Boys in the Sand (1971)
*** (out of 4)
Wakefield Poole's BOYS IN THE SAND is a rather landmark motion picture. It was made at a time when there really weren't any porno movies that were aimed at homosexuality and when it was released in New York it became a huge hit. Not only was it a hit with fans of this type of movie but it also managed to gain some positive reviews from the critics who were willing to see it.
The story is very little. Basically there are three separate stories dealing with homosexual sex. The first has a man sitting on the beach when another man comes out of the ocean and running up to him. The second film takes place at a pool. The third and final story has a making waking up and noticing a black man down on the street.
Poole has admitted that he knew very little about cinema and there's no question that at times the film isn't all that impressive from the technical side. With that said, the film is certainly a lot better than stuff like DEEP THROAT and I'd argue that the film really stands apart not just because of the homosexual sex but also because of the rather psychedelic approach given to the material. This is especially true during the third sequence where there's a dream quality to it.
In fact, I'd argue that all there shorts are rather surreal and make for an interesting movie to say the least. Yes, technically there are some issues but none of them really damage the film to the point where you'd say it wasn't a good one. Obviously this isn't going to appeal to everyone but it's a good movie for what it is and it's historically important.
