''The Secret Disco Revolution'' is a Canadian documentary film, directed by

Jamie Kastner Jamie Kastner is a Canadian writer, director and documentary filmmaker based in Toronto, Canada. His company, Cave 7 Productions, produces both theatrical and television productions. Kastner is best known for his feature documentaries, including ...

and released in 2012.Daniel Pratt
"The Secret Disco Revolution: Jamie Kastner"
''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'', September 6, 2012. Profiling the

disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...

genre of music and the club culture surrounding it, the film is structured around academic

Alice Echols Alice Echols is Professor of History, and the Barbra Streisand Chair of Contemporary Gender Studies at the University of Southern California. Retrieved March 17, 2013 Education Echols received her bachelor's degree from Macalester College, Minne ...

's thesis that the genre played an important role in spurring advances in gender, racial and

LGBTQ ' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity. The LGBT term is ...

equality in the late 1970s and 1980s.Dennis Harvey
"The Secret Disco Revolution"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', September 18, 2012. Figures appearing in the film include

Thelma Houston Thelma Houston ( Jackson; born May 7, 1946) Retrieved . is an American singer. Beginning her recording career in the late 1960s, Houston scored a number-one hit record in 1977 with her recording of " Don't Leave Me This Way", which won the Gramm ...

, Gloria Gaynor,

Martha Wash Martha Elaine Wash (born December 28, 1953) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, and producer. Known for her distinctive and powerful voice, Wash first achieved fame as half of the Two Tons O' Fun, who sang backing vocals for the disco si ...

and members of

The Village People ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' said "It's so clever that it makes fun of itself with a mock connecting narrative."Daniel DeWitt
"Partying On as the Glitter Ball Whirls"
''

'', June 28, 2013. Dennis Harvey of ''

'' criticized the film for that narrative framing, particularly Kastner's use of three fictional characters who are presented as deliberately orchestrating the creation and rise of the genre. He also wrote that while the overall thesis was reasonable, it sometimes stretched into implausibility, particularly when it posited

Donna Summer LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her mus ...

's single " Love to Love You Baby" as an ode to the female orgasm. Daniel Pratt of ''

'' also criticized the framing device, calling it confusing and offputting, and writing that "letting the text speak for itself, with a bit of clever editing, would have been far more effective." The film premiered at the

2012 Toronto International Film Festival The 37th annual Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 6 and September 16, 2012. TIFF announced the films that were accepted on August 21, 2012. On its 37th edition the TIFF included a 2 ...

. It was subsequently acquired for theatrical distribution by

Screen Media Films Screen Media Ventures, LLC. is an American-Canadian distribution company founded in 2001. In 2008, Screen Media selected The Creative Coalition as its exclusive nonprofit partner in launching the Spotlight Initiative. The partnership permits the p ...

,Adam Benzine
"Kastner’s “Disco Revolution” heads to America"
''

RealScreen Brunico Communications is a Canadian magazine publishing company."Desktop tabloid publishing firm sports 2 publications and a profit". ''The Globe and Mail'', October 9, 1989. The company specializes primarily in online trade magazines serving medi ...

'', November 20, 2012. and had a theatrical run in 2013.

References

External links

* *
The Secret Disco Revolution
' at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; french: Bibliothèque et Archives Canada) is the federal institution, tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is th ...

2012 films 2012 documentary films Canadian musical documentary films Disco films Films directed by Jamie Kastner Documentary films about pop music and musicians 2010s English-language films 2010s Canadian films English-language Canadian films {{2010s-Canada-documentary-film-stub