Movie Reviews

‘L.A. Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection’ Blu-Ray Review – Polarizing Works From A Pioneer In Gay Cinema

By Dillon Gonzales
November 26, 2021
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Fred Halsted was a legend in his own time. His self-created public persona—that of the leather-clad sadist—instantly made him both feared and revered as one of the first openly gay sex symbols. And his taboo-shattering films broke new ground in the gay erotic cinema for their portrayal of sadomasochism and other forms of polymorphous perversity. These works sent a shockwave throughout the fledgling gay liberation movement and the art establishment alike, leading to their eventual acquisition by the Museum of Modern Art. But despite their significant cultural importance, these films have long been available only in neutered form, if at all. Altered Innocence and Anus Films are proud to present the first-ever uncut disc release of these groundbreaking and fiercely controversial films, beautifully restored by MoMA and with a host of new bonus features, including Halsted’s formerly-lost second feature, Truck It.

While I pride myself in being a pretty open-minded reviewer, this particular title was sent to me unsolicited by a label I greatly admire (check out my recent reviews of Wild Tigers I Have Known and Death Of Nintendo). The content did not seem like it would particularly appeal to my sensibilities, but I approached it with a blank slate. It was only about eleven minutes into the first documentary that the serene nature shots and overheard, intriguing-enough conversations between two men morphed into an extended depiction of fellatio. As I fast-forwarded to see what else was in store, I realized this was only the beginning of an erotic journey I was not willing to take over the course of these three works. While they are sure to have their audience, I cannot offer significant analysis of the content. Instead, I hope to provide a broad overview of the technical elements from what I sampled in hopes of allowing the people who might be interested to know what’s in store for them.

L.A. Plays Itself (1972) (55:17)

For the first time in cinema history, Fred Halsted would depict a man being fisted on screen. It serves as the film’s literal and figurative climax, but it couldn’t be farther from L.A. Plays Itself’s opening images at the Los Angeles city limits sign. Halsted’s elliptical, evasive anti-narrative begins in the lush greenery of the natural world before being literally bulldozed into the center of a grimy, feverish Sodom that deconstructs and erodes the human spirit through vivid sadomasochistic catharsis. Constructed almost entirely in the editing room, Halsted’s film is a dream-porn masterwork that would be analyzed, criminalized, and investigated for decades to come.

Description courtesy of Quad Cinema.

Sextool (1975) (61:06)

One of the most ambitious and least successful pornographic films ever made, Sextool‘s production history is rife with nearly as much expurgated desire as the film itself. Funded on the success of L.A. Plays Itself, Halsted’s next major feature was designed to be a crossover success in the arthouse market. Halsted shot much of the film on expired 35mm stock in hopes of securing a wider release, but the film was quickly deemed unviable by the art-film market. The Hollywood Reporter homophobically and horrifically categorized it as “cruel, terrorizing…the kind of film one can imagine Nazi concentration camp commanders commission for their jaded amusement.” Forty years later, the film plays as an astonishingly progressive broadcast from an era of deeply ingrained musculature.

Description courtesy of Quad Cinema.

The Sex Garage (1972) (35:09)

Sex Garage defied genre conventions – as embryonic as they were in the gay porn of 1972 – but did so in ways different from L. A. Plays Itself. Sex Garage, at a running time of 38 minutes and in black and white, begins with an image of a woman; she performs enthusiastic fellatio on a longhaired boyfriend who, as it turns out, is the garage’s mechanic, and who later finds another kind of action. The straight sex between hippie kids, often shown in macroscopic detail, casually introduces bisexuality into a gay porn film long before the bisexual genre became fashionable during the early 1990s.

Description courtesy of Viennale.

Video Quality

The three works included on the Blu-Ray of L.A. Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection are presented in their original aspect ratio and are sourced from new scans and restorations of exhibition prints held by the Museum of Modern Art. L.A. Plays Itself and The Sex Garage were derived from 16mm prints, while Sextool was created from a 35mm print. Considering the condition of the source material, it is amazing to see the material looking so striking. There does not appear to be any issues with compression artifacts or any other such digital anomalies. There is still a noticeable amount of print damage and jittery imagery, but for the most part you can tell there was care to make these works look as good as possible. The transfer maintains excellent natural film grain support throughout with nothing looking artificial. The track does show off some fine detail in the clothing of the subjects and in some of the background elements in the various locations. Colors are fairly vibrant and they remain stable throughout. This presentation does an excellent job of bringing these unique works to the modern era.

Audio Quality

The new Blu-Ray set is presented with a DTS-HD 1.0 Master Audio track for all the films which suit the material perfectly well. The words of the subjects mostly come through quite well in relation to the competing sounds. There are minor sound issues due to the source material, but the most important thing is that the track remains faithful to the intention of the creative team. English, French and Spanish subtitles are provided for those who desire them. These works sound as good as they possibly can in this Blu-Ray collection.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries

- L.A. Plays Itself: Evan Purchell, K.J. Shepherd, and Tyler Thomas of Ask Any Buddy

- Sextool: Evan Purchell, K.J. Shepherd, and Tyler Thomas of Ask Any Buddy

- The Sex Garage: Evan Purchell of Ask Any Buddy

Video Interview with Halsted Plays Himself Author William E. Jones (38:24): Recorded 8/11/21

Gallery Of Promotional Art And Ephemera (8:43)

Bonus Film – Truck It

- Introduction (3:39)

- 8mm Loops (26:30)

- Full Feature VHS Rip (52:17)

Sanitizing Halsted – A Video Essay By Whitney Strub (27:22)

Crossing Over: Sextool – A Video Essay By Caden Mark Gardner (9:14)

L.A. Plays Itself Original Ending (3:16)

Sextool Original Ending (4:54)

Trailers: There are trailers provided for Sextool (5:32), Double Feature Roadshow (2:33) and The Fred Halsted Collection (1:56). There are also trailers provided for Arrebato (Rapture), Equation To An Unknown, Queercore: How To Punk A Revolution and Knife + Heart.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included with the essays “Hands On: The Legacy and Memory of Fred Halsted” by Bradford Nordeen and “Beloved Pariah” by William E. Jones.

Final Thoughts

L.A. Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection attempts to find the artistry within these works of boundary-pushing gay erotica. For those who are in the audience for this release, Altered Innocence and Vinegar Syndrome have delivered a Blu-Ray with a solid A/V presentation and a significant collection of special features. Fans of Fred Halsted will likely be thrilled.

L.A. Plays Itself: The Fred Halsted Collection is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Altered Innocence and Vinegar Syndrome have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.