Erotic Review: American Swing – A Documentary About Plato’s Retreat

The 1970s were a transition period from the Woodstock years of the 1960s.

There was a sexual revolution that continued to grow and was most evident in New York City.

In 1977, Larry Levinson, a man with very little money, managed to get a loan to start a New York City heterosexual swingers club called Plato’s Retreat. It was a place to socialize and meet new people. It was also a place to dance to the rhythm of the disco. But what it was most famous for was being a sex club.

American Swing is a documentary featuring candid interviews with former club goers, former club employees, and friends (now decades older) of the club owner (Larry Levinson). You will also see lots of real life footage of the actual activity that was the norm at the club.

Many of the interviews were extremely candid in a sense, but also humorous reminiscences of their experiences at the club.

Plato’s Retreat garnered local and national attention from shows like The Phil Donahue Show. Larry seemed to be enjoying the attention and was on top of the world.

Plato’s Retreat was a secret world brought to the public. It was the talk of the town and a hot spot for celebrities. Larry’s vision was to market the swingers club to the general public by opening clubs in various cities across the country.

Although his vision was ambitious, the United States simply wasn’t ready.

In the 1980s, Americans began to have different views on sex, especially when AIDS became a concern. The very sad and ridiculous decline of Plato’s Retreat and his owner came to an end. It was the end of an era.

From the point of view of watching an interesting documentary for entertainment purposes and general information about the club, this would be a great documentary to watch. It’s definitely not a family movie, but it’s great to watch with your significant other or adult friends who you might think might be interested in learning about this very interesting club.

Don’t expect to be blown away by this documentary. But what I feel is that this film is a wonderful reminder of a very interesting time period that will never be duplicated.

This movie can be purchased or rented on Amazon. You can also rent this movie on Netflix or Blockbuster.