A Very Natural Thing
Encyclopedia
A Very Natural Thing is a 1974 film about a gay
man named David who leaves a monastery
to become a public school teacher by day, whilst looking for true love in a gay bar
by night. It was one of the first films about gay relationships intended for mainstream, commercial distribution. The original title of the film was For As Long as Possible. It was directed by Christopher Larkin and was released to lukewarm reviews in 1973 and given an R (rating) rating by the Motion Picture Association of America
.
parade and rally, with a young lesbian unabashedly declaring, "being gay is a very natural thing." The action cuts to the protagonist, David (Robert Joel
), going through the ritual of being released from his vocation as a monk
in a monastery
. He then is seen as a public school teacher of English Literature
in the New York City
area, who spends his time off driving into the city to be with his "oldest friend from Schenectady
," Alan (Jay Pierce) at a gay bar
. One evening at the bar, David is singled out to dance by Mark (Curt Gareth), who portrays a businessman. They end up spending the night together, which at first seems like a one-night stand until David says he'd like to see Mark again, and Mark agrees. Not long after, the pair begin a monogamous
relationship, and David moves in with Mark. But when Mark wants to have sex with other men, the relationship starts to break down. He rejects the idea of modeling a gay relationship on heterosexual marriage
, and he is irritated that David wants to "keep pushing this romantic thing." Mark would rather have an understanding that either of them can have sex with other men when they feel like it, but this ends up alienating them from each other. Mark refuses to say, "I love you" until David playfully wrestles with him and tells him, "Say it...again...once more for good measure." After a year, though, David realizes that the two of them are just marking time. The two go to Fire Island for a weekend in an attempt to spice up their relationship, and although David tries to please Mark by entering an orgy, he can't go through with it. After a fight, David temporarily moves in with his friend Alan, who gives David an objective perspective on what happened. In a later encounter with Mark at Coney Island
, David finally realizes that there can't be a reconciliation, as Mark is more interested in sex than a romantic relationship.
After a season of loneliness, David meets a divorce
d photographer named Jason (Bo White
) at the 1973 Gay Pride rally which began the film. David and Jason go to Jason's apartment and talk. In Jason, a divorced dad, we meet another member of the gay community, one who was living a heterosexual life prior to coming out
. He still socializes with his ex-wife, who goes with him on photo shoot
s. On a parental visit with their toddler son (P.J.) Jason tells his ex-wife that he is now seeing someone with whom he would be spending the upcoming Labor Day
holiday. It appears that in Jason, David has found someone willing to pursue a romantic, committed relationship with him. Jason takes pictures of David while telling him things to say other than "cheese', and the film ends by showing the two men together splashing naked in the surf on Cape Cod.
response to Love Story
(1970), the movie famous for the phrase, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Similarly, Mark tells David, "Love means never having to say you're in love," and a montage of the two men rolling down a leaf-covered hill, quietly lying together at home, and being in love mimics a montage of the heterosexual couple in Love Story. Both movies argued for an unconventional alternative to traditional marriage, despite a commitment. David tells Jason that he is committed to him, but that this commitment is based on wanting to be together, not having to be together. The ending is very optimistic, which was out of the ordinary for gay relationship
films until then. Earlier films were dominated by tales of gays and lesbians being outcasts of society, mentally disturbed or committing suicide; later films were sadly dominated by the emergence of AIDS
. A Very Natural Thing thus represents a short period in time where gay liberation flourished, and filmmakers could explore relationships in much the same way that films with heterosexual characters did.
The film was one of the first mainstream films to show homosexuality as a valid and normal act of love, i.e. "a very natural thing," as it attempted to explore the options for gay couples in 1973, including footage of an actual Gay Pride
celebration. Many heterosexual film critics felt that the film's depiction of love between two men as romantic made the film automatically "an argument rather than an entertainment" (New York Post
). The film showed a young gay couple going through many of the same rituals and facing many of the same challenges as a straight couple; and, for many heterosexual Americans.
Some gay film critics felt that film was not political enough: that the characters were too apolitical, too middle class
and that, by rejecting the philosophy of free love
or sexual liberation
, the film was rejecting what some gay activists felt was a necessary value of the new gay liberation movement.
Larkin responded to the criticism by saying, "I wanted to say that same-sex relationships are no more problematic but no easier than any other human relationships. They are in many ways the same and in several ways different from heterosexual relationships but in themselves are no less possible or worthwhile". (The Celluloid Closet
pg. 208, 1987). Incidentally, Vito Russo, who wrote The Celluloid Closet appears in A Very Natural Thing.
The film was not financially successful, and the director, Christopher Larkin, moved to California, where in 1981 he published the book The Divine Androgyne According to Purusha. Larkin committed suicide on June 21, 1988.
in 1996, it has recently been released on DVD
: a 25th Anniversary edition in 1999 by Waterbearer Films, Inc.
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man named David who leaves a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
to become a public school teacher by day, whilst looking for true love in a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
by night. It was one of the first films about gay relationships intended for mainstream, commercial distribution. The original title of the film was For As Long as Possible. It was directed by Christopher Larkin and was released to lukewarm reviews in 1973 and given an R (rating) rating by the Motion Picture Association of America
Motion Picture Association of America
The Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. , originally the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America , was founded in 1922 and is designed to advance the business interests of its members...
.
Plot
The film begins as a mini-documentary of New York City's 1973 Gay PrideGay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
parade and rally, with a young lesbian unabashedly declaring, "being gay is a very natural thing." The action cuts to the protagonist, David (Robert Joel
Robert Joel
Robert Joel was an American actor. He was born Robert Joel McLane, and was sometimes credited under the name Robert McLane. He grew up on a farm in South Carolina and graduated from Furman University...
), going through the ritual of being released from his vocation as a monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
in a monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
. He then is seen as a public school teacher of English Literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
in the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
area, who spends his time off driving into the city to be with his "oldest friend from Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
," Alan (Jay Pierce) at a gay bar
Gay bar
A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender clientele; the term gay is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT and queer communities...
. One evening at the bar, David is singled out to dance by Mark (Curt Gareth), who portrays a businessman. They end up spending the night together, which at first seems like a one-night stand until David says he'd like to see Mark again, and Mark agrees. Not long after, the pair begin a monogamous
Monogamy
Monogamy /Gr. μονός+γάμος - one+marriage/ a form of marriage in which an individual has only one spouse at any one time. In current usage monogamy often refers to having one sexual partner irrespective of marriage or reproduction...
relationship, and David moves in with Mark. But when Mark wants to have sex with other men, the relationship starts to break down. He rejects the idea of modeling a gay relationship on heterosexual marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
, and he is irritated that David wants to "keep pushing this romantic thing." Mark would rather have an understanding that either of them can have sex with other men when they feel like it, but this ends up alienating them from each other. Mark refuses to say, "I love you" until David playfully wrestles with him and tells him, "Say it...again...once more for good measure." After a year, though, David realizes that the two of them are just marking time. The two go to Fire Island for a weekend in an attempt to spice up their relationship, and although David tries to please Mark by entering an orgy, he can't go through with it. After a fight, David temporarily moves in with his friend Alan, who gives David an objective perspective on what happened. In a later encounter with Mark at Coney Island
Coney Island
Coney Island is a peninsula and beach on the Atlantic Ocean in southern Brooklyn, New York, United States. The site was formerly an outer barrier island, but became partially connected to the mainland by landfill....
, David finally realizes that there can't be a reconciliation, as Mark is more interested in sex than a romantic relationship.
After a season of loneliness, David meets a divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d photographer named Jason (Bo White
Bo White
Bo White is an American actor who appeared in Christopher Larkin's 1974 groundbreaking film, A Very Natural Thing, the gay alternative to Love Story...
) at the 1973 Gay Pride rally which began the film. David and Jason go to Jason's apartment and talk. In Jason, a divorced dad, we meet another member of the gay community, one who was living a heterosexual life prior to coming out
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
. He still socializes with his ex-wife, who goes with him on photo shoot
Photo shoot
A photo shoot is generally used in the fashion industry, whereby a model poses for a photographer at a studio where multiple photos are taken to find the best ones for the required brief...
s. On a parental visit with their toddler son (P.J.) Jason tells his ex-wife that he is now seeing someone with whom he would be spending the upcoming Labor Day
Labor Day
Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
holiday. It appears that in Jason, David has found someone willing to pursue a romantic, committed relationship with him. Jason takes pictures of David while telling him things to say other than "cheese', and the film ends by showing the two men together splashing naked in the surf on Cape Cod.
Cast
- Robert JoelRobert JoelRobert Joel was an American actor. He was born Robert Joel McLane, and was sometimes credited under the name Robert McLane. He grew up on a farm in South Carolina and graduated from Furman University...
as David - Curt Gareth as Mark
- Bo WhiteBo WhiteBo White is an American actor who appeared in Christopher Larkin's 1974 groundbreaking film, A Very Natural Thing, the gay alternative to Love Story...
as Jason - Anthony McKay as Gary, David's roommateRoommateA roommate is a person who shares a living facility such as an apartment or dormitory. Similar terms include suitemate, housemate, flatmate , or sharemate...
- Marilyn Meyers as Valerie, Gary's fiancée
- Jay Pierce as Alan, David's friend
- Barnaby Rudge as Langley
- A. Bailey Chapin as the minister
- Scott Eisman as a student
- Michael Kell as father of boating family
- Sheila Rock as mother of boating family
- Linda Weitz as Linda, their daughter
- Robert Grillo as Edgar, David's friend
- Kurt Brandt as Edgar's lover Charles
- George Diaz as Miguel, one of Alan's lovers
- Deborah Trowbridge as Jason's ex-wife
- Jesse Trowbridge as P.J., Jason's son
- Vito RussoVito RussoVito Russo was an American LGBT activist, film historian and author who is best remembered as the author of the book The Celluloid Closet ....
Critical reaction
The film was seen as the gayGay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
response to Love Story
Love Story (1970 film)
Love Story is a 1970 romantic drama film written by Erich Segal and based on his novel Love Story. It was directed by Arthur Hiller. The film, well known as a tragedy, is considered one of the most romantic of all time by the American Film Institute , and was followed by a sequel, Oliver's Story...
(1970), the movie famous for the phrase, "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Similarly, Mark tells David, "Love means never having to say you're in love," and a montage of the two men rolling down a leaf-covered hill, quietly lying together at home, and being in love mimics a montage of the heterosexual couple in Love Story. Both movies argued for an unconventional alternative to traditional marriage, despite a commitment. David tells Jason that he is committed to him, but that this commitment is based on wanting to be together, not having to be together. The ending is very optimistic, which was out of the ordinary for gay relationship
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
films until then. Earlier films were dominated by tales of gays and lesbians being outcasts of society, mentally disturbed or committing suicide; later films were sadly dominated by the emergence of AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. A Very Natural Thing thus represents a short period in time where gay liberation flourished, and filmmakers could explore relationships in much the same way that films with heterosexual characters did.
The film was one of the first mainstream films to show homosexuality as a valid and normal act of love, i.e. "a very natural thing," as it attempted to explore the options for gay couples in 1973, including footage of an actual Gay Pride
Gay pride
LGBT pride or gay pride is the concept that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people should be proud of their sexual orientation and gender identity...
celebration. Many heterosexual film critics felt that the film's depiction of love between two men as romantic made the film automatically "an argument rather than an entertainment" (New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
). The film showed a young gay couple going through many of the same rituals and facing many of the same challenges as a straight couple; and, for many heterosexual Americans.
Some gay film critics felt that film was not political enough: that the characters were too apolitical, too middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
and that, by rejecting the philosophy of free love
Free love
The term free love has been used to describe a social movement that rejects marriage, which is seen as a form of social bondage. The Free Love movement’s initial goal was to separate the state from sexual matters such as marriage, birth control, and adultery...
or sexual liberation
Sexual revolution
The sexual revolution was a social movement that challenged traditional codes of behavior related to sexuality and interpersonal relationships throughout the Western world from the 1960s into the 1980s...
, the film was rejecting what some gay activists felt was a necessary value of the new gay liberation movement.
Larkin responded to the criticism by saying, "I wanted to say that same-sex relationships are no more problematic but no easier than any other human relationships. They are in many ways the same and in several ways different from heterosexual relationships but in themselves are no less possible or worthwhile". (The Celluloid Closet
The Celluloid Closet
The Celluloid Closet is a 1996 American documentary film directed and written by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman. The film is based on the 1981 book of the same name written by Vito Russo, and on previous lecture and film clip presentations given in person by Russo 1972–82.Russo researched the...
pg. 208, 1987). Incidentally, Vito Russo, who wrote The Celluloid Closet appears in A Very Natural Thing.
The film was not financially successful, and the director, Christopher Larkin, moved to California, where in 1981 he published the book The Divine Androgyne According to Purusha. Larkin committed suicide on June 21, 1988.
Availability
The film was released in VHSVHS
The Video Home System is a consumer-level analog recording videocassette standard developed by Victor Company of Japan ....
in 1996, it has recently been released on DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
: a 25th Anniversary edition in 1999 by Waterbearer Films, Inc.