On a fluke, Eric and I rented American Swing, a documentary-style film that chronicles the notorious New York sex club "Plato's Retreat," which opened in 1977. The club enjoyed it's short-lived glory days while under the management of founder Larry Levenson.I was riveted by this movie from start to finish.
Despite the outrageous sexual activity going on in the club, there's an innocence and even a naivete about it all that we'll never recapture in our post-HIV society. Even in an STD-free world, the moral majority/bible-thumpers would never abide this level of unabashed sexual freedom.
The interviews are wonderful. I loved listening to people in their fifties and sixties reminisce about the sex they had in their twenties and thirties. The vintage interviews from shows like Donahue are worth the cost of admission alone.
The graphics are, well, graphic and not at all suitable for family viewing; but the footage and photos never feel pornographic. They help to tell the story in the most appropriate way. These people are having fun. The sex is flat-out and raw and everybody's enjoying it. Everything about what you see is real. The boobs and pubes are 100% natural.
This movie depicts a raucous albeit slim chapter from the book of human sexuality. It is sexy, quirky, funny, sad and honest. I can't recommend it highly enough.
If you don't rent it, whatever you do, view the six minute trailer, which gives a generous sampling of what the film is all about.
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