Al Paco's Gayt Movie: The 'Cisg' Controversy Of 1980

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AL PACO'S GAYT MOVIE: THE 'CISG' CONTROVERSY OF 1980

In 1980 William Friedk and Al Paco ma 'Cisg,' a stylish thriller that tak viewers to the unrground world of gay leather and S&M clubs on the hunt for a serial killer. Gay activists objected to as anti-gay, while straight moralizers thought was praved. It's hardly the kd of movie that you'd expect om the director of 'The Exorcist' and 'The French Connectn,' and the star of the 'Godfather' films. * gay movie cruising *

In 1980 William Friedk and Al Paco ma Cisg, a stylish but famo thriller that tak viewers to the unrground world of gay leather and S&M clubs on the hunt for a serial killer. Cisg is famo for s dark and gratuo pictn of gay life at the end of the dis era.

The film was protted by moralists who thought the film signaled the end tim, and gay rights activists who thought the film picted homosexualy as nothg more than a llectn of perverts hangg out a leather many misunrstood films of the era, Cisg has attaed a kd of cult stat even if is a b of a ms. homosexual sadomasochistic sex he is assigned to filtrate? nightclubs which gay men gather to dance, drk and make pairgs while.

and to film as much as possible on lotn, the New York gay muny rose. “Cisg, ” they said, would prent a distorted view of gay.

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The toilet stalls of an opera hoe have a few surpris store for a gay man who cis to e them to go cisg for a quickie this new short film by * gay movie cruising *

is, and that, if gays were “to” vlence, attacks on them would somehow be. girliend, we learn, and his work the gay bars seems to affect his. Whether he do or don't have gay sex Is central to this story'.

Paco is movg toward a gay orientatn and do not fd S&M all that. The toilet stalls of an opera hoe have a few surpris store for a gay man who cis to e them to go cisg for a quickie this new short film by Brazilian director João Dall'stella which recently screened at the 2020 Outft Film Ftival and has been makg the ftival rounds before that.

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A psychopath is surg New York Cy gay clubs and vicly slayg homosexuals. Detective Steve Burns (Al Paco) is orred to don leather attire, hang at the cy's S&M jots and keep an eye out for the killer. But as Steve be immersed club hoppg, he begs to intify wh the subculture more than he expected. Meanwhile, Steve behav distantly around his girliend, Nancy (Karen Allen), the police force's homophobia be apparent and the killer remas at large. * gay movie cruising *

Filmed 1979, this subject matter was pretty radil for a mastream movie, but "Cisg" was not the reprentatn that a lot of gay people wanted — and that was jt one of the hurdl director Willaim Friedk and the productn team had to jump. Gay activists protted Cisg. Early the filmg of "Cisg, " gay activists got wd of the upg film and worried that s portrayal of liberal sexualy and extreme vlence would feed to the negative stereotyp they were workg so avidly to reverse.

Acrdg to the New York Tim, July 26, 1979, was a day of actn for gay activists seekg to halt the productn of "Cisg.

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" First, reprentativ of the Natnal Gay Task Force requted that Mayor Ed Koch whdraw the film's shootg perm (a requt he nied, cg censorship ncerns). Prottg was not the only form of direct actn taken by gay activists attempt to stop "Cisg" om ever makg to theaters — they also directly meddled wh the filmg self.

It wasn't jt the d that gay activists targeted, as Johnson also remembered activists climbg onto nearby roofs to direct mirrors onto the set and the lightg. Cisg featured real members of the gay leather subculture.

Lookg back on the ntroversy surroundg "Cisg, " journalist Jason Bailey wrote for The Village Voice 2018 that some leather gays felt the backlash agast the film was more ncerned wh matag rpectabily the ey of heterosexual society than standg solidary wh the gay muny.

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He said, "There were two factns of the gay world then. While the numbers are likely exaggerated, Bailey quot John Devere, the edor--chief of the gay magaze Mandate.

He was st as an extra for "Cisg, " as were many other gay men, and he reported Febary 1980 that "more than 1, 600 gay men participated the filmg of 'Cisg.

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This Gay Man's Cisg Adventure In The Toilet Stalls Of An Opera Hoe Did Not Go As Planned: WATCH - Towleroad Gay News .

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