Muscle

There Are No More Closets: The Films and Videos of Wakefield Poole, Volume 1

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This Partner Label release is distributed through Vinegar Syndrome's sister company OCN Distribution. Vinegar Syndrome had no part in, nor are responsible for, the restoration, extras, quality control or any content(s) of this release. We hope you enjoy our growing roster of Partner Labels and the expertise and curation brought to each release by their dedicated staff!

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This special limited edition slipcover is limited to 1,000 units and is only available on our website and at select indie retailers. Absolutely no major retailers will be stocking them.

Muscle is a new film distribution company with a heavy repertory slant from historian, programmer, and filmmaker Elizabeth Purchell. Borne out of an understanding of the role that accessibility plays in shaping cultural histories, Muscle is dedicated to complicating and expanding the canon by shining a light on works that either never received their proper due or that have unjustly faded into obscurity, and championing new works by some of today’s most exciting underground filmmakers. Muscle loves scrappy, misfit films that don’t fit into any particular box.

There Are No More Closets is a three-volume anthology collecting the complete works of pioneering gay film and videomaker Wakefield Poole. This first volume brings together Poole’s final three feature films and first two videos.

In the wake of the disastrous release of Bible! (1973), Poole relocated from New York to San Francisco and marked the occasion with Moving! (1974), a trio of vignettes starring Casey Donovan (Boys in the Sand) and Val Martin (Sextool). Three years later, he teamed up with local experimental filmmaker Edd Dundas to make Take One (1977), an ambitious “docufantasy” about the lives and lusts of a group of real gay men, including the iconic Richard Locke (Forbidden Letters).

Poole returned to New York at the turn of the decade and reunited with Donovan once again for his final feature film, Hot Shots (1981). He made the transition to shooting on videotape in 1984 with Split/Image (1984), another trio of vignettes themed around a magazine photoshoot, and The Hustlers (1984), a narrative feature about two roommates who earn their living on their backs that began its life as a semi-autobiographical vehicle for Donovan and Robert La Tourneaux (The Boys in the Band).

directed by: Wakefield Poole
starring: Casey Donovan, Val Martin, Burt Edouards, Curt Gerard, Peter Fisk, RIchard Locke, Sal Guange, Nick Ritter, Dutch Valentino, Rudy Valentino, Glenn Robinson, Bill O'Connell, Philip Borden, Alexander Stewart, Guillermo Ricardo
1974-1984 / 382 min (combined) / 1.33:1 / English DTS-HD MA 2.0

Additional info:

  • 2-Disc Region Free Blu-ray
  • 2K restorations of MOVING! (1974), FREEDOM DAY PARADE (1974), TAKE ONE (1977), and ROGER (1977)
  • Digital transfers of HOT SHOTS (1981), SPLIT/IMAGE (1984), and THE HUSTLERS (1984)
  • Original 1977 theatrical cut and 2016 director's cut of TAKE ONE
  • Introductions and audio commentaries for MOVING! and TAKE ONE by filmmaker Wakefield Poole
  • Audio commentary on FREEDOM DAY PARADE by I ALWAYS SAID YES filmmaker Jim Tushinski
  • THE HUSTLERS research audiotape with Casey Donovan and Robert La Tourneaux
  • THE HUSTLERS outtakes
  • MORE ON MOVING! and WAKEFIELD POOLE IN SAN FRANCISCO featurettes
  • Trailers
  • Booklet with new essays by queer film historians and Cruising the Movies hosts Elizabeth Purchell and KJ Shepherd
  • English SDH subtitles

Overall rating: 4.769231 / 5 from 39 reviews.

AI Generated Review Summary

This limited edition Blu-ray collection of Wakefield Poole's films, curated by Muscle, offers a comprehensive look at the pioneering works of a gay filmmaker. The set includes restored features and videos, along with insightful commentaries and featurettes. Customers praise the release, the quality of the films, and the overall presentation.

Summary topics

  • Release Quality: 34%
  • Film Enjoyment: 34%
  • Product Appearance: 24%

Review topics: ["looks","packaging","upgrade","buy","set","work","release","film","collection","transfer","filmmaker","extras","feature","wakefield poole","see","interview","addition","footage","start"].

Review highlights

  • "These are super enjoyable and highly influential classic gay classic films."Brett C.
  • "Great to finally see these films."Dave C.
  • "Nice to see some vintage gay films get a sweet upgrade like this."Ben S.

Reviews

Muscle bringing us some much needed queer preservation

"Just in time for Pride, queer film historian extraordinaire Elizabeth Purchell has launched the new label Muscle Distribution. The first collection is the first volume in a series commemorating the legendary Wakefield Poole. Focusing on his last three films and first two videos, There Are No More Closets, Vol. 1 is a fascinating time capsule of the film into video era in the early 80s. They've done an excellent job with the restorations working with what I assume to be fairly damaged materials. (Moving! is shot on Super 7 and is ironically the best looking feature in the bunch. ) The extras are too bountiful to list here, not that I've had the time to peruse them all. Love the pink vintage feel of the slipcover and the two essays by Purchell and KJ Shepherd are expectedly fun reads. Highly recommended."

Shawn P. (5/5)

Excellent presentation of some of the pioneer of Gay Porn's oeuvre.

"Elizabeth Purchell's film company makes its Mélusine debut with this overdue upgrade of two of Poole's last film features and first two videos. The transfers on this release look great. Poole was an important filmmaker and it's great to have this thoughtfully produced collection. I look forward to more volumes of his work and to see what else Purchell brings us in the future."

Jason M. (5/5)

Exciting, perfect release - extras make it even more perfect

"A thorough, thoughtful approach to presenting an archive of this essential material. The video sources allow only for some really rough transfers in a few instances - static-tracking from VHS tapes! those were the days! - but with its being preservational in its purpose, it works. The films themselves hold up well. They have a beauty to them that is classic. The physiques and overall looks of these men may seem dated, but they illustrate ideals from that time. Poole uses setting and location to amp up the class factor, so much of what he depicts has beauty and clever props. The extras are where this release comes fully to life - archival quality, again, but so informative and insightful in their content. Interviews with Poole are charming and important, and the footage of pride marches from San Francisco in the 1970s is essential history."

Donald M. (5/5)

Finally! Wakefield Poole!

"Finally we get some Wakefield Poole releases! If this is your type of thing, well you’re gonna love it. And the transfers look good for what they had available. Check it out!"

Craig K. (5/5)

Finally! An adult selection for gay men! !

"Finally, gay men have a Melusine release. One which not only excites, it has historical extra features, specifically the San Fran 1974 Freedom March ie: among the nations first gay pride parades. What an interesting and joyous journey to look back on. Great special features and enough smut to shame the most prolific prude. 5☆"

Steven P. (5/5)

Poole Rules!

"A well-organized tribute to Wakefield Poole, and long overdue. Present-day producers of check-the-box objectification porn could learn a lot from Poole's poetic, nuanced eroticism. The 8mm and videotape productions show their resistance to restoration but "Moving" is pristine. Here's hoping vol. 2 will be coming soon to do similar justice to Bijou, Boys in the Sand and its underrated sequel, with all the soundtrack and sharpness improvements your AI tools can muster."

Samuel R. (4/5)

Thank god for muscle

"Thank god for muscle for bringing the complete films of Wakefield Poole to blu ray. This first collection is fantastic and I'm very excited for the rest to come!"

Austin A. (5/5)

Highlight of the Year

"Thank you to both Muscle and Melusine for this incredible release. A worthy upgrade from the DVD with not only both versions of Take One (the DVD release is only the 2016 Director’s Cut) but additional titles that keep Wakefield Poole’s filmography alive. It’s a fantastic start to this volume collection!"

Bradon T. (5/5)

A Must Have For Fans of Gay Adult Films

"A great collection of films and videos by Wakefield Poole. Take One and Moving both look great, a welcomed improvement over the recently OOP Vin Syn version I bought a few months ago. Split/Image, The Hustlers, and Hot Shots look pretty rough but unfortunately there's nothing that can really be done about that because the masters to these videos are lost"

Brandon B. (5/5)

Wake Up and Shine!

"I’m not the biggest fan of Wakefield Poole, but his films are fascinating time capsules. Another reason I purchased this set is to support an LGBTQ+ release."

John H. (5/5)

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