The Set

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.

This is sort of an interesting movie, especially historically speaking: While it doesn't portray gay sex as it does heterosexual sex and the main character returns to heterosexuality at the end, that it does attempt to to portray a gay relationship does make it a ground-breaking movie and is worthy to watch for that alone.

However, there are numerous issues with the movie. The acting is decidedly low-key and the nudity seems to be in there just to attract interest from the straight crowd. There are also a couple of predatory gay characters.

Thus, if you're interested in the history of gay cinema, this is an interesting watch, but most people are better off just avoiding this movie.

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.

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.

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.