Review of The Secret Disco Revolution (2012) by Michael L — 27 Jun 2013

This is one of the best documentaries I've seen all year! Really, I don't know how it gets better than this. First off, you've got an examination of the best music from the 70s. From The Village People's "YMCA" to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor, you'll learn something new about all these songs.

Then you have the interviews themselves. Director Jamie Kastner smartly has a wide berth of interviewees. While the disco stars are no doubt represented, with The Village People (my fave interview) at the end, so too are the producers, and even scholars.

Through these people, Kastner depicts a holistic and informed image of disco and the 70s. At its base level, he shows disco as a hedonistic, pleasure-principle driven dance party. On a more intellectual level, Kastner shows that disco was actually used by underrepresented minorities to express their inner most desires and anxieties.

With great music and interviews, and even several clips from the venerable Soul Train, it's hard not to find something to love here.