Vapors (1965)

A controversial look at the lives and conflicts of a group of homosexual men set during one evening in a New York bath house for men.

Director:

Andy Milligan

Writers:

Hope Stansbury, Hope Stansbury (play)

Stars:

Robert Dahdah, Gerald Jacuzzo, Hal Sherwood

Cast

Cast overview:
Robert Dahdah	...	Mr. Jaffee
Gerald Jacuzzo	...	Thomas
Hal Sherwood	...	Miss Parrish
Hal Borske	...	Mavis (as Haal Borske)
Richard Goldberger	...	Thumbelina
Larry Ree	...	Taffy
Larry Joels	...	Clerk
Ron Keith	...	Intruder
Myron Williams	...	Attendant
Matt Baylor	...	Man

Storyline

1965: Mr. Jaffeea is a curious but closeted married man, who decides to take a walk on the wild side one night over to the local bath house located in Times Square, New York. When he is a approached by Thomas, a swinging regular who takes an interest in Mr. Jaffe as the new face "on the scene", a deep and philosophical discussion about marriage, homosexuality and other social taboos begins to unexpectedly unfold. The two become emotionally intimate in a very short time, with no sexual contact of any sort, while everyone around them are screwing like rabbits.

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Plot Keywords:

bath house | homosexual | exploitation | all male cast | nudity | 

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Genres:

Drama | Short

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 December 1965 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

32 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed in 1963.

User Reviews

an amazing document!--Andy Milligan at his most Warhol-esque

If I were going to try to convince someone of the value of Andy Milligan's work, VAPORS would be the film I'd show. In fact, I HAVE shown it to a few people over the years with that purpose. It's a gritty 16mm black-and-white feature set in a gay bathhouse and it seems very much like a "small theatre group" play, which makes sense since Milligan himself ran a few such theatre groups. The film transcends the gay aesthetic it represents and is really a meditation on loneliness--gay, straight, or whatever. While the room-tone echo on the recorded sound takes a little getting used to, it should not diminish the quality of the acting, which is quite moving in the case of the two leads. While the late Mr. Milligan was a unique filmmaker, Warhol always seemed to be his main-man artistically, and that's clearer here than anywhere else in Milligan's work. Milligan obviously knew what it meant to be lonely, to be afraid, and to reach out. This beautiful but raw film captures that as well as, for example, any Bergman film or Saul Bellow novel. History will view this film as a pioneering work of cinema. Please be warned, though, that it is NOT for the casual viewer or the viewer who cannot see beyond the film's lack of traditional qualities of slickness and "professionalism." Seeing this on a big screen at the time of its minimal release must have been a revelation!!! If Milligan had never made another film, this would rate him as a major filmmaker in my book.