That Man: Peter Berlin Review

Distributor: Gorilla Factory Productions Edition Details: Standard Streaming Movie Specs: Genres: Documentary Run Time: 80 minutes Rated: not rated Release Year: 2005 Director: Jim Tushinski Written by: Jim Tushinski Cast: Peter Berlin, Armistead Maupin, John Waters, Jack Wrangler, Daniel Nicoletta (as Dan Nicoletta), Wakefield Poole, Robert W. Richards, John F. Karr, Rick Castro, Guy Clark, Lawrence Helman, Robert Boulanger, Marc Majors, Sal Mineo Voices: Jim Tushinski Release Specs: Audio: English Stereo Subtitles: none Video: Full Frame, 1.33:1 Video Format: NTSC Format: Streaming Regional Code (for DVD/Blu-ray): N/A Number of discs: N/A

That Man: Peter Berlin is a documentary on the iconic photographer and adult movie star Peter Berlin by director Jim Tushinski. Peter Berlin starred in two gay adult films in the early 70s, Nights in Black Leather that he made with Richard Abel and That Boy that he made on his own. What made Peter Berlin famous wasn't either of these films though, it was his iconic branding of himself as a 70s gay sex idol. That Man: Peter Berlin digs into the life of the Polish-born Armin Hagen Freiherr von Hoyningen-Huene, who went on to become the iconic Peter Berlin.

Peter Berlin didn't star in his first film until he was in his thirties, yet still managed to lock in the image of a gay heartthrob within the gay community. Not just on film but on the streets of San Francisco as well where Armin Hagen Freiherr von Hoyningen-Huene was no more, and Peter Berlin cruised the streets.

Jim Tushinski has broken his documentary on Peter Berlin into ten portion, starting with Peter Berlin Basics. This opening was a great way to open the film. This reviewer is a cishet who was born in 1975, and therefore wasn't familiar with Peter Berlin, the person; however, he has screened Peter Berlin's films. This reviewer suspects that, for various reasons, many viewers will be unfamiliar with Peter Berlin as a whole, and the opening segment helps explain why he warrants a documentary.

The documentary then follows a completely illogical sequencing that somehow completely works in telling the viewer about Peter Berlin. After the opening basics, the documentary jumps into sightings of him around San Francisco back in the day. In fact, the documentary doesn't get to Armin and his transformation into Peter into the sixth segment. While not the typical construct for a documentary, Peter Berlin is not the typical subject, so somehow, what would typically feel disjointed feels entirely appropriate here.

The documentary is composed of interviews, clips from Peter Berlin's two movies, the loops he made, and home video style footage of him.

Jim Tushinksi has collected an excellent assortment of people to talk about Peter Berlin. The voices range from people who only had a visual relationship with Peter Berlin to people who worked with him in varying degrees. All put together, these voices help paint a vivid picture of life in San Francisco in the 1970s and what Peter Berlin was like back then.

The most fascinating voice by far, though, is that of the 60-year-old Peter Berlin reflecting on himself in the past. You, the viewer, learn the most about the Peter Berlin persona from Peter Berlin, himself, than from any of the other voices.

This reviewer wishes he had watched That Man: Peter Berlin before watching Nights in Black Leather and That Boy. This reviewer wasn't the biggest fan of either of the films; and, although he doesn't think he would be any more of a fan of the films after watching the documentary, he does feel that he would understand what was being done in the films far better.

That Man: Peter Berlin is a documentary that focuses on the stylized erotic fantasy that is Peter Berlin as well as delving into the harder aspect of the image versus the man. Jim Tushinski has done an excellent job of bringing a slice of a bygone era back to life in this documentary, which will serve as a superb nostalgia piece for those who were there, and will serve as a great educational tool for those who weren't.

The edition of That Man: Peter Berlin screened is the streaming-only edition available on PinkLabel.TV.

Gorilla Factory Productions has done a nice job with their streaming-only edition of That Man: Peter Berlin. That Man: Peter Berlin is presented in the Academy aspect ratio of 1.33:1 pillarboxed to 1.78:1. The picture quality for the movie is generally good with nice colors and a clear picture. There are a couple of instances of white lines at the top of the screen. The archival material isn't up to the quality of the documentary itself, but it still looks nice.

That Man: Peter Berlin is presented with an English Stereo audio track. The dialog in the movie is clear and easy to understand at all times. There is a hiss present in the sound during the movie.

Gorilla Factory Productions didn't include any extras with their streaming-only edition of That Man: Peter Berlin.

That Man: Peter Berlin is a well-done documentary by Jim Tushinski on the 70s gay icon Peter Berlin. Whether you are a fan of Peter Berlin, whether you have just watched his movies, or whether you are only interested in learning more about the gay lifestyle of the 1970s, That Man: Peter Berlin is well-worth watching! Gorilla Factory Productions has done a nice job with their streaming-only edition that is available on PinkLabel.TV.

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