Purple Television
[December 9 2013] : art
Interior. Leather Bar Trailer by James Franco and Travis Mathews
Released on DVD now is James Franco and Travis Mathews’ American docufiction film “Interior. Leather Bar.” Inspired by “lost” scenes from William Friedkin’s 1980 gay underworld thriller “Cruising.” Friedkin had to cut 40 minutes of his 1980 thriller to secure a widespread release for the film. Starring Al Pacino as undercover cop Steve Burns, the movie dove deep into the world of homosexual S&M to unmask a serial killer haunting New York’s underground gay scene. Franco and Mathews reshot that lost footage as a one-hour documentary detailing the production of it. “I wanted to be taken on a ride. I wanted to make a film that was as much about the experience as it was about making something. I wanted to go to a place of uncertainty, to set up parameters and then let the movie make itself. I wanted to explore the beauty of queerness, beautiful because it is counter to everything normal. As “straight” becomes the new “gay,” I wanted to find places where the anti-normative still thrived. Travis became my partner and guide on a trip to the queer-side,” says Franco.
Interior. Leather Bar will be released on DVD through Peccadillo Pictures on 9th December.
Screenings of Interior. Leather Bar will be taking place at Hackney Picturehouse and Greenwich Picturehouse on 9th December and ICA on 15th December.
