|
American Swing is directed by Jon Hart and Matthew
Kaufman. ***
American Swing is a look at Larry Levenson and Plato's
Retreat, a swingers club run by Levenson in New York City.
In the 70s, Levenson's club made him into one of the most
recognized men in the city, due to his ability to give people
a place where they could go for their sexual needs. The
doc explores Levenson and his club through footage and interviews
with those who have studied him and know him best. ***
While American Swing doesn't exactly bring anything
new to the world of documentaries, it's the sheer subject
matter than sucked this reviewer in. Levenson and Plato's
Retreat are some of the most interesting subjects of a documentary
that I have ever seen. Being born after the 70s, I wasn't
aware of him or what he provided to the city, so this was
an enlightening view for me. If someone had attempted in
this day and age what Levenson did 3 decades ago, there
is no question that that person would quickly come under
fire. At 80 minutes (which seems short at first glance),
the film does drag a bit. But overall it's a compelling
story of one of America's most interesting stories of the
last few decades. ---
Image And Sound:
As a documentary, American Swing's video comes from
various sources of differing quality. All things considered,
though, every bit of footage presented here looks just fine.
There are no major anomalies that detract from the picture
quality - just don't over-expect. This IS a documentary,
after all. Audio is fine, though the music tends to be the
most emphasized thing in the mix.
|
