L.A. Plays Itself

L.A. Plays Itself was one of the first gay porn films ever made, dating from 1972. Fred 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. Very few adult films are as incomprehensible and avant-garde as this one, yet it remains arousing by focussing on areas apart from the traditional (close-ups on stomachs, thighs, butts) and through juxtaposing the fucking with the landscapes. Absolutely fascinating. Cast: Jim Frost, Rick Coates, Fred Halsted, Joey Yale, Bob Blount