The Set

From sydney australia. An early, interesting story of paul, sales clerk, who wants to learn design. He gets a lucky break, and meets designers who help him along with his career. And meets tony, who is already a success. Mixed emotions about this one. While the story by roger ward treats the gays and their relationships (mostly) with respect, most of the gays are really bisexual, who also sleep with women. Although some of the women are not sexually satisfied. Maybe that was to get it past the aussie censors. A fun performance by a drag queen. Played by the brother of the professor on gilligan's island, no less. And even a (terrible) wanna be opera singer, a la florence jenkins style. When we google her, we'll see that the real jenkins died in 1944. The sexy, suave but troubled tony wears the same unbuttoned shirt for most of the film, when he wears a shirt at all. Loud, fun, campy jazz, with lots of sax by the "flanagans." the guys have a tumultuous relationship, trying to combine work and a love life. I guess the alcohol may have interfered. Some nudity here and there, but nothing major. Early roles for the leads, mullinar and myers, and the director frank brittain. Writer ward is probably best known as captain fifi in mad max! "the set" is currently playing on the tubi streaming channel... fun stuff! Check out the wikipedia pages for roger ward and for "the set"... apparently, the film was made forty years before the book was allowed to be published!

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.

What a schtinker.

Maybe back in the day, the film was shocking. Lots of bare boobies. One hairy chest A few bare bottoms.

As an historical gay themed film, it's interesting, but beyond that, it's pretty dull. The music and dancing look dated even for the Swingin' Seventies. The film has a lotta swinging going on, but for today's audience, it's more ho-hum than inflammatory.

The women's hairdos are interesting. Must have been a lot of VO-5 on the set.

The acting is on the lower end of so-so, and the cinematography was too. Movie makers have thankfully honed their skills since the making of The Set.

There are some really crude representations of the 'derelict lifestyle.' Like when Paul opens a can of beer for Tony, and tosses the tab from the can into the refrigerator. Tony just throws his on the floor. The ashtrays are humorously full of butts. Except for the ones on the floor around the fireplace.

The bathroom, however, is quite clean and tidy for a two-bachelor pad.

And then there are some quite mysterious scenes that could have been for another movie. Tony tossing a football around in the street with the neighborhood kids, and giving one of them a harmonica whose real significance fallen out of the script.

The whole film is an eye-roller. But maybe it's an interesting peek into the seventies for those who never experienced it.

Enjoy. But don't expect much. Though I suppose the intent was some sort of social redemption at the end, where ALMOST everyone is having a rollicking good time. .

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 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.