The Set

My memories of this little known Aussie film are dim at best but I am clear on a story told me by the remarkable (and now late) publicist, poet, and friend of mine, Adrian Rawlins.

He took American reviewer Rex Reed along to 'The Set' around the time of it's release in Sydney, possibly even it's premiere. According to Adrian, Rex was wont to walk out on anything he thought was less than worthwhile. At the end of the performance Adrian said, "That was awful, I can't believe you sat through the whole thing!" to which Rex replied, "I know, I know, it was so bad, I couldn't move, I was riveted to my seat!"

Today I'm not sure where Rex Reed is, Adrian is immortalized in bronze on a pillar in Fitzroy in suburban Melbourne (his hometown). As for 'The Set', perhaps a retrospective of Australian cinema may bring this little attempt at breaking new ground to light again sometime in the future.

It may have worked in its time, but watching it in 2024 it's absolutely "cringeworthy" No matter HOW you view it, you'd think the director had just discovered homosexuality - and run with it, with all the class and finesse of an episode of an episode of No. 96.

No. 96 and The Box were the first introduction to the "full frontal" on the small B&W screen in Australia.

I must confess I couldn't sit through "The Set" in its entirety.

You may be able to endure, if you could cast your mind back to being a thirteen-year-old boy, for the duration.

The 1970's were a renaissance for Australian film and film makers.

But THIS little curio is, today, strictly a museum piece - and a reminder of just how far Australian cinema has evolved - but, otherwise, something best forgotten.

I saw The Set on Easter Tuesday 1969 as a 14 year old with a couple of school friends. We went to the Star Theaterette in Melbourne Australia. It was the hottest film on at the time. After a 4-6 week season at The Trak cinema, The Set moved to The Star (a theaterette playing "adult" movies.... necessary after the introduction of TV took away the theatre's livelihood in running continuous sessions of newsreels & cartoons).....and that is where we watched, with wide eyes, the fast set of Sydney society vomit across the screen! My love for camp exploitation films was made!! The promise of nudity was what attracted us, especially that of of afternoon TV guru ,Hazel Phillips...but a combination of inept acting, bad writing, sleazy plot lines, protracted nude scenes, gay and straight love scenarios and most importantly promises of big city "adventures" waiting for us when we grew up that seared an irreplaceable place in our minds.

I can't be the only one...PLEASE~release this seminal Aussie introduction into camp/bad/inept/sexploitation/gay/soap opera cinema!!

I wonder what "The Set" looks like now? I remember it vaguely and would be curious to see it again. It was pretty awful back in the seventies and strangely even a bit dated way back then. It was meant to be shocking. It was heavily promoted as having every sexual deviation imaginable, of course that was a time before the world finally worked out that being gay was just another life style choice. To be fair some of the actors are sexy and the movie as a whole was really no worse than a lot of other movies. The Set is a movie worthy of preservation. I wonder if we will ever see it again. I hope it has not been lost. Poor Sean M was an attractive actor and perhaps never lived this down, a bit unfair as he was not that bad. The script was a shocker.

The Set is Australia's first modern film. It's a non-judgmental adult-drama that explores gender and sexuality in a way that would happen again for decades. It's probably the world's first queer film. It's also groundbreaking in terms of being the first Australian produced film to contain sex scenes and nudity. It also a kicking jazz score and is quite funny in part.

It's a gem of a film that's well worth your time.