras is worth the price of the set...in fact it may actually be better than the show. There is an hour of cast auditions and an hour of parting thoughts from the ejected suitors as well as James, Andra, and the winner; and a near 40 minute meltdown by the sincere, loving Andra when the "Twist" is revealed. With this disc you will get insight into the character of each participant, including James, that may surprise even those that have seen the show. And you will delve much deeper into the thought process behind each elimination. Yes, there were those that complained that the gay/straight twist was mean. As a gay man I understand. But this set reveals that even the straight guys on the show were chosen with care. They all had gay relatives or friends that they loved and/or admired. I'm glad I own it.

Cheezy, but wickedly fun!
OK, so Boy Meets Boy is just another cheezy reality show with a clever new twist. James believes he's competing for the affections of 15 gay men. However, some of them are straight!!! It's truly an evil twist, but loads of fun. I remember the days when you didn't even say the word gay much less see a gay oriented show on TV. All the men are gorgeous and fun to watch. Even my "gaydar" was faulty when the men revealed their true sexuality. Buy it and enjoy it for what it is, FUN!!! The special features were a treat too.

The cast is fantastic, but not the show......
I bought this DVD set because this reality show does not broadcast in my country. I really like the concept of this show however it's quite a disappointment that the show turn out to be so boring.

I like James, the leading man due to his present personality
and his friendship with Andra. To my surprise, the most interesting part of the show is to watch the strong bond between
them. Excuse me, I though this is suppose to be a gay dating
show, so what happen?

I will give 1 star for the show, and I would like to give
5 star for James and Andra. Thus, average up it will be
3 out of 5.

Finally, I wish James will find his loved one.

Scum TV
I was able to stomach a single episode of this before I furiously decided that, like all Reality TV shows, it was basically another Sadistic exercise in manipulation. But the "twist" in this one had me appalled beyond belief. Planting straights in the dates with the gays? Pardon me, but would anyone even, for a moment, DREAM of making a dating show where the straight guy was confronted with the probability that he may have to choose from the straight woman or lose the prize because the contestants were loaded with lesbian plants trying to pass as date bait?

It's beneath contempt that Bravo even bothered to air this garbage. ... Read more

Amazon.com

A devastatingly skillful and emotionally compelling documentary, TheTimes of Harvey Milk charts the political rise and brutal slaying ofthe first openly gay city official in the United State, Harvey Milk.Ironically, the same election that brought Milk to the board of citysupervisors of San Francisco also elected the man who killed him, a formerpolice officer and fireman named Dan White. After White shot both MayorGeorge Moscone and Milk, his defense lawyers convinced the jury thatWhite's judgment was impaired by depression and junk food, resulting in aconviction for manslaughter instead of murder--a verdict that promptedriots. With care and conviction, The Times of Harvey Milk capturesnot only Milk himself, but also the political and social landscape inwhich these events took place. The interviews--with friends, politicians,and journalists--are articulate and heartfelt, expressing the impact thatMilk had upon this historical moment. --Bret Fetzer ... Read more

Reviews (6)

The Times of Harvey Milk
While this documentary is pulls at the heart and makes this reviewer as a gay person,want to step back into time to experiences the feeling of that era.....of the emerging political movement What a time of total optimism!!! The Tragedy of Milk and Moscones' death was are downers in an otherwise positive time for gays and lesbians...in California. Little did they know that within 3 years the first of thousands upon thousands of Aids deaths would rock the Castro. (SEE THE CASTRO) a pbs film about the history of the Castro.
That said however , as a person inspired by this film in 1985 when I first saw it to find out all I could about Harvey Milk was somewhat disolusioned to learn that the Harvey portrayed in The Times of Harvey Milk, beared little resemblance in many ways to the Harvey Milk of Randy Shilts book, The Mayor of Castro Street. His life a personal mess one some levels, Unorganized, vindictive and petty.....on others. Still though Milks strength of persona and the era in which he lived transends all the faults.
The XTRAS are well worth the purchase of this disc for anyone who has seen this documentary before.
I have watched The Times of Harvey Milk MANY MANY times over the past 19 years when I feel down about the gay movement and the forces that wish to have us relegated to a sub existence in this country. It reminds me always that anything worth fighting for sometimes requires a sacrifice....Sadly Harvey was a sacrifice for the betterment of the Gay community... Sad yes but it gives me strength and resolve every time i watch it!!!

Powerful DVD for all!
Great DVD of what has become a classic of the queer community's most important hero! The extras are amazing, I was asking where can I get more on Moscone's son and Harvey's nephew, wow? How can they be contacted? The alternative ending was very insightful, very! Is there more to come? I will use this in every class I teach. Unforgetable!

A MUST SEE FILM
The Times of Harvey Milk never ever fails to touch you. I saw it in the 80's on PBS and it's just as relevant now as it was then. The DVD remaster looks and sounds terrific and is packed with lots of bonus materials, but the the real meat of the impact is still the actual film. If you've never seen it, you need to.

His life, his legacy; our hope
I was one of the millions who probably heard of Harvey Milk at some point in my life, but never connected any dots to his life. Then one summer day, while housesitting, I found an old VHS tape of this documentary called "The Times of Harvey Milk". Not having anything better to do, I popped it in the VCR and sat back to watch. Two hours later, my life, perspectives, and outlooks were dramatically transformed by meeting Supervisor Harvey Milk. So it is with great excitement that this monumental film which pays tribute to a monumental time finally comes to DVD, and warrants my attention for my 200th review.

"The Times of Harvey Milk" is a transformative documentary both in style and information, created by visionary filmmakers Rob Epstein and Richard Schmiechen. The film not only covers the life of Milk, but the times which surrounded him that allows for a broader, more in-depth story. From the opening moments of the film, we learn of Harvey's untimely death, so as not to aggrandize it. Through personal interviews, newsreel coverage, and personal film shot at certain events, everything is brought to a real, intense focus. You feel as if you are watching the events unfold as San Franscians must have done in the late 1970's.

The shining stars of the film are the personal interviews given by people who knew Harvey best. Tom Ammiano, friend of Harvey, gives the film a sense of outrage of the assassinations. Jim Elliot gives a heartwarming straight man, unionist perspective to show us Harvey's universality. Henry Der allows us to see Harvey's political side. Jannine Yeoman's covering of the Milk campaign and post -assassination trial gives a sense of immediacy and urgency to the story, and a more professional viewpoint. Bill Kraus, a gay activist, soon to die of AIDS, provided a sense of Milk's activism.

A couple of interviewee struck me personally. First, lesbian activist Sally Gearheart's testimony of her work with Milk on the Proposition 6 campaign is very compelling, but her comments on the candlelight vigil and riots following the verdict are particularly poignant. Anne Kronenberg, who served as Milk's campaign manager, provides the zeal and optimism of the youth who surrounded and supported Milk in his efforts. Last comes Tory Hartmann, who's warmth on the screen is only seconded by her connection with Harvey. She provides an emotional recollection of the candlelight march that will leave you in tears.

Coming to DVD, this film looks rich and new, due to UCLA and its preservation processes. In addition to the film, the DVD brings you a second disk loaded with special features, from interviews with the film makers, to an 25th anniversary update of the Milk legacy by those who knew him best. I was particularly touched watching the "Alternate ending" section, in which Jim Elliot discloses, after describing his own journey as a straight man accepting homosexual Harvey Milk, learns his own daughter is also a lesbian, and that it was all okay, thereby completing validating Milk's thoughts on coming out.

Not enough words can be said about "The Times of Harvey Milk", a visionary, compelling documentary that should be shown, shared with everyone across this country. Milk's legacy is not only for his homosexual brothers and sisters; it is a legacy for all of us. His legacy is that of tolerance towards all, peaceful protest, fighting for what you believe in, and above all else, just having the best time of your life.

One of the great documentaries - one of the great movies
"The Times Of Harvey Milk" is such a great movie. It is easiliy as powerful as any scripted movie I've ever seen (and I can't say that about any other documentary). The 3-part structure works well: Harvey's rise, then his murder, then the aftermath.
The story is almost too crazy to believe. How could anyone buy Dan White's weak, whiny excuse for murdering 2 politicians in a major US city? And yet, he got off with a gentle slap on the wrist, and it's hard to dispute that the leniency of his sentence was because one of his victims was gay. We watch in disbelief as this unfolds. And then we watch the gay & lesbian community vent its fury in a chilling riot.
Fascinating from beginning to end, funny and heartbreaking, and important.
Kudos too for Mark Isham's gorgeous musical score. ... Read more

Reviews (22)

The Power of Cinematic Image
Based on the book by Vito Russo, written by Armistead Maupin, and narrated by Lily Tomlin, THE CELLULOID CLOSET uses interviews and hundreds of film clips to examine the way in which Hollywood has presented gay and lesbian characters on film from the age of silent cinema to such recent films as PHILADELPHIA and DESERT HEARTS. Throughout the documentary, the focus is on both stereotypes and the various ways that more creative directors and writers worked around the censorship of various decades to create implicitly homosexual characters, with considerable attention given to the way in which stereotypes shaped public concepts of the gay community in general.

Overtly homosexual characters were not particularly unusual in silent and pre-code Hollywood films, and CLOSET offers an interesting sampling of both swishy stereotypes and unexpectedly sophistocated characters--both of which were doomed by the Hayes Code, a series of censorship rules adopted by Hollywood in the early 1930s. The effect of the Code was to soften some of the more grotesque stereotypes--but more interesting was the impetus the Code gave to film makers to create homosexual characters and plot lines that would go over the heads of industry censors but which could still be interpreted by astute audiences, with films such as THE MALTESE FALCON, REBECCA, BEN-HUR, and REBEL WITHOUT A CAUSE cases in point. Once the Code collapsed, however, Hollywood again returned to stereotypes in an effort to cash in on controversy--with the result that throughout most of the sixties and seventies homosexual characters were usually presented as unhappy, maladjusted creatures at best, suicidal and psychopatic entities at worst.

The film clips are fascinating stuff and are often highlighted by interviews of individuals who made the films: Tony Curtis re SOME LIKE IT HOT and SPARTACUS, Shirley MacLaine re THE CHILDREN'S HOUR, Stephen Boyd re BEN-HUR, Farley Granger re ROPE, and Whoopie Goldberg re THE COLOR PURPLE, to name but a few. All are interesting and intriguing, but two deserve special mention: Harvey Fierstein, who talks about the hunger he had as a youth to see accurate reflections of himself on the screen, and Susan Sarandon, who makes an eloquent statement on the power of film as "the keeper of the dreams."

Although the material will have special appeal to gays and lesbians, it should be of interest to any serious film buff with its mix of trivia and significant fact. The DVD also includes notable packages of out-takes from interviews that are often as interesting as the material that made the final cut. If the documentary has a fault, however, it is that it offers no "summing up," preferring instead to show only how far the portrayal of homosexuals has come and indicating how far it has yet to go. Recommended to any one interested in film history and interpretation.

Excellent film on so Many Different Levels
Looking at the roles given to gay and lesbian characters in American cinema over the past several decades, "The Celluloid Closet" manages to simultaneously be hilariously funny, educational, and occasionally quite thought-provoking and even tragic. We see gay and lesbian stereotypes being reinforced over and over again, scenes cut from famous films because they hinted at homosexuality, etc.

Although the initial reaction is to sort of laugh at how backwards and ludicrous the intense homophobia of Hollywood once was, there are also reactions from people growing up during those years who talk about the effect of seeing gays and lesbians in films, or the impact of NEVER seeing gays and lesbians in films. Also, as the film progresses, it helps one to see that, although things have gotten SO MUCH BETTER in many ways, they're still so far from being where they ought to be.

This is a great documentary to watch with friends who might question what the big deal is with GLBT issues... why it's even an issue at all. It really helps one to see the importance of how popular media deals with (or chooses to ignore) minority groups and the very real impact of those decisions on people belonging to that minority group. And the fact that it's so darn entertaining makes it a fun, light movie to watch - a real pleasure!

A MUST SEE
The Dvd extras alone are worth the $25.00 Made in 1995 just shortly after Tom Hanks won an Academy Award for Philadelphia (playing a gay man ). The hero of this production however is Lily Tomlin! This movie documentary was finaly made after the wirters & producers got in touch with her. Lily loved this project and got HBO to fund this movie! The basic theme in this movie is to show us how gay people have been portrade in the movies! Gay themes were Taboo! They were always taboo until the late 1960's. (However All movies were made to a strict code up to that point). So all gay themes (during the era of the Code) were between the lines! (This is the humor) After the code was lifted gays were shown mostly as the villians! ( This is the drama) This documentary was one of the best movies of that year!
Is it dated? Not by much! It has been ALMOST 10 years since this was first released! Now we now have on TV "Will and Grace" (but after 7 years and no boyfriend give me a break). The big break in Hollywood was "The Birdcage". The next year was "My Best Friends Wedding" and "In and Out". (all money makers) Earlier that year "ellen" came out on TV but her show was cancelled a year later. In 2004 "The Stepford Wives" remake hade a gay couple. Although gays are more visable now than ever in the movies most of the time they are regulated to the "best friend" for comic relief! Not much of a change! Would I like a gay movie hero? Of course! I would also like to see hollywood remake movies that had they had gay stories to begin with! "The Lost Weekend" "Gentelman's Agreement" "The Childrens Hour" all had gay themes but were rewriiten for straight story lines or toned down! Yes "Fried Green Tomatoe's" is another but there was a kiss!

After YOU VIEW "The Celluloid Closet" watch "Rebecca" "Rebel Without a Cause" and "Some Like it Hot"! You will be laughing!

A 1995 Documentary That is Still Relevant
The Celluloid Closet has been out for nine years and I have only now seen it for the first time. You would think that gay themes and the presence of gay characters would be even greater now, in 2004, than when the documentary was made in 1995, and that it would seem dated. Unfortunately, it does not seem at all dated. The idea of a gay hero is still edgy and daring, and oddly enough, television, rather than the big screen, seems to be taking the lead in featuring gay characters and themes.

The Celluloid Closet is an eye-opening look at how gays have been portrayed in American film. Film clips are interspersed with interviews and commentary by writers, producers, and actors who are gay or have played gay characters. It is interesting to see that people mocking gay men swished and minced the same way 100 years ago as they do today.

A highlight is the deleted scene from Spartacus with Laurence Olivier as a slaveholder in his bath telling his uneasy slave played by Tony Curtis that he enjoys both snails and oysters. Strangely absent in the documentary are any mention of Clifton Webb or Cary Grant.

I will be looking at old (and new) films in a different way now that I have seen The Celluloid Closet.

Excellent Documentary , but a bit too ideological
Celluloid Closet is a well-done, thought-provoking documentary detailing the history of homosexuality in movies. The author(s)
compile a fascinating list of films, many well-known and beloved, and describe how filmmakers, constrained by prevailing mores and production codes, were forced to deal with the subject creatively through innuendo and subtext. It works equally well as a history of film censorship. Only one drawback: the best documentaries are objective, letting the material tell the story, so why interview exclusively archetypal Hollywood liberal, pro-gay-rights activists? It would have been interesting, for example, to hear Charlton Heston's response to Gore Vidal's take on what "Ben Hur" is really about. Instead, we're left hanging by Vidal quoting the director: "Don't tell Chuck (Heston) what it's really about, or he'll die". (or words to that effect) ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Inside History's Closet
Originally produced for PBS television, the Emmy-winning "Before Stonewall" is a must-see documentary for anyone researching Gay American history. What makes this film so invaluable is its success in recreating - through photographs, film clips, and later-day interviews - a period in time that was carefully and deliberately NOT recorded as it was happening due to the pervasive institution of "the closet", and the very real dangers that faced those brave enough to crack open the door and step out into the light. As one courageous lesbian pioneer remembers, just being accused of being a gay woman was grounds for involuntary commitment to a mental institution during her youth. Small wonder, then, that there is such a paucity of material documenting the gay movement pre-Stonewall, especially during the years from 1900-1950, before the earliest Gay and Lesbian social and political institutions in the United States were founded.

The cornerstone of this remarkable film is the handful of interviews conducted with some elderly activists from the years before the Stonewall riots began on June 27, 1969. With humor, dignity, and matter-of-fact courage, these men and women tell personal stories about their experiences in the armed forces, in the halls of government, in society, and in their home lives during the years in which America at large experienced the roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, the beginning of the Baby Boom era, and the radical Sixties. Their recollections are not only fascinating and brilliantly told; they are of critical importance in understanding the true heritage and history of today's American gay community. The DVD edition offers some fascinating extra material, including some expanded interviews, and footage of poet Allen Ginsberg reading two of his early compositions. Very highly recommended in terms of both quality and content.

Goodwill can only do so much.
'Before Stonewall' was not just a celebratory film documenting the underground gay resistance to [...] America before the historic moment of Stonewall in 1969. As the frightening utterances of then-President Reagan reveal, this was very much an urgent political gesture, a protest against 80s conservative retrenchment.

This is an illuminating and endearing documentary, full of wonderful anecdotes (e.g. Eisenhower's failure to sack the lesbian element of the WAC because it was all lesbian!), a moving reunion of elderly patrons of a notorious gay bar, and an inspiringly un-bitter outlook. The talking-heads-with-stills formalt becomes monotonous, and self-congratulation sometimes creeps in. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Rupert Everett narrates this sensitive documentary about the Nazi persecution of homosexuals during World War II. "Paragraph 175" refers to the old German penal code concerning homosexuality, which was used to justify the prosecution of gay men during the war (the code ignored lesbians, still considered viable baby-making vessels). As mere rumor became enough to justify imprisonment, over 100,000 were arrested and between 10,000 and 15,000 were sent to concentration camps. In Paragraph 175, Klaus Müller, a historian from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, sets out to interview the fewer than 10 who are known to remain alive. The film covers the astonishingly quick rise of Hitler (one interviewee points out how ridiculous a figure he seemed at first) and the shock that more liberal Germans felt as it became clear that he was a force to be reckoned with. Some of the film's most touching moments come when the participants reminisce about their first loves and the "homosexual Eden" that was Berlin in the 1930s. This is a beautifully well made documentary that poignantly captures a piece of nearly forgotten history. --Ali Davis ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Less a Documentary than a Reminiscence
PARAGRAPH 175 is a beautifully photographed, historicaly accurate, sensitively enlightening film about the Nazi persecution and slaughter of the Pink Triangle, as male homosexuals were designated in Hitler's concentration camps. But for once a documenting film does not focus on grotesque pictures of bodies, wretched camp conditions or images of abuse and torture. The film's makers instead opt for the more sensitive approach of interviewing the few remaining men (and one woman)who survived the period. From these elderly gentlemen we hear memories of how fun Berlin was from 1914 to 1918, the between war period when life was raucous and liberated. We then learn through their words and through film clips of the growing influence of Hitler and his own gay SA General, the response of a people wilted from WWI needing hope for a future and not realizing the depravity of the promises of the Nazi party, the ugly truth. It is this insidious perpetration of evil that becomes most pungent in the faces and words of the survivors. This is a beautifully realized documentary and one that will open eyes to a fact that most people remain unaware of even today.

Voices from Our Past
From Common Threads to The Times of Harvey Milk, Rob Epstein and Jeffery Friedman have documented the lives of gay men and lesbians throughout the 20th century. Adding Paragraph 175 into this collection is a crown lewel of their masterful work.

Documenting the experiences of homosexuals during the infamous Nazi regime in Germany, the filmmakers interviewed the few remaining people who suffered under the infamous paragraph. These men are a brave and stalwart group. As they tell their stories, the pain and horror they are forced to relive is evident. The filmmakers fortunately step out of the way and allow these men to speak. In fact, one of the best things about this documentary is that it is not a slick, clean production, with all of the extra things edited out. It's rough, to allow us to see their humanity. Some of these men had never spoken of their experiences publicly.

The DVD offers an insightful if sparse producers'/director's commentary, along with additional interviews not included in the film. The music is gripping, especially the inclusion of Marlene Dietrich's version of "Falling in Love Again".

So much has been done in the last years to document and remember the experiences during WWII. This film adds an important voice to that chorus, allowing all of those who suffered under the tyranny of one man's dementia, their prominent stanza.

i wanted more...
The truth about homosexual persecution in Nazi Germany told by 6 survivors, using real footage from the times and documentary/interview style storytelling.
I find it interesting how they only targeted gay men. Nazis declared lesbianism a "temporary and curable problem."
Anyway, an interesting little documentary... not enough substance to it though in my opinion- although that might be because none of the men wanted to talk about their experiences. I imagine they get tired of all the interviews and having to relive those things...

"Do you want butter or guns?"
And the people cried "Guns!"
And at that my Father became afraid."

Painful, defiant, angry, joyous
This is a magnificent piece of documentary filmmaking, not only from the perspective of the production values, but especially of the reportage. It is made clear throughout the documentary how extraordinarily difficult it was to get the extremely elderly men who were the survivors of the Holocaust to think back to what must have been a horrifying period in their lives. The producers managed to get through, however, sometimes with the help of friends, sometimes on their own, and the effect is a devastating one. I cannot agree with the reviewer from Louisiana who carped about "too many Nazi movies". First of all, the Holocaust is a horror which must never be forgotten, and there is no point at which there will be too much information about a "civilized" Western European country which slaughtered millions upon millions upon millions of people at a time which is still in the living memory of countless Europeans, Americans and other citizens of the world. Second, I would have a hard time in coming up with any short list, let alone long list of written, audio or video material which treats the specific subject of the extermination of gay people in Hitler's camps. Gay men were one of the secondary groups of slaughter, of course, in comparison to the breathtaking horror that was visited upon the Jews, but they were a major group nevertheless, and if the critic in Louisiana thinks that this is a story that does not need telling, then I'm sorry, but he's wrong. It does need telling, and the point to this documentary is that not many more years will pass before all of those who survived the terror are gone, gone, gone. The fact that the Holocaust is a throbbing and living thing even in the lives of people in the late 20th and early 21st century was neatly encapsulated in "Paragraph 175" when, if I understood it correctly, a French interviewee said that the interview was the first time that he had ever spoken to a German since World War II. "Paragraph 175" brought tears to my eyes again and again, because I had to ask, again and again, "why, why in God's name, why?" Whether Nazi atrocities have been treated in the media to a greater, lesser, more significant or any other extent than the atrocities of Stalin's Gulag (and as a Latvian, I am perfectly aware of what Stalin did, thank you) is entirely not the point. No human terror can be measured up against any other. This was terror. This was pain. But the survivors also represent a point of joy. They did survive. They had something to say. "Paragraph 175" allowed them to say it. I think that we are better for the story having been told.

Infomative, but slow paced for no reason
Paragraph 175 delves into a little discussed aspect of World War II. While Jewish people were the primary target of Nazi Germany, homosexuals were also discriminated against in the worst way. However, while this documentary is informative, it seems like it is a one hour film stretched into 90 minutes.

The most annoying aspect of the film is its moments of long pauses in narration. Since it primarily concerns itself with interviews of homosexuals who survived imprisonment in concentration camps, it's understandable that the survivors have long pauses. After all, they're elderly and the pain the memories bring can make it hard to speak. But the long pauses continue when Rupert Everet does his narration as well. And they're not dramatic pauses, but pauses to fit the length of video provided. The narration either needed more material, or the film needed to condense its video.

Also, as the film jumps back and forth between survivors, it never seems to have any real focus. One interviewee will be talking about one thing, and then it switches to another discussing some other topic. Though the film makes some good points and does serve to be enlightening, it's apparent that it could have done a better job in telling the stories. As it is, it seems like a rough cut of the documentary, not the final film.

Despite my criticisms, Paragraph 175 still has some interesting stories to tell and some moments of true poignancy and sorrow. It's just too bad it's not polished to shine some light onto these disturbing, harrowing tales. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Brandon Teena was a handsome boy who had tremendous success with women because he always seemed to know exactly what they wanted. Perhaps it helped that Brandon Teena was born Teena Brandon, a young woman who desperately wanted to be a man. But Brandon lived in a small Midwestern town, where his sexual identity crisis wasn't tolerated, inciting two so-called friends to brutally murder him and two other innocents. This true story, which was the basis for the feature film Boys Don't Cry, is recounted in the award-winning (Best Documentary at both the Vancouver and Berlin film festivals) documentary The Brandon Teena Story.

This insightful film is both fascinating and horrifying, as we are treated to news footage and interviews with Brandon's family, friends, former girlfriends, as well as the two men who are in jail (one on death row) for the rape and later murder of Brandon. Throughout the film, the viewer's disgust grows as recordings of Brandon with the police department of Falls City, Nebraska, are played; when Brandon reports his rape, the questioning is turned around on him, making him the guilty party for his sexuality.Ignorance and hatred abound in the small town, although many of his ex-girlfriends are surprisingly sympathetic. While there is nothing graphic in this film, it is unexpectedly difficult to watch at moments; the drama, however, is gripping and the message an important one to hear. --Jenny Brown ... Read more

Reviews (25)

The tragic life art imitated
I decided to see this video before seeing "Boys Don't Cry", the movie based on the same story. I have concluded that seeing both films is essential for anyone not directly involved in the actual situation to understand what went on. "Boys Don't Cry" took some liberties with the facts involved in the true story, as most artistic works must ultimately do. "The Brandon Tenna Story" focused on the facts leading up to the hate-crime rape and murder--showing John Lotter and Tom Nissen as amoral sociopaths who, even two years after their crimes, see themselves as homegrown heros who saved a friend through sexual assault and who each proclaims his innocence of the subsequent triple (not double) murder that followed. (This video tells of the third victim of the murder--a physically disabled African American man who just happened to be at the murder scene at the time.) Also in this film (and missing from "BDC") are interviews with the mother of Brandon Teena and the parents of the friend who offered him shelter and tried to offer him a refuge from Lotter and Nissen, only to die for her efforts an leave a 9-month-old son an orphan. The actual filmed interviews with the deputy sheriff who let Lotter and Nissen go, even after they as good as confessed their involvement in the rape to him, is perhaps the most puzzling character of all in this video. The excerpts from his interrogations of Brandon after the rape, and subsequently of Nissen and Lotter, indicate that he was far more aggressive and harsh in his questioning of the victim. There is evidence that both Nissen and Lotter were already well-known as violent trouble-makers in the county's law enforcement officers, this deputy included. In his brief appearances in the film, the sheriff of the county where Brandon dies gives a distinct impression of a town in severe financial depression where violence of all sorts is an everyday affair that everyone learns to live with, if they want to live at all. Somehow, a careful analysis of all that information, and a bit more fact gathering, might ultimately explain why, even after the murders, the deputy seems to regard himself as a law enforcement professional who did his job as best he could. At the end of this video, however, he seems to be nearly as culpable in the crimes as Nissen and Lotter themselves. I don't apologize for that impression, since evidently the Nebraska courts are still dealing with that very issue in a lawsuit filed by Brandon's mother.

This video does not portray Brandon in his best light (I definitely refer anyone to "BDC" for that), because it seems to focus more on the basic facts of his too-short life more than on the pain and confusion that must have been his--trying to live as a man when he had been given a body that appeared to be mostly female, and in a part of the world where the people surrounding him were too busy screwing up their own lives to understand his unique set of problems. So Brandon's survival skills came to include lying and occasionally writing bad checks. But even the most hardcore pragmatist would have to say at the end of the film that Brandon's "victims" would recover in short order and get on with their lives. That's a great deal more than can be said for the victims of Nissen and Lotter, who in this documentary seem to be singing, "We're just some good ol' boys, never meaning' no harm" to the world."

Perhaps the most chilling part of viewing this excellent documentary is that knowledge that this savagery took place only seven years ago in America, helped along by people who at least still give lip service to the idea that they were doing the right thing at the time. At the end of the film, one's mind is filled with the usual 20/20 hindsight solutions for the perverted conditions that enabled the slaughter, and a quiet determination to do whatever possible to change those conditions wherever they may still, unfortunately be found.

A powerful film, a definite must-see.

Ignorance and prejudice lead to murder
Even though I knew the story after seeing the movie "Boys Don't Cry", I am glad I saw this video. The facts of the case, especially the actual words that the sheriff used to interrogate Brandon after the rape, were absolutely appalling and display the ignorance and prejudice of the people in the small town of 5000, known for its dead-end jobs and domestic violence.

Now that I've seen both versions of this story, I must say I preferred Boys Don't Cry with its scripted performance and planned dramatic tension. It also was able to portray some of the more intimate moments with a sense of humor, such as the scene in which he gets a period and steals tampax from a convenience store. Scenes like this are impossible in a documentary of course.

The strength of the documentary, however, was being able to see the real people, not actors. And real photographs of the troubled Brandon. The realization that this is the truth, not fiction, adds an extra punch or horror to that sickening feeling I felt when I saw the dramatized version.

If the story intrigues you, as it did me as well as the filmmakers, make sure not to miss this penetrating true look at this horrible crime. Recommended.

Nothing is as good as the true story
Although I enjoyed the documentary, I thought there could have been more details to explore than to simply turn the camera on and let the subjects talk. And there are so many "urban myths" attached to this story -- i.e. the name "Brandon Teena" was never used, only "Brandon."
The film makers had chances to explore, push buttons, and probe, but evidently chose not to do so. Lana obviously considers herself a star to the show but is never pursued as a suspect; the rumour of her being present at the time of the killings could have been explored. Both of the killer's sexualities could have been explored, showing there are no easy answers and no 'simple' crimes. Why did Teena B trust these three low life, white trash losers (Lana & the killers)? What common bond kept them together, even in the midst of a heinous crime? Interesting how much Lana played into the story, yet not once did she show emotion when discussing the crime - except to laugh.
The additions to the DVD seem slapped on - and again, could have been so much better. Documentaries can educate and explain, or open an issue to discussion.
I truly believe, as a criminologist and as a gay activist, all of the persons responsible for the 3 murders were not held accountable. They caught the "bad guys" and locked them up, end of story. But there seems to be so much more than this. Lana & her mother should have been interrogated for aiding the killers (Lana's mother admits to doing so in her explanation to hide the evidence). Lana's role in the killing should have been explored. These are not bright, clever people; they could have been "had" with the right interview by law enforcement.
All in all, kudos to the filmmakers for their work, but consider that nothing is as good as the TRUE story.

The TRUE Facts
I have seen "Boys Dont Cry". (VERY good, recamended) And read the book. "All she wonted", But this movie "THE BRANBON TENNA STORY". Is the best because it tells alot of true facts. It shows great photos, and real interviews with the real people from falls city who knew Brandon. his gfs, his mother, his friends, ect. I Recamend this movie very highly if you want to get the facts strate!

A RACIEST WHITE ... TOWN
WATCHING THIS VIDEO I FOUND OUT WHAT KIND OF PEOPLE LIVE IN FALLS CITY AND I WOULDNT WANNA GO TO THAT RACIEST TOWN IF MY LIFE DEPENDED ON IT AND I WOULDNT WANT MY KIDS ARE NONE OF MY FAMILY MEMBERS GOING THERE AND THE PEOPLE THAT TOOK BRANDON TEENAS AND THE OTHER 2 PEOPLES LIVES ARE JUST HEARTLESS COWERDS JUST MAKE YOU THINK OF WHAT KIND OF PARENTS THEY HAVE ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Informative and Erotic!
"Daddy And The Muscle Academy" is a wonderful DVD about Tom of Finland, a gay artist who has inspired an entire cultural wave for both gay and straight men all over the world.

Features an entire gallery of Mr. Finland's work, and lots of information about the artist himself; including personal history and sketching techniques, as well as small interviews with men who admire Mr.Finland and his work.

Highly Erotic!

It's about time this came out on DVD!
When I saw this in theaters, me and almost every guy in the audience wanted to lick the screen. This documentary is just as sexy as Tom's work. The artist is interviewed in Finnish, so (monocultural) Americans that don't like to read subtitles won't like it. It's full of talk about the leather community and those who find SM scary may dislike this documentary too. For those who like Tom's work, this is a great way to find out about the man himself. By interviewing Isaac Julien and talking about Tom's appreciation of black men, this film tries to be racially diverse. However, it may rub some as being fetishy. Gay artists have historically been just oppressed as gay authors or gay activists, especially artists who produce obviously homoerotic work. So Tom and this documentary are milestones in many ways. I applaud the director's efforts. ... Read more

Reviews (7)

Tired! (except for "THE LADY" BUNNY!!!!...who rules!)
Once upon a time WIGSTOCK was fun. Definately before this movie was made.
Oh look there's that SAD RUPAUL on the cover, now I definately won't buy it.
Maybe if LADY BUNNY was the the only cover girl I would buy it. LADY BUNNY, a real performer. RUPAUL...TIRED! (repeat after me!!)
And what the hell is CRYSTAL WATERS doing in this movie? TIRED!
This film is really a SAD attempt at documenting the history of a very fascinating and lively event.
How about more of the people that really made the 80's EAST VILLAGE happen...WENDY WILD, JOHN SEX...etc I mean even have some minor figures from the 80's.
They at least have TABOO!, and FFFLOYD. But there were SO MANY OTHERS...why did they have to concentrate on the non-interesting performers from that era??

MORE LADY BUNNY!! LADY BUNNY!!

Absolute fun
What a fun movie! The music is fabulous and the performances are even better. This documentary features some of the best female impersonators and performance artists in New York...make that the World! What a sin that Wigstock no longer exists...I have so many outfits that I would have loved to parade around in for the festival.

Love Your Hair. I Hope It Wins!
From ancient Greek drama to Chinese opera, from the era of Shakespeare to the reign of the Italian castrati, throughout the world and for most of history women did not appear on stage. This gave rise to a revered theatrical tradition of what might best be called "female illusionists"--male artists who specialized in the performance of female roles and who were capable of making an audience believe a woman stood on stage before them. Such artists are still very much with us today. But you won't find any of them in WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE.

The high-end performers here are RuPaul and Lypsinka. RuPaul is essentially an entertainer who plays with gender and racial iconography to create an enjoyable stage persona, and as such is very well known to mainstream audiences; although lesser known, Lypsinka is the more talented artist, creating considerably more subtle and wickedly camp charactures. Both are very enjoyable--but the vast majority of the performers on stage might best be described as "tacky barroom drag queens." Some of these are very, very good at what they do, with "Lady Bunny" a case in point, but most are of a type: toying with a mix of 1950s-1960s-1970s female fashion brought up to a ludicrously "glamorous" degree and mixed with 1990s punk-and-funk styles, these are the drag queens you might find on stage in any mid-size city's gay bar of note. But because they are so common, viewers familar with the drag world will be unimpressed: we've seen it again and again and again. They aren't particularly original, and therefore they aren't any more interesting on stage than the acts you've seen a hundred times before.

On the other hand, they are VERY interesting off-stage, and this documentary works best when it contrasts the preparations of the performers and their on-stage performances--giving us glimpses into the lives, motivations, and complicated preparations of the performers. And the audience itself is fascinating, a huge array of gay, straight, costumed, and (sometimes considerably) uncostumed people who are all bent on having a good time and don't mind showing that in front of the camera. Unfortunately, these backstage glimpses and audience shots are too few to make WIGSTOCK: THE MOVIE more than merely tantalizing, and the film in general eschews the "politics of drag" (for drag has always been to some degree a political statement) in favor of a "happy party" tone that wears thin well before the film comes to an end. Recommended, but primarily for those who know absolutely nothing about drag queens, their performing styles, and their backstage lives.

Great documentation of one of the largest Drag Shows
The highlights of this film are the performances of the artists. There are a few doozies but, for the most part, they are great.

There is no real theme or plot. It's basically video footage of the annual drag show held in New York. A very campy video to watch.

Some of the commentaries are nice to add a bit of depth to the film. Wonderful contribution by Jackie Beat and Alexis Arquette! Alexis is hilarious!

Wigstock - A Love Letter to New York
Wigstock:The Movie is a colorful entertaining love letter to New York. It's all about drag, but it's also about one of the most unique cities in the world where crazy underground culture can flourish. It's a lot like the movie Woodstock but with better hair. ... Read more

Description

You know who they are: it's those guys with theclose-cropped haircuts, buff-shaved bodies, piercings andtribal tatoos in all the right places. It's those boys who are itno the circuit party scene... it's a brotherhood...it's a total roving party from one city to the next. The White Party, the Black & Blue Party, the Blue Ball... Thescene has a darker, dirtier side and both parallel elements of the circuit world are explored in this sexy, lively reality-based film. Stars Brandon Delcampo, Greg Stevens,Jason Cavallo, Matthew Sloan, Todd Nash, Tone Desario - Director: Lenid Rolov, Stewart Halpern ... Read more

Reviews (14)

Watch this one...and walk through the looking glass
I found the documentary "When Boys Fly" to be a surprisingly engaging and fascinating, candid, shocking and sometimes sad peek through the looking glass to see what really goes on at "gay raves," aka circuit parties. Filmmakers Rolov and Halpern did a great job in showing us the world in which this segment of so-called "A-listers" live and party, and how some newcomers and White party veterans are drawn into the circle of rave party life and its immediate results...good and bad. The quick editing makes for a fast-paced viewing and humor is where you might not always expect to find it in this honest and non-judgemental portrayal of this subculture within a subculture that I believe can be enjoyed by gay and straight, young-to-middle-aged audiences alike.

A beautiful and powerful film
Rolov and Halpern have made a beautiful and powerful film with "When Boys Fly." I had never thought of the world of gay circuit parties as something I would find particularly intriguing, yet this film answered questions I didn't even know I had. A must see!

Great video
This is a great video. I first want to say this is not a movie, which I thought it was when I bought it. Its follows some gay guys as they go to a circuit party in Florida. Its great at showing how some guys live their lives. The best thing I liked about the movie is how it is all "real" and nothing was staged. It also has great video quality, and great editing.

When Boys Fly
It was completely engaging and fun. The characters were diverse and interesting. I wished that it would continue on it was so interesting.

When Boys Fly
I really enjoyed this film. Never having attended one of these parties, I enjoyed the look into this fast-paced lifestyle that this film provided. I feel that this film was an honest and real depiction of what can and does occur at these parties. "Boys" depicted the hardcore drug/party life and those who attend these parties to just let loose and have fun. It was a fair and honest depiction of the party scene. ... Read more

Description

A hilarious parody about a young man coming to terms with his heterosexuality in a seemingly gay world…

After graduating from high school, best friends David and Eric leave their small town in Kansas and head for the big city of Louisville, Kentucky.The two move in with David's aunt where they spend their days landscaping Aunt Collette's yard and their evenings acting in an all-male community theatre production of "The Importance of Singing Earnest".

David begins struggling to accept that all his new friends are gay; his strife is further complicated when Eric comes out of the closed by admitting his crush on the costume designer, Brenton.Suddenly, David is caught in a circle where heterosexuality is not the norm and is further confused by complications he experiences with the show’s stage manager and his female love interest, Lauren.Coupled with a freakish homoerotic nightmare, David decides that he too must be gay.A whirl-about movie of non-stop fun where David tries to learn that it’s okay to be "straight." ... Read more

Reviews (1)

What would you do to fit in?
Excellent indie film reversing the idea of a gay guy trying to fit in with his majority straight community. When you think theatre community, what comes to mind? After cravats? There you go. This film follows a straight burgening actor as he struggles to fit in with his majority homosexual theatre community.

I'm not going to go into more detail - just watch it. But to pick out favourites, the score and sound track are great, and the 'Ernest' insert adds a hilarious sureality.

In all, have to say you need to get this film. Now. Go on. ... Read more

Description

10 years following its theatrical debut, this landmark film continues to captivate audiences around the world with its raw and powerful honesty. Winner of over 10 International Awards, including the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, SILVERLA ... Read more

Reviews (7)

What Does It All Mean?
I stumbled upon this documentary not too long ago on DVD and watched it this past weekend. It is a deeply moving story of Tom and Mark, two gay men who have been together for 22 years and are slowly dying of AIDS. Their lives are shown raw and uncensored. We see them for who they--two deeply caring and loving human beings just trying to cope, understand, and triumph in this mystery called Life. We also see how a horrible disease, such as AIDS, slowly ravages one's mind and body. But I think the most one can take from this documentary is the simple truth of Love, and, living the most of each day. You can not help but cry and realize how foolish we really all are with our materialistic obsessions of money, vainity, celebrities, and other nonsense. Interwoven with the lives of these two special men, we also see glimpses of such simple things--a walk in a garden, the inspiring beauty of a blooming flower, the sight of a humming bird in flight, the comfort found in their pet cat as Tom's mother seeks solace after seeing her son die. It is the simple and pure things in life, like Love and the beauty of Life, that matter. Thank you Tom and Mark for reminding us.

A TRUE life lesson
One night I was up late flipping through stations when I found this playing on the Sundance channel. Like many of the reviewers before me, I was just going to watch a little until something better came on. However, after 5 minutes I couldn't take my eyes off the screen and my heart and emotions were 100% into this couple dealing with AIDS. At the end of this movie I cried as though these people were friends of mine. It touched me so much I have spent months trying to find its name. If you haven't seen it- BUY NOW! This documentary is a true life lesson for everyone- teaching the importance of living your life to the fullest, telling your loved ones how much you care for them every moment you can and for those who STILL do not believe there is such thing as true love in a ... relationship- this couple will show you a love that few people (straight or otherwise) will ever have.

A testament of two lives lived
As another reviewer mentioned, I saw this when it aired on PBS back in the early 90s. And also as another stated, I had no intention of watching the whole thing. But I found myself drawn into this documentary in a manner that I have never been before or since. I have rarely, if ever, had a movie touch me in the way this one has.

The movie makes no pretense or statement about living life with full-blown AIDS. It is poigniant in every respect, showing the simple realities of life, and death.

After watching this movie, I would also suggest taking time to view 'And The Band Played On' about the U.S. reaction to the AIDS epidemic in the mid-80s.

Waiting for the DVD
As the other reviewers, I was deeply moved by this documentary. I can recommend it.
Seeing Silverlake Life forces you to reflect on the meaning of life, death and role that loves plays through it all.
One of the most impressive works I know.
I hope Silverlake Life will soon be released on DVD. It deserves to be seen.

Unbearably moving
This is the best documentary I've ever seen. At the end of it I cried until I couldn't breathe. The emotions and experiences of these two men are so honest and so beautiful. The love they shared was so real and so deep. I just can't say enough about the film. It'll stay with you. ... Read more

Description

Ten years following its ground-breaking debut at Sundance, the landmark film that first humanized the face of AIDS is now available in this special 10th Anniversary Edition. Simultaneously heart-wrenching and life affirming, ABSOLUTELYPOSITIVE is an hon ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Absolutely Riveting
Noted documentarian Peter Adair's award-winning 1991 film chronicles the thoughts and lives of 11 disparate persons living with HIV disease. Alternately touching, sobering, and sometimes even heartbreaking, the interviewees are nonetheless always enlightening, and ultimately inspirational, as they discuss the challenges facing them with hard-won wisdom, insight, and courage. A very effective testament to the resiliency of humanity, the original film is leant added poignancy through a "where are they now in 2003?" follow-up segment that discloses not only the fates of the 11 participants, but the film's director as well. The DVD also includes a short biographical segment on Adair, and features excellent video and sound quality throughout. Highly recommended to general audiences, and a particular "must see" for people affected by and infected with HIV, as well as those who care for and serve them. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Some interesting content but limited dvd features
With a title like 101 Rent Boys, I was expecting a wide array of interviews with a large number of men. Admittedly, including all 101 interviews would be prohibitively long, but I did expect to hear more boys than I got. Some boys were featured often, in multiple segments, while some we barely got a glimps of--of course those were the ones who I thought seemed most attractive and wanted to hear speak, and not just a quick camera pan.

As for extras, there arent many on this disk--a few extra interviews which were interesting but limited, and a directors voice over where you only hear the directors comments, and not the video soundtrack at all, making it difficult