''New York City Inferno'' (alternately titled ''From Paris to New York'' and ''Cock Tales'' in certain North American

home video Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...

releases) is a 1978 French

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

gay pornographic film by

Jacques Scandelari Jacques Scandelari (July 5, 1943 in Dinard, France – June 2, 1999 in Paris, France) was a French film director, screenwriter and producer. He also produced gay pornographic films, under the pseudonym Marvin Merkins. Career Jacques Scandelari ga ...

. The film follows Jérôme (Alain-Guy Giraudon), a

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

ian man who has traveled to

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

in search of his lover Paul (Bob Bleecker). ''New York City Inferno'' is directed by Scandelari, who also wrote the film's screenplay based on a concept by

Elliott Stein Elliott Stein (December 5, 1928 – November 7, 2012) was an American journalist and historian. In the 1950s he managed a literary review in Paris: "Janus." He also wrote for the review "Bizarre" with Kenneth Anger. He worked with Anger on Anger ...

. The soundtrack is arranged by

Jacques Morali Jacques Morali (4 July 1947 – 15 November 1991) was a French disco and dance music record producer and songwriter, known for creating acts like The Ritchie Family and Village People. Early life Morali was born in Casablanca, Morocco. ...

, and features officially-licensed songs by the

Village People Village People is an American disco group known for its on-stage costumes and suggestive lyrics in their music. The group was originally formed by French producers Jacques Morali, Henri Belolo and lead singer Victor Willis following the release ...

Plot

In June 1977, Paul departs

for a week-long vacation to

, a trip taken in part to reflect on his strained relationship with his lover Jérôme. He writes to Jérôme daily, and in his last letter, states that he has decided to leave Jérôme and stay in New York permanently. In December, Jérôme travels to New York to search for Paul, and to determine why he has left Paris. In New York, a cab driver with whom Jérôme subsequently has sex in a meat locker suggests that he visit Warehouse, a popular new

BDSM BDSM is a variety of often erotic practices or roleplaying involving bondage, discipline, dominance and submission, sadomasochism, and other related interpersonal dynamics. Given the wide range of practices, some of which may be engaged ...

gay bar A gay bar is a drinking establishment that caters to an exclusively or predominantly lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) clientele; the term ''gay'' is used as a broadly inclusive concept for LGBT communities. Gay bars once served as ...

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...

. Over the course of his week-long visit, Jérôme visits the locations mentioned by Paul in his letters, including the

Meatpacking District The Meatpacking District is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan that runs from West 14th Street south to Gansevoort Street, and from the Hudson River east to Hudson Street. The Meatpacking Business Improvement District along ...

, the Christopher Street Pier, a

sex shop A sex shop is a retailer that sells products related to adult sexual or erotic entertainment, such as sex toys, lingerie, pornography, and other related products. An early precursor of the modern sex shop was a chain of stores set up in th ...

, and a

tattoo parlor A tattoo artist (also tattooer or tattooist) is an individual who applies permanent decorative tattoos, often in an established business called a "tattoo shop", "tattoo studio" or "tattoo parlour". Tattoo artists usually learn their craft via an ...

. At each location he cruises for sex and is introduced to the city's thriving

gay scene The LGBT community (also known as the LGBTQ+ community, GLBT community, gay community, or queer community) is a loosely defined grouping of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and other queer individuals united by a common culture and social ...

; he meets a French woman getting her first tattoo, an activist with the

National Gay Task Force The National LGBTQ Task Force is an American social justice advocacy non-profit organizing the grassroots power of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Also known as The Task Force, the organization supports act ...

campaigning against

Anita Bryant Anita Jane Bryant (born March 25, 1940) is an American singer known for anti-gay activism. She scored four "Top 40" hits in the United States in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including "Paper Roses" which reached No. 5 on the charts. She was th ...

, and multiple paramours. Jérôme visits an

oracle An oracle is a person or agency considered to provide wise and insightful counsel or prophetic predictions, most notably including precognition of the future, inspired by deities. As such, it is a form of divination. Description The word '' ...

mentioned by Paul at a market in

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, Fif ...

, who performs a ritual with Jérôme's

semen Semen, also known as seminal fluid, is an organic bodily fluid created to contain spermatozoa. It is secreted by the gonads (sexual glands) and other sexual organs of male or hermaphroditic animals and can fertilize the female ovum. Semen i ...

. The oracle

divines Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the l ...

that Paul left Paris because he wished to be dominated, and that he will only return if Jérôme becomes the

master Master or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles * Ascended master, a term used in the Theosophical religious tradition to refer to spiritually enlightened beings who in past incarnations were ordinary humans *Grandmaster (chess), National Master ...

to Paul's new lover. He instructs Jérôme to visit Warehouse that Friday; Jérôme visits in leather garments, where he witnesses Paul collared and leashed to his new lover at the center of an

orgy In modern usage, an orgy is a sex party consisting of at least five members where guests freely engage in open and unrestrained sexual activity or group sex. Swingers' parties do not always conform to this designation, because at many swing ...

. Jérôme and Paul make extended eye contact, and the film abruptly cuts to Jérôme and Paul departing New York together as Paul's lover looks on.

Cast

* Alain-Guy Giraudon as Jérôme * Bob Bleecker as Paul * John Houston as Rex * Bill Grove as Joe * David Charles as Tom * Luke Morelay as The Oracle * David Barrow as Keith * Camille O'Grady as Leather Club Performer * Dady La Flippée as Tattooed Girl Rodger Gay, Keeson, Greg Christopher, Mark Lexington, Frank Bedford, Vic Sheridan, Steven Bank, Tommy Charles, and Victor Hudson are credited as additional actors.

Production and release

''New York City Inferno'' was directed by

, with a screenplay by Scandelari based on a concept from

. The film's soundtrack was arranged by record producer

and features licensed music from the

, specifically " I Am What I Am" and " Macho Man". ''New York City Inferno'' is Scandelari's second gay pornographic film, following his 1977 film ''Homologues''. It is one of six films funded by French gay pornography producer that were shot on location in New York City, and was filmed in and around the

and

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

on the film was completed in just four days. ''New York City Inferno'' was given an

X rating An X rating is a rating used in various countries to classify films that have content deemed suitable only for adults. It is used when the violent or sexual content of a film is considered to be potentially disturbing to general audiences. Aust ...

by the

Centre national du cinéma Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentricity ...

, which noted that the film's scenes contained "a certain element of cruelty." The English language portions of the film were not

subtitle Subtitles and captions are lines of dialogue or other text displayed at the bottom of the screen in films, television programs, video games or other visual media. They can be transcriptions of the screenplay, translations of it, or informati ...

d in the film's initial French release, though a translation of the scene featuring Jérôme and the National Gay Task Force activist was published in the French gay men's magazine ''Soft Men''.

Reception and legacy

Critic has described ''New York City Inferno'' as an "unclassifiable work", comparing it to mondo cinema for its depictions of

unsimulated sex In the film industry, unsimulated sex is the presentation of sex scenes in which actors genuinely perform the depicted sex acts, rather than simulating them. Although it is ubiquitous in films intended as pornographic, it is very uncommon in o ...

, its

pseudo-documentary A pseudo-documentary or fake documentary is a film or video production that takes the form or style of a documentary film but does not portray real events. Rather, scripted and fictional elements are used to tell the story. The pseudo-documentary, ...

filming style, and its unvarnished portrayal of New York City gay life prior to the 1980s HIV/AIDS epidemic. Lachaud offers specific praise for the film's "richness of tone and its almost experimental construction," calling it a "radical work of art at a time when homosexuality in France was still considered a crime." ''New York City Inferno'' has enjoyed contemporary success as a

cult film A cult film or cult movie, also commonly referred to as a cult classic, is a film that has acquired a cult following. Cult films are known for their dedicated, passionate fanbase which forms an elaborate subculture, members of which engage ...

. In 2014, it was chosen by director

Jacques Audiard Jacques Audiard (; born 30 April 1952) is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Michel Audiard, also a film director and screenwriter. He has won both the César Award for Best Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Fi ...

to be screened at .

Notes

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:New York City Inferno 1978 films 1978 in LGBT history 1978 LGBT-related films 1970s pornographic films French avant-garde and experimental films 1970s French-language films Gay pornographic films French LGBT-related films Films shot in New York City Films set in New York City 1970s French films