The Leather Boys

Director - Sidney J. Furie (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Iron Eagle)

Starring - Rita Tushingham (Mysteries, Black Journal), Colin Campbell (I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes), and Dudley Sutton (Cockney's vs. Zombies, Fun at the Funeral Parlour)

Release Date - 1964

Genre - Drama/Romance

Tagline - "The frustrations of sexual conflict"

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     When American Genre Film Archive announces a new film I often jump on it without a second guess.  They have released some of my favorite films over the years but sometimes they do release something that I just don't care for.  When I saw that AGFA was teaming up with Shout Factory I immediately tossed it in my cart without even reading the title.  When it finally arrived I had to work The Leather Boys into my schedule because I couldn't wait to spin it.

     The film follows a young motorcycle enthusiast who becomes a young newlywed.  His honeymoon starts off on shaky ground and after a few months the shine of marriage is quickly fading.  He finds himself falling out of love with his wife Dot who spends all her time on her looks and not enough time playing housewife.  He soon finds companionship in a fellow leather boy and when his grand-father suddenly passes away he invites his new friend in to stay with him and his grand-mother.  This friendship then blossoms into a romance that shakes the very foundations of his family and marriage.  

     I knew that The Leather Boys was an early piece of queer cinema from the mid-60s which made me really excited to check it out.  I had heard it mentioned by other cult cinema fans but after finally getting to see it I was not a fan.  Don't get me wrong because this is not a bad movie.  In fact, it's a phenomenal movie but I found myself bored through most of it.  I like bad movies and most people know my love for trashy cinema and this is not one of them.  I recommend it for fans looking for mid-60s cult flicks but if you are like me and enjoy exploitation then you will find yourself underwhelmed with it.  The acting in this one is great.  The cast is absolutely brilliant and they work so well together.  Their on screen chemistry is unmatched and the characters are perfectly portrayed.  With that being said, I found myself struggling to actually like the characters.  The cast does a fantastic job and the characters fit the film very well but they were boring to me.  I was expecting much more personality.  The story for this one does take a bit to get going but it does take risks especially for a movie in the mid-60s.  It's not often that you find a movie from this time that deals with sexuality in this manner.  Though the sixties were known as the generation of free love it was mostly meant for straight love.  Having a film take on something so taboo as homosexuality was almost unheard of at this time.  The risk does work but it takes some time to get to the meat of the story.  Finally, don't expect a blood bath with this one.  The film is character and story driven with no blood and gore for you sick fucks out there.  Overall, The Leather Boys is an important piece of cinema and some will enjoy it.  However, I was bored to tears through most of it.  I recommend it for cult movie fans but if you are like me and enjoy the sleazier side of cinema then I would skip it.  The release from AGFA and Shout Factory looks absolutely fantastic.  Collectors will want to snatch this one up.