Cult Classics: Cruising, live performance and screening at the NFSA. Photo: NFSA.
R18+ | 128 Mins | Cult Classics with Venus Mantrap | 1980 | DCP | FRA, US, UK | D: William Friedkin
Arc Cinema presents a series of irreverent Friday night filmic feasts, curated and hosted by drag artist and culture warrior Venus Mantrap.
Cult Classics with Venus Mantrap explores the archives to showcase cinema with bite: films that unnerve, push buttons, ask questions and just look good on the big screen!
Gather your tribe of misfits and rowdy rebels and join Venus for edgy movies, fan favourites and hidden gems.
When a string of sadistic murders terrorises the regulars of an underground S&M club, inexperienced cop Steve Burns (Al Pacino) enters the shadowy world of a marginalised subculture.
In 1980, William Friedkin (The Exorcist) provoked outrage with this vivid thriller set in New York’s gay leather scene, which illuminated aspects of the complex rules and signals of a community living on the periphery.
Originally perceived as a cruel and damaging portrayal of urban gay life, Cruising has since become one of the most fascinating and chilling dramas about sexuality, violence, homophobia and masculinity born out of Hollywood.
“Friedkin’s nihilism leaks onto the film in a curious way, oily and slippery. If, like the film noir (anti)hero, Pacino’s identity is in flux in a socially and politically tumultuous landscape, his ‘descent’ is not so much into gayness as it is into fascism.” – Medium
“Cruising has now been reappraised as a cult classic, especially amongst the gay community who see it not only as a great movie but also as a pre-AIDS time capsule of a gay scene that was hedonistic, decadent and fun.” – Meathook Cinema
Includes pre-screening introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap.
PLEASE NOTE: This film is rated R18+. People under 18 cannot be admitted to the screening.
The details
What: pre-screening introduction and live performance by Venus Mantrap and screening of Cruising
When: Fri 24 Oct 8:00 PM
Where: Arc Cinema, NFSA Acton
Cost: $18 Full / $14 Concession (+$1.50 booking fee). Tickets available via NFSA.
We believe everyone should have the opportunity to experience film. We provide specialised equipment for a range of accessibility needs. Arc Cinema is fully wheelchair accessible. For more information, call 02 6248 2000 or email tickets@nfsa.gov.au
