No bruising for 'Cruising'

SAN FRANCISCO -- In many ways it was a typical night at the Castro Theatre, the venerable 85-year-old revival house in the heart of San Francisco's gay and lesbian district. The house organist opened the show with renditions of "I Get a Kick Out of You" and "That's Entertainment" before being lowered into the pit to the strains of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy's "San Francisco," as audience members sang along.

What was decidedly atypical, though, was the fare: a special preview Monday night of "Cruising," the controversial -- in some circles, notorious -- 1980 murder mystery written and directed by William Friedkin set against the backdrop of the New York leather bar S&M scene. It starred Al Pacino as an undercover cop who infiltrated the gay scene to try to catch the killer.

"Cruising" was by far the most explicit mainstream Hollywood treatment of gay sexuality at the time, and it sparked protests from activists seeking to disrupt, if not shut down, production of the project because they felt it unfairly stigmatized the gay community.

Now it's back. Starting Sept. 7, "Cruising," restored in a new print, will have brief runs in San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, and a Warner Home Video DVD release is scheduled for Sept. 18.

What a difference 27 years makes.

The reaction to the re-release, in and around the Castro, was more like a love-in than an ACT UP demonstration.

"What went on at the time was ridiculous. It was from a bunch of people who hadn't even seen the movie," said Jean Paul Rimes as he nursed a drink at the Bar across the street from the theater before the film. "The only possible objection was that the killer turned out to be gay." His companion, Patrick Baird, agreed: "I don't think gays should be offended. It's very possible that incidents like that could have taken place as part of the scene in New York or L.A."

"I've never seen it before, but I think it's good to see it in this kind of venue, where there can be a critical dialogue about it, as opposed to just showing it in the suburbs," said Travis Mathews, 23, as he stood in line with the rest of the overflow, mostly male, mostly gay crowd waiting to see the picture.

"I think it still stands up, and some of it will still probably put us off," said Ron Vest. "It will be interesting to see how many people who were protesting will be here tonight," added his friend, Javier Valencia.