Pat Rocco Dared

Pat Rocco made movies. Way back when. And they featured beautiful men. And the beautiful men were frolicking, walking through the woods, holding hands, kissing, and caressing each other. The affection, romance, and pure beauty of the men is still an amazing statement today. No tattoos, no piercings, no waxed and shaved bodies, no dirty talk or rough treatment. These men love and respect themselves and each other.

The filmmakers interivewed Pat Rocco shortly before he died and found vintage footage of him to include in this tribute. Unfortunately, they also recorded interviews with "experts" to tell the audience what to think and how to react. The unintentional incongruity between the appearances of the "experts" and the men in Pat Rocco's movies shows how far we have strayed from our natural bodies in an effor to be "edgy" or fashionable.

It would have been far better to let Pat Rocco's romantic, playful, joyous work speak for itself instead of bombarding viewers with folks telling us that this work was groundbreaking, important, etc. Don't you think we can see that for ourselves?

The added interviews make the movie feel padded. Repeating some of the vintage footage only adds to this feeling. And it is a shame because there must have been hours of additional shots they could have used instead of showing us the same clips two or three times.

If you are a gay man, treat yourself to this movie if you can find it. But you might want to fast forward through the talking heads.

This documentary film gives a glimpse of the history that much of North America is unaware exists. Charlie David, an actor, producer, director, and audiobook narrator interviews Pat Rocco, an iconic filmmaker that documented the Queer community through various film media beginning in the late 1960s, combining art and activism.

As a cis/Black female in my 50s, I think it is abhorrent that people in the LGBTQ community do not have all of the rights afforded other groups in the U. S. Why not?

Pat Rocco furthered the cause of LGBTQ rights as a true pioneer. He showed that "love is love" during a time when police harrassment of the LGBTQ community was rampant (and often expected) in Los Angeles, one of the most liberal cities in the United States. I highly recommend that you watch this very well-made and entertaining documentary!

I enjoyed so much this well deserved tribute to a courageous artist that made a great statement of freedom, love and art with his films. Charlie David made a wonderful job in this documentary that showed us Pat Rocco's story in such beautiful interviews, images and sequences. In my opinion, Pat Rocco was able to make his vision and his dream a reality that contributed hugely to the liberties we have now, and this documentary is an accurate reflection of his legacy and all the barriers he needed to demolish to succeed. I highly recommend it for anyone who wants to learn about our past, to improve our future. A great movie!

Pat Rocco was an early gay pioneer who made erotic (but not pornographic) films, often with his subjects ending up naked, kissing and caressing. He also put his talents to use in documenting the early gay liberation movement, including parades and speeches by Harvey Milk. Here, Charlie David "interviews" him - or lets Rocco take us down memory lane, as we are shown clips of Rocco's films. There are interviews with other analysts, and documentation of Rocco's other charitable work.

I liked the clips, both as illustration of what he had done, and as a way of avoiding the talking head syndrome. As Rocco was before my time, I am happy to get to know him and his work.

What an entertaining and informative documentary. I did not know films like what Pat Rocco created existed, especially in the sixties! They are X-rated, yes, but they seemed more tasteful, artsy, than the more hard core X-rated. Pat Rocco was a revolutionary. Not only creating gay-positive art, but also fighting for gay rights, starting charities and shelters for gay teens. He was a cornerstone for gay rights. A trail blazer, he paved the way for others who wanted to create gay-positive films, photography, art. A real pioneer. I want to see these films brought to life. What a hard working and special guy.