Product Details

• Actors: Larry Kramer, Roger McFarlane, Scott Bromley, Alvin Baltrop, Barton Benes
• Directors: Joseph Lovett
• Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Wolfe Video
• DVD Release Date: June 6, 2006
• Run Time: 67 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000F0UUMS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #151,342 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Gay Sex in the 70s" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A fun romp through the explicitly sexual world of New York's Christopher St. during the gay rights era, director Joseph Lovett's documentary, Gay Sex in the '70s, consists of still photos of old haunts interspersed with interviews with the men who inhabited them, such as Roger McFarlane, Barton Benes, Tom Bianchi, Alvin Batrop, and Arnie Kantrowitz. Covering June 1969 to June 1981, Gay Sex in the '70s traces the history of pre-AIDS public sex through Stonewall, to the rise of gay culture as we know it today. Incorporating politics with debauched anecdotes of men cruising the piers, fornicating in the backs of trucks, and attending discos, bathhouses, and S&M clubs, the film is entertaining and educational. Some footage of legendary dance clubs, such as Les Mouches, Flamingo, Paradise Garage, and Studio 54, make this a good movie to watch even for straight disco aficionados. In fact, this film could have benefited from more historical live footage, as it relies too heavily on its interviewees. As a result, Gay Sex in the '70s at times suffers from sentimentality. But its friendly exploration into what one man called "the golden age of brotherhood and liberty" leaves a comforting feeling, as if listening to reminiscences from granddad. --Trinie Dalton

Product Description

The end of an era. The beginning of a movement. 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. In recreating the gay story of the 70s, Lovett shows that AIDS was not the only legacy of this period.

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Recommended Documentary About 70s Gay Scene June 18, 2006

By Dorrie Wheeler

Format:DVD

The documentary Gay Sex in the 70s examines the lifestyle and culture of gay men from 1969 to 1981--the dawn of the AIDS era. The documentary was produced by former ABC Producer (20/20)Joseph Lovett. Gay Sex in the 70s is an excellent film.

The film primarily focuses on the disco era. Various gay men describe their lives and how things happened during that era. There is also a great deal of archived footage incorporated into the film. From back rooms at clubs to wild scenes in semi trucks at the docks things were definitely wild and free during that era.

Gay Sex in the 70s is a great historical film. The saddest part of the film is when the early 1980's are discussed. The dawn of the AIDS era really impacted the gay community in a major way. One man shows a pile of pictures of all of his friends who died from the disease. Another man tells a story about how one of his patients called him when he was hospitalized for what he was told was a strange cancer. One great thing the film captured is how the gay community really took a handle of things and worked hard to promote awareness about the disease before the government or any other group got involved.

Gay Sex in the 70s is a film I highly recommend to historians and people interested in gay/lesbian culture.

I for one am someone who knew nothing about this era, so I found this film very enlightning.

24 of 29 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars "New York was a constant cruising opportunity." June 9, 2006

By Dymon Enlow

Format:DVD

For a micro-budget documentary this is a good introduction to the gay scene in the 1970's, butt the title is misleading since it only tells the story of gay men in New York City in the 70's. There is absolutely nothing about anything outside of NYC which is sad because I was hoping this would talk some about gay oppression in other countries. Butt, oh well, I still enjoyed the film and was amazed by all the archival photos and video, especially the gay docks, "the trucks" and St. Mark's Baths! That was some crazy [...]!!! The St. Mark's Bath sounded awesome! Why can't there be something like that for heterosexuals nowadays?! I'd be there every weekend.

My main beef though is there just wasn't enough meat to the story. Yea, everybody is [...] and [...] and [...] nonstop, butt hearing about it over and over chafed me kinda raw. I wanted the film to penetrate deeper into the story. Instead it just poked around the rim. I wish there had been some interviews with somebody other than just the sex participants, like city officials or doctors or even some anti-gay preachers to look at the story from a different perspective. Also a brief introduction would have been nice, people mentioned "Stonewall" and "LGBT", butt I have no idea what those words mean so I had to look it up myself.

Those are just a few small complaints, don't let it scare you off from diving mouth first into this film. And at only 71 minutes it's packed tight with juicy information. For those out there keeping score: numerous rear nudity, a few flaccid wieners and no penetration.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Limited scope, but still worth a look August 14, 2006

By G. Mitchell

Format:DVD

While I was only a kid during the 70s, this documentary provides a fascinating, bittersweet snapshot of the "golden age of gay sex," i.e. after Stonewall and before full-blown AIDS - along with Friedkin's "Cruising," this doc shows us what NYC must have been like if you were young, hot, and single - and even if you weren't you could score, too. Hard to believe that this time period is only two decades ago, but it seems like a distant world, a long-lost era so alien from out contemporary culture. I wish the film had made an attempt to also cover other area around the nation like SF, LA, etc. but this insider glimpse of NYC nostalgia makes you pine for "the good old days" even if, in tragic hindsight, we know they could literally kill you.