tlavideo.com

Amos Lassen wrote on 10/21/2011:

Peter Gatien was once the king of the clubs in New York City. Limelights, a club inside of an old church and Tunnel with its total debauchery, were his. He studied Studio 54 to learn strategies for getting people to want to come and line up at his clubs. Reporter Frank Owen of the Village Voice paid careful attention to Gatien and he chronicled the scandals that happened in the clubs when Gatien was the kingpin as well as how the police tried to close them down. The film shows the rise and fall of Gatien from the 1980’s through the 1990’s.
The film consists of footage from inside the clubs, news stories and interviews. Unfortunately the film comes across as half-done. Gatien in now in Canada and he still has that charm that allowed him to rise to the top of New York night life. Gatien seems to enjoy telling his story but that could be all that he has left. Everything here sounds like it could really be fascinating but it never really gets to that poet. Owen comes across as raconteur as do some of the others interviewed (drug-runners and ex-cons). I love the archival footage even though it is blurry.
Since there seems to be a lot of material available, this should have been an excellent documentary especially in looking at how Lower Manhattan had such a role in shaping music. What is really interesting is the pride that the people here have. They seem distraught that Bohemian New York is no more but fail to acknowledge their part in its ending.