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Amos Lassen wrote on 01/26/2009:

“ A Very Natural Thing”

A Simple and Sweet Gay Classic

Amos Lassen

In 1974, “A Very Natural Thing” opened. It was the first film that was directed by an openly gay man to be commercially distributed. The story of a former priest who moves to New York City to find love is now available from Water Bearer films in a 25th anniversary special edition. We have come a long way in 25 years but it is important to remember where we came from and “A Very Natural Thing” tore down barriers and put us in a position that we could have other films that look at the way we live.
For its time the film is quite explicit yet it is also insightful, sweet and simple. David, 26, decides to leave the priesthood, move to New York and look for a relationship that is meaningful and full of love and mutual respect. He meets and falls for Mark and they set up house. However, differences between them begin to push them apart. Mark wants to experiment sexually with others and David agrees to go along even though he sees their being together as a marriage and he worries if he will ever heal should this bring about the end of their relationship.
We see a time when gay men and women were afraid of being discovered and here we see gay men who are “people” and the two main characters could be anyone and could have lived anywhere. They are not stereotypes but representative of the way we lived (and the way some still do live). I have heard people say that the film is dated and I suppose it is (unless you live in small town America). It takes place in the mid 70’s, the age of sexual liberation before AIDS and HIV changed the sexual freedom that was prevalent. It is great fun to look at the clothing, haircuts, and automobiles as well as at the way gay people lived then. The most important part of the film though is the relationship between Mark and David, two men who are psychologically different who meet in a dance club, fall in love and set up a life together. We see what two gay men might experience when they live together.
Realizing also that this film was made just five years after “The Boys in the Band” brought its version of gay life to the screen, this film contains no self-loathing characters but instead we see real and natural characters. The dialog for the time is quite sensitive and we get one of the best depictions of gay bonding ever portrayed on the screen (even for today). Of course there have been some modern exceptions but it seems, to me, at least, that this aspect in gay cinema is still in the process of evolution. There are some beautiful images of male/male love here that are both happy and celebratory and the last five minutes capture the heart as few films do. There is a cinema verite quality to some of the scenes (Fire Island and the baths, for example).
Once again, I want to say what a beautiful film this is but it is a period piece. The direction is somewhat uneven and the film is grainy but it is powerful as it looks at the nature of gay relationships. When looked at from a historical perspective, we see that people’s attitude toward diversity, we see that not much has changed and we, as gay people, are still struggling with some of the problems we see in the film.
Granted the film is amateurish in terms of acting, photography and sound but so what? I found it wonderful to be nostalgic and look at the good old days. For some it may be hard to believe that in order to meet someone, we had to go out and talk to people instead of sitting behind a computer and visiting chat rooms in the hope f meeting someone. At that time you usually saw who you got before you got him so disappointment was not as great. It was a different time and for those of you who did not live through it; here is your chance to get a little gay history nicely wrapped up in a love story.