Last
Call at Maud's directed by Paris Poirier
The 1989 closing of Maud's Study, a 23-year-old
lesbian bar and institution in San Francisco, is explored in this
fascinating mini-history of recent (post-WWII) lesbian life and
the role that lesbian bars played in it. Many longtime patrons of
Maud's are interviewed, providing vivid case histories as they nostalgically
recall their first experiences in a lesbian bar, their early
relationships and the significance of Maud's closing for them. An
engaging documentary which provides an essential chapter in the
social and political history of lesbians.
"Some genuinely wild women take center stage
in Paris Poirier's vivacious and historical documentary about
Maud's, the longest-running lesbian bar in the United States. This
venerable San Francisco establishment opened in 1966, when
lesbians were still very much in the closet. Maud's flourished
throughout the '70s and '80s, enjoying an international reputation
as a meeting place for lesbians and their friends, only to be shut
down in 1989 as a result of the community's shifting priorities.
Provocative personal stories of coming out, sexual politics and
softball are mixed with flashbacks to the Hollywood gay bars of
the '40s and the vice raids of the '50s.
The vintage photos and personal interviews (with
Mary Wings, Judy Grahn, Phyllis Lyon, Del Martin, Sally Gearhart,
JoAnn Loulan and Rikki Streicher, to name a few) are an invaluable
window into lesbian history.
A witty and informative look at cultural
evolution in the making, Last Call at Maud's salutes and preserves
an era in history when bars were the only cultural institutions in
the lesbian community." -- Frameline
"Warm-hearted and honest. A significant
piece of gay history." -- Stephen Holden, The New
York Times
"Recounts the sexy secrecy of the early scene. What makes
Last Call at Maud's so interesting are the intersections of the
sweep of history with the smallness of one social circle." --
Martha Baer, Village Voice
"This consistently entertaining and engaging film invites its
interviewees to range far beyond barroom reminiscences to tell us
what it was like to be a lesbian in postwar America." --
Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"Impressive, well-researched, undogmatic look at the twilight
Lesbian world from the '40s to now." -- Variety
