Review of American Swing (2009) by Bryan P — 29 Mar 2010

One of the complaints over the years about documentaries is how very unsexy they usually are. To contradict that complaint, along comes "American Swing" which is about the rise and fall of Larry Levenson who owned the legendary swinger's club Plato's Retreat in New York City.

While it is implied that he was just there to have sex with everything that moved, at least he was open about his desires without shame, even going on any number of talk shows including Phil Donahue. The documentary is liberally illustrated with explicit photographs and videos taken inside the club, which while interesting from a historical angle, do not improve on anything we could have imagined ourselves.

Of the talking heads, there are adult entertainment veterans including Ron Jeremy, Dian Hanson and Annie Sprinkle but the movie makes no connection between the pornography industry and swinging. On a wider basis, the documentary partially successfully fits the club in a wider discussion of the sexual revolution, especially related to suburban couples, as Plato's Retreat allowed suburbanites from Long Island and New Jersey(definitely NOT my parents, by the way) to escape into anonymity where their neighbors would be unaware what they were up to(unless they were there, too).

However, the film fails to mention the second club on 34th Street was just a short walk away from Penn Station. The most liberating part for the participants was sometimes not the sex but the acceptance of all body types.

For women, it could be a mixed bag, either a continuation of patriarchal attitudes or a free exploration of their own desires. Like all parties, the one at Plato's Retreat had to end, too. Where once the worst that could happen would be a bad case of crabs, in the 80's it was AIDS and the end of an era.