-Written by Kyle Bain.
In the 70’s there wasn’t a ton of opportunity for the LGBTQ+ community, as they were often ostracized from the mainstream and forced into seclusion by the powers to be. Studio One Forever explores the infamous Studio One and the role it played in allowing this community to let loose, explore themselves, and make friends in a world that typically looked down on them.
More and more I’m seeing documentaries that are meant to document the lives and the history of the LGBTQ+ community. They are being more prominently featured in cinematic circles, and the relevance that they hold fits perfectly with the way in which the world operates today. Studio One Forever exists in the exact same space as those documentaries that have come before. The space at this point is becoming saturated, and, through no fault of Studio One Forever, it feels redundant.
A film’s success can be dictated by the things happening around it, rather than just the content of the film itself. Unfortunately for Studio One Forever that’s the case here. Again, with the world of LGBTQ+ cinema (particularly documentaries) becoming so saturated, it’s difficult for a film like Studio One Forever to be groundbreaking, to be what the world needs, even if it does, in fact, fit in. There’s just too much of the same here, and Studio One Forever simply falls in line.
It’s a standard documentary that sees a series of testimonials regarding individuals’ experiences at Studio One. It doesn’t do much to shock viewers, to excite them throughout–but rather does just enough to remain entertaining and informative. Studio One Forever has an opportunity to be breathtaking, to be exotic and eccentric–but I’m not sure that Director Marc Saltarelli takes advantage of his subject matter.
With that being said, however, I do believe that the individuals tasked with painting a picture of the beloved club are entertaining, and they allow their personalities to shine through in order to effectively express themselves and what the club was like at its height. Studio One Forever employs some massive names in the LGBTQ+ community, and they are the lifeblood of this film. They allow it to move forward, to appeal to viewers, to continue to entertain from start to finish. The larger-than-life personalities are exactly what Studio One Forever needed in order to find success. They counter the dull nature of the footage provided from the past; they help to keep the film on track.
Ultimately, there’s too much left on the table–too much left up to the imagination. In a narrative that can work, but in a documentary, I want that information, I want things handed to me. Straightforward isn’t always the way to go, and that lack of innovation, particularly when it comes to Studio One Forever, just leaves too much on the table. Saltarelli should have explored his subject matter in a more unique way, but a straightforward documentary is all that we get.
Directed by Marc Satarelli.
Starring Lloyd Coleman, John Duran, Ron Hamill, Michael Koth, Gary Mortimer, Gary Steinberg, etc.
6.5/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE
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