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Movies / On DVD / Gay Sex in the 70's
Gay Sex in the 70's

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Gay Sex in the 70's (2005)

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Reviews Counted:24

Fresh:16

Rotten:8

Average Rating:6.3/10

Rated: Not Rated

Runtime: 71 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Theatrical Release:Nov 4, 2005 Limited

Synopsis: Documentary producer/director Joseph Lovett focuses his lens on the unbridled sexual passion and exploration that marked the twelve years from Stonewall (1969) to the first reported cases of AIDS... Documentary producer/director Joseph Lovett focuses his lens on the unbridled sexual passion and exploration that marked the twelve years from Stonewall (1969) to the first reported cases of AIDS (1981). With access to a filmic and photographic treasure trove of erotic life on New York's West Side Piers, trucks, bars, dance clubs, baths and beaches, Lovett's cast of storytellers takes us from the remarkably repressed pre-Stonewall period to an era of sexual excess unparallelled since ancient Rome. Straightforward, funny and titllating at the same time, they tell their stories with remarkable wit, humor and perspective. For younger people - those who became sexually active after the age of AIDS - this film may be a startling revelation of what everyday life was like when American youth were cutting loose from Puritanical values and ascribing to the watchword of the time, "if it feels good, do it." --© Official Site [More]

Director: Joseph Lovett, Tom Bianchi

Director: Joseph Lovett, Tom Bianchi
Screenwriter: Larry Kramer

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Release:

Jun 6, 2006

[DVD Details]
 
 
  • Gay Sex in the 70s pays a steamy visit to the sexually charged period post-Stonewall, pre-AIDS (1969-1981) when gay men experienced an unprecedented sexual freedom.
  • Hailed by critics and audiences alike, GAY SEX IN THE 70s director Joseph Lovett focuses his story on New York City between 1969 and 1981, using remarkable present-day interviews and stunning archival footage to take viewers back to days just after Stonewall. Lovett takes us back to the piers, the trucks, the Central Park rambles, the back rooms, and the baths. It was a time where repression and fear were replaced by a sexual explosion, where shame became joy.
  • Lovett interviews such luminaries from the scene as Larry Kramer and Tom Bianchi, as well as fascinating regular guys exploring their freedom at the time. As the men continue to reminisce, the story deepens. It wasn't just about sex, they discovered, but about creating friendships and a community that never existed before. But, storm clouds emerge as the men talk about sexual obsession, how drugs entered the scene at a larger scale, and how unusual STDs began to appear.
  • In recreating the gay story of the 70s, Lovett shows that AIDS was not the only legacy of this period. It was also a time of brotherhood and laying the foundation of a political movement with its biggest battles still ahead. For younger people-those who came of age after the onset of the AIDS crisis-the film is a startling revelation of what everyday life was like in New York City at the time.
  • Source: Wolfe Video
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    Reviews for Gay Sex in the 70's

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    1 - 20 (sorted by date)
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    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
    08/19/09
    Deseret News, Salt Lake City
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
    03/27/09
    Ronnie Scheib
    Ronnie Scheib
    Variety
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic
    N/R

    Click to read the article

    Full Review Source: St. Louis Post-Dispatch | comment Comment
    07/28/07
    St. Louis Post-Dispatch

    Shows us the faces of some of the gay activists involved with that free love party scene who survived.

    Full Review Source: Ozus' World Movie Reviews | comment Comment
    07/01/07
    Dennis Schwartz
    Dennis Schwartz
    Ozus' World Movie Reviews

    An unapologetic and accurate snapshot.

    Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
    03/01/07
    Doris Toumarkine
    Doris Toumarkine
    Film Journal International

    creating much more nostalgia than substance

    Full Review Source: Old School Reviews | comment Comment
    06/02/06
    John A. Nesbit
    John A. Nesbit
    Old School Reviews

    ... lacks the authority of such gay documentary classics as "Word Is Out" and "Before Stonewall," which were far more inclusive.

    Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
    03/24/06
    John Hartl
    John Hartl
    Seattle Times

    The only clear message is of aging men enjoying a nostalgia trip... and thumbing their noses at the younger gay men who missed the party.

    Full Review Source: Salt Lake Tribune | comment Comment
    03/24/06
    Sean Means
    Sean Means
    Salt Lake Tribune

    There is, however, little socio-political insight into the Dionysian revolution depicted here; the film seems to serve more as a nostalgia piece than anything.

    Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
    03/18/06
    Steve Davis
    Steve Davis
    Austin Chronicle

    It's not exactly clear what the message is for the gay community of today, except to say, 'Those days were fun while they lasted and sorry you weren't around to experience it.'

    Full Review Source: TheMovieChicks.com | comment Comment
    03/17/06
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    Cherryl Dawson and Leigh Ann Palone
    TheMovieChicks.com

    An engrossing piece of social history, a lively, astonishingly well-documented excavation of that period between June 1969 and June 1981 when gay men in New York experienced a bacchanalian burst of sexual liberation.

    Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
    03/02/06
    Ann Hornaday
    Ann Hornaday
    Washington Post
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    The faces of that movement are what sell this story -- with enthusiasm, not regret.

    Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle | comment Comment
    02/17/06
    Bruce Westbrook
    Bruce Westbrook
    Houston Chronicle
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Despite the retrospective sensationalism, Lovett's 70-minute documentary is a sobering anti-erotic cautionary tale.

    Full Review Source: Boston Globe | comment Comment
    02/03/06
    Wesley Morris
    Wesley Morris
    Boston Globe
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    It's a worthwhile documentary on a worthy subject, one that is pursued painstakingly by director Joseph F. Lovett.

    Full Review Source: South Florida Sun-Sentinel | comment Comment
    02/02/06
    Laura Kelly
    Laura Kelly
    South Florida Sun-Sentinel

    ... Lovett's tribute to a bygone era feels like it might resonate deeper if context and character overpowered story upon story of sexual excess.

    Full Review Source: Chicago Tribune | comment Comment
    01/27/06
    Robert K. Elder
    Robert K. Elder
    Chicago Tribune
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Lovett's nostalgic paean to the erotic utopia of his youth.

    comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Dana Stevens
    Dana Stevens
    New York Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Gay Sex in the 70s is a blast.

    Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Eric Campos
    Eric Campos
    Film Threat

    Lovett backs up his assertion that the decade bracketed by the 1969 Stonewall riots, marking the beginning of gay liberation, and the emergence of AIDS in 1981 was 'the most libertine period the Western world has known since the Roman Empire.'

    Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Kevin Thomas
    Kevin Thomas
    Los Angeles Times
    Top Critic Icon Top Critic

    Lovett's lively, impassioned, well-structured documentary is enhanced by stacks of explicit photos and the reminiscences of men who lived through the decade.

    Full Review Source: AV Club | comment Comment
    12/06/05
    Noel Murray
    Noel Murray
    AV Club

    The film is packed with fantastic archival footage.

    Full Review Source: L.A. Weekly | comment Comment
    11/17/05
    Ernest Hardy
    Ernest Hardy
    L.A. Weekly
     
     
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