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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13 comments:
I'll look later, as I'm assuming that this is NSFW.
LOL, I remember going to two swinger parties.... what I noticed was that the men had an issue w/either their gf or wives... One dude was obviously hurt that his gf was super turned on by a stranger...These 'parties' weren't my thing... I guess I noticed how people were w/others and that was a turnoff... I talked to one guy about it and he said it enhanced their marriage- which to me is a lame excuse..And it definitely was when STD's and HIV wasn't rampant or maybe those two items were just more under the rug, so to speak...Denial is not just a river...
Short Bus (the film) gives the same vibe...it's not pornographic, it's people being intimate.
The only thing I don't miss are the pubes, hairy little buggers get caught in yer throat
Yeah, I really liked "American Swing." It's one of the only movies or television segments about swingers I've seen that didn't have preconceived notions.
I bet a lot of that stuff still goes on in peoples basements or rec rooms or whatnot. Just no longer in a commercial setting.
Maybe some of those people moved on to Beautiful Agony.
i think i saw that on tv once. lol.
um, erin, have you seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mKKKgua7wQk
i saw it on fb today and thought you'd enjoy it.
<3
I went into the Navy in 1976, but had a girlfriend so I guess I did the right thing. However, she dropped me like third grade English four years later. By that time, most of this stuff was over. In retrospect (like the song says) I wish that I knew what I know now when I was younger.
Thanks for the look back!
I've been following your blog for a couple months now, and this is the first time I've commented. I wanted to say thanks for this post. I will definitely have to check out how the lifestyle 30 years ago compares to the lifestyle now, but from what you've said, it sounds prettymuch the same. People who view sex as a recreational activity. Raw, fun, f*cking.
As a followup (after I've read the previous comments), I'd like to say to Chrissy that as far as my wife and I go, swinging has enhanced our relationship far more than I ever thought possible. While we love sex, and having sex with other people is fun, we each have our boundaries, and we make love in a far more emotional way now than we used to.
Well, it's not as though HIV & Cohad stopped all this raucous play. It's still going on, at least in Europe. You sure got preservatives strewn all over the place, and pple are no longer that natural, as no one's that into the natural look anymore. Soyou tend to run into extremely groomed women and men, with the occasional old hairy paunched man in between. Plus, most of the bunch are plain onlookers who aren't there neither for swinging nor for f***ing their own spouse. To be true: repulsingly alluring at first, then not even that.
I'm not into the Lifestyle, but I enjoyed this docu. I'm always intrigued by anything that's "different". whatever floats your boat, man.
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