Description

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 the 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, Tom Bianchi and Rodger McFarlane as well as fascinating regular guys exploring their freedom at the time. As the men 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. And for those who lived through it, Gay Sex in the 70s is a wonderful celebration of a historic time.

Awards & Quotes

“Gay Sex in the 70s is a blast. Get Some!” – Film Threat

“It was wilder than you thought.” – Entertainment Weekly

“Do you wanna funk?” – Ken Fox, TV Guide

“Incisive… evokes a rich sense of the dawning of gay liberation.” – Kevin Thomas, LA Times

“Smart and smartly joyous “- Newsday

“A vivid portrait of a lost libertine paradise” – Ronnie Schieb, Variety

“Joseph Lovett’s nostalgic paean to the erotic utopia of his youth.” – The New York Times

“Shocking…Politicized and highly sexualized” –Washington Post

“Lets viewers into a world that…has been cloaked in shadow” – Washington Post

“A portrait of an underclass discovering itself, from unbridled hedonism to newfound purpose and personal commitment.” –Houston Chronicle

“A finely balanced and loving work of history… an often hilarious tribute to the city and its era.”- Salon.com

“A celebration of that free-love time… amazing texture.” -Time Out New York

“Focused and richly documented… remarkably candid… an unapologetic and accurate snapshot.” – Film Journal International

DVD

• Letterbox 4:3 Presentation
• Closed Captioning
• Theatrical Trailer
• Dolby 2.0
• Scene Selection
• Photo Gallery
• More From Wolfe