Gay Sex in the 70s

Excellent and to the point.

The topic is interesting and shows a clear contrast between the pre-AIDS world and the post-AIDS world. As I grew up, AIDS was already a factor, so to me the notion of random unsafe sex seems quite the gamble. It made me think about what could be discovered in years to come to make our present lifestyle seem like a game of Russian roulette. I enjoyed a short cameo by Swedish musician Sebastian Utbult! Also, anyone who is interested in the scene needs to see this movie. It's a definite trip to retrotown :)

Thank you for the eye opener, Mr. Lovett!

This is a film that suffers from the same malady that so many gay films suffer from. It's all about New Yorkers, and only eighteen of them. (Count the cast yourself.)

Like Longtime Companion, and even Angels in America, it assumes that homosexuals only live and love in NYC.

Considering the title I guess I expected a broader more enlightening documentary.

In the opening segment it promises to cover 69-81, Stonewall till AIDS. Then it goes on to cover AIDS anyway, in a tact-on perfunctory manner. "See how the consequences played out?" it seems to say.

The film is not particularly enlightening in any way and nothing that hasn't' been said before.

It would certainly be nice to see a film someday that could encompass the gay experience of all of America instead of a tiny group of New Yorkers.

The fact that San Francisco is not even mentioned should tell you that this film does not live up to it's title.

If you want to see a film about gay sexuality, you would be better off looking up "SEX IS," or even renting some classic gay porn.

I have seen this film, too, and I was somewhat taken back in time having seen it since it was a complete reenactment of my entire life in New York at that time, and a time capsule of gay like during the 1970s. I was fortunate enough to live through the AIDS era because I has a monogamous relationship at the time, but many of my friends are dead now, and that is the sad part of seeing the film. The scenes from the 70s in the film including the candid interviews made this film worthwhile. I was lucky enough to see it at a special private screening when in new york recently, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in gay history and gay sex from 1969 onward. One aspect of the film discussed the discos and the baths. I remember a time when Manhattan had at least ten active gay bathhouses, from the ten story Man's Country to the sleazy Everard Baths. I went to all of them, and I still have my Continental Baths towel that I bought at Bloomingdales. What memories! I don't live in NYC anymore. I am in Hawaii, but according to this site (BathhouseGuide.com) there are still gay bathhouses operating in the Big Apple. Cheers, Eddie

A no holds barred look back at a hedonistic time of freedom for sexual awareness and discovery... it can almost make this thirty something long for a time pre AIDs. It posed a lot of questions for me like, which came first, the gay sexual carnivore, or the backlash against sexual persecution. At a screening, an audience member wished they had been old enough to have enjoyed in the decadent madness that seemed pervasive by the movie's content... and I was left to wonder, how different it was then (men having sex with strangers in bathhouses and the back of trucks and piers) to how it is now (men arranging sex dates with others online). What a wake up call to reality.

For those unfamiliar with the topic, this documentary offers good information. For those already familiar with, or who lived through or participated in it, the film's a trip down memory lane.

Joseph Lovett has assembled some period footage and photo stills to help depict his subject. But the film mostly consists of "talking heads": men in their 60s, sharing personal experiences on the atmosphere, attitudes and action from the 70s. A couple of women in their 30s also offer reflective remarks.

What a rare opportunity for people in the Northeast area of the country to be able to see this film locally, at Cleveland's unique Cinematheque. Not yet available on video or DVD, and rarely shown outside of New York, these Ohio screenings are all the more valuable.

The diverse and appreciative audience was very interested in the subject, and reacted to the humor audibly. While all this is now history, the 70s represents for many a time of liberation, experimentation, exploration and fulfillment. --h/76