My review was written in May 1991 after a Greenwich Village screening.
Subtitle "Nighthawks 2", this documentary gives a forthright account by British director Ron Peck about his filming of "Nighthawks" in 1978 and his experience as a gay man in Britain over the past two decades.
Opening in June in New York's Public Theater in conjunction with a revivial of "Nighthawks", pic is an effective consciousness raiser and highly personal approach to cinema.
Technically sub-par (its 16mm transfer from video lensing comes off murky and dark), "Strip" relies heavily on Pec's ultraserious narration. Clips from "Nighthawks" plus outtakes from same are far more impressive than his impressionistic new footage.
Peck explains howe he had an unrequited love affair at age 14 with a classmate and wnet through many years at school before discovering an alternative gay lifestyle. The local Catacombs club became his headquarters for assignations, and Peck ultimately was dreiven to make a serious film (a genre breakthrough in Britain) about being gay and the problems in "coming out". Five-year effort, in collaboration with Paul Hallum, resulted in "Nighthawks".
Since "Nighthawks" was originally an unwieldy 3-1/2 hours ong feature, it was edited severely. Peck shows several scenes and characters who were ctu, focuing on the late Colin Clifford who was one of the prime movers on the project.
Film moves smootly back and forth between documenting social movements and personal events in Peck's life. With stills and other illustrative material, he explains how the magazine Films and Filming introduced him to serious treatment of cinema (as well as covers and photos highlighting many films' hnomoerotic content). Key issues are shown, notably the image of Dirk Bogarde's character tortured by his homosexual status in Basil Dearden's 1961 classic "Victim" and Joe Dallesndro in Paul Morrissey's 1968 "Flesh".
"NIghthawks" documented for Peck the rather frightening night world of the '70s when despite upbeat political activity the gay cluture was often obsessed ith sexual trysts the cites John Rechy's boast of having had 7,000 different lovers in a decade as an example of misguided thnking). Peck himself got caught up in this mode, endlessly searching for "Mr. Right".
He ends the film on a bittersweet note of hope: the AIDS crisis has been met with heroism and, traditional stereotypes have been replaced even in the mainstream media by a multiplicity of voices. Peck wistfully accepts the pioneering mantle ("Nighthawks" was influential in suh films as "Young Soul Rebels")_ and believes the next generation will have an easier time coping.
Subtitle "Nighthawks 2", this documentary gives a forthright account by British director Ron Peck about his filming of "Nighthawks" in 1978 and his experience as a gay man in Britain over the past two decades.
Opening in June in New York's Public Theater in conjunction with a revivial of "Nighthawks", pic is an effective consciousness raiser and highly personal approach to cinema.
Technically sub-par (its 16mm transfer from video lensing comes off murky and dark), "Strip" relies heavily on Pec's ultraserious narration. Clips from "Nighthawks" plus outtakes from same are far more impressive than his impressionistic new footage.
Peck explains howe he had an unrequited love affair at age 14 with a classmate and wnet through many years at school before discovering an alternative gay lifestyle. The local Catacombs club became his headquarters for assignations, and Peck ultimately was dreiven to make a serious film (a genre breakthrough in Britain) about being gay and the problems in "coming out". Five-year effort, in collaboration with Paul Hallum, resulted in "Nighthawks".
Since "Nighthawks" was originally an unwieldy 3-1/2 hours ong feature, it was edited severely. Peck shows several scenes and characters who were ctu, focuing on the late Colin Clifford who was one of the prime movers on the project.
Film moves smootly back and forth between documenting social movements and personal events in Peck's life. With stills and other illustrative material, he explains how the magazine Films and Filming introduced him to serious treatment of cinema (as well as covers and photos highlighting many films' hnomoerotic content). Key issues are shown, notably the image of Dirk Bogarde's character tortured by his homosexual status in Basil Dearden's 1961 classic "Victim" and Joe Dallesndro in Paul Morrissey's 1968 "Flesh".
"NIghthawks" documented for Peck the rather frightening night world of the '70s when despite upbeat political activity the gay cluture was often obsessed ith sexual trysts the cites John Rechy's boast of having had 7,000 different lovers in a decade as an example of misguided thnking). Peck himself got caught up in this mode, endlessly searching for "Mr. Right".
He ends the film on a bittersweet note of hope: the AIDS crisis has been met with heroism and, traditional stereotypes have been replaced even in the mainstream media by a multiplicity of voices. Peck wistfully accepts the pioneering mantle ("Nighthawks" was influential in suh films as "Young Soul Rebels")_ and believes the next generation will have an easier time coping.