This film is part of Rentals
Boys and Girls Together
Extraordinary 1970s sexploitation film, groundbreaking in its portrayal of interracial and homosexual sex.
Director: Ralph Lawrence Marsden
Overview
A real curio of 1970s sexploitation, this tonally bizarre and often slapdash short feature is nevertheless groundbreaking in its portrayal of a sexually fluid, multiracial group of twentysomethings shacked up in a Hampstead boarding house. Sexual frustration builds, as Indian Lily, German Ilsa, Singaporean Jat, West Indian Leroy, American Dan and Brit Jenny eye each other up, masturbate, and eventually come together in 'surprising' combinations. Though brief, the gay scenes are remarkable since two men having sex was then unheard of in British porn. The film's climax sees the couples revert to heteronormativity in a softcore hippy orgy on Hampstead Heath.
The film is valuable for its locations too: elsewhere in Hampstead, look out for the King William IV, among London's oldest gay pubs, where Jat and Leroy watch a drag show; and a glimpse of 1970s Soho, then the hub of Britain's porn industry. Produced as a supporting feature by Welsh porn baron David Sullivan's Roldvale company, Boys and Girls Together was shown alongside Boney M's Disco Fever and Mary Millington's True Blue Confessions, but quickly sank without trace.
Related
Orlando Orlando
Fantasy 1993 93 mins Director: Sally Potter
Tilda Swinton stars in Sally Potter's dazzling interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.
The Crying Game The Crying Game
Drama 1992 112 mins Director: Neil Jordan
Neil Jordan's acclaimed 1992 drama-mystery tells the story of Fergus (Stephen Rea), who looks after the lover (Jaye Davidson) of a British soldier he once knew. But what is Dil hiding?
50 Years Legal 50 Years Legal
Documentary 2017 77 mins Director: Simon Napier-Bell
Five decades on from the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality, a range of LGBTQ+ stars (including Sir Elton John and Stephen Fry) reflect on Britain's history of prejudice, persecution and liberation.
Rebel Dykes Rebel Dykes
Documentary 2021 91 mins Director: Harri Shanahan and Sîan Williams
A brilliant and refreshing story of UK post-punk dyke culture, told by those who lived it.
Ammonite Ammonite
Biopic 2021 118 mins Director: Francis Lee
Francis Lee follows up God’s Own Country with a film that is every bit as immersive, tactile and emotionally powerful, aided by the devastatingly good Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan.
Chuck Chuck Baby Chuck Chuck Baby
Drama 2022 102 mins Director: Janis Pugh
A chicken factory worker rekindles a childhood romance in this joyous musical-drama set in North Wales.
Small Things Like These Small Things Like These
Drama 2024 99 mins
Oscar-winner Cillian Murphy delivers a stunning performance as a coal merchant who discovers horrific secrets about his local convent.
Only the River Flows Only the River Flows
Crime 2023 102 mins Director: Shujun Wei
Shujun Wei's slow-burn noir draws us inexorably into its mysterious psychological journey.
The Critic The Critic
Period drama 2023 101 mins Director: Anand Tucker
Ian McKellen is in delicious form as London's most vicious critic, who strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actor (Gemma Arterton).
Special People Special People
Comedy 2008 74 mins Director: Justin Edgar
Justin Edgar's pioneering feature comedy about a neurotic filmmaker enlisted to make a film with a class of wheelchair-users.
Timestalker Timestalker
Comedy 2024 89 mins Director: Alice Lowe
What if unrequited love spanned the centuries? Alice Lowe's time-jumping fantasy rom-com is a colourful, darkly funny treat.
South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic South: Sir Ernest Shackleton's Glorious Epic of the Antarctic
Documentary 1919 81 mins Silent Director: Frank Hurley
An extraordinary story of survival in the wastes of Antarctica.