This ultra-rare gay party film shows us the hedonistic, no-worries, pre-AIDS world of Fire Island and is a fascinating time capsule of a film. This film also appears to be missing from Vito Russo's "Celluloid Closet" book on gay cinema.
The theme song "Let it always be summer" comes across as a kind of commentary on the characters, who desire to be young and attractive and enjoy themselves for as long as they can. The dialogue can be hard to hear at times, but there are some wonderful moments - the ultra-camp guy who tries to change a tire being one of the more memorable scenes - I was laughing along with him, not at him.
The English guy is so annoying and sensitive that I agreed with the back-cover blurb on the video box that you want to end up strangling him by the end of the movie - one of the key moments in the film is where he verbally attacks the camp guy, then feels guilty and apologises, launching into a maudlin story about strangling his own dog - something which he metaphorically is continuing to do... And his boyfriend has a wonderful range of bored expressions.
I also like the puzzled looks of real passengers on the New York train station as the actors invaded the space, swishing it up for the cameras. Not as heavy-going or full of "messages" as Boys in the Band, but worth a look.
The theme song "Let it always be summer" comes across as a kind of commentary on the characters, who desire to be young and attractive and enjoy themselves for as long as they can. The dialogue can be hard to hear at times, but there are some wonderful moments - the ultra-camp guy who tries to change a tire being one of the more memorable scenes - I was laughing along with him, not at him.
The English guy is so annoying and sensitive that I agreed with the back-cover blurb on the video box that you want to end up strangling him by the end of the movie - one of the key moments in the film is where he verbally attacks the camp guy, then feels guilty and apologises, launching into a maudlin story about strangling his own dog - something which he metaphorically is continuing to do... And his boyfriend has a wonderful range of bored expressions.
I also like the puzzled looks of real passengers on the New York train station as the actors invaded the space, swishing it up for the cameras. Not as heavy-going or full of "messages" as Boys in the Band, but worth a look.