Over the past few years, director Jeffrey Schwarz has done a great job of looking at gay history and life through the prism of key individuals. He’s looked at activist and film historian Vito Russo (in Vito), and two very different film stars in I Am Divine and Tab Hunter: Confidential.
Now he’s back looking at a man who helped bring Grease, and the Village People’s Can’t Stop The Music to the big screen as a producer, as well as shepherding La Cage Aux Folles onto the Broadway stage – Allan Carr. He also managed major stars such as Ann-Margaret, Peter Sellers and Joan Rivers, as well as helping the like of Mark Hamill and Michelle Pfeiffer to find success.
Carr was known for his larger-than-life personality, legendary parties, and his love for sex and decadence.
Schwarz tells Equality 365, “With this film, I also wanted to explore the gay experience in Hollywood in the 1970’s and 80’s – the new freedoms that could be enjoyed, and what the limitations were. It was an opportunity to tell a social history from the era when homosexuality was never discussed and gays sought solace in the movies through the hedonistic 1970’s, embracing the sensual and then the 1980’s when AIDS came along and ruined the party.
“Although it was no secret that Allan Carr was a gay, he never formally acknowledged it publicly. The word “flamboyant” was often used to describe him, a code word. Using humor and outrageousness to gain entry into a conservative industry, Allan Carr furthered the acceptance of gay identity just by being himself, and his sensibility found its way into his product.”
The first trailer for the movie has now been released, via NewNowNext, which you can take a look at below. The film recently premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival and will screen at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco in June. [Read more…]
I Am Divine, the wonderful documentary look at the drag queen who became John Waters’ muse, is out on DVD now. It’s a great look at a fascinating person who died too young, celebrating someone who pushed the envelope of both sexuality and life in general.
