Normally I love documentaries with academics over-analyzing popular culture interspersed with footage from the era and interviews with famous figures, but The Secret Disco Revolution just did not work. The Secret Disco Revolution’s academic seemed like a caricature. Her argument may have merit because disco did provide a safe place for homosexuals to play and black women to reign as disco singing and dancing divas, but The Secret Disco Revolution did not play it straight. The Secret Disco Revolution simultaneously played it like a joke and seriously that there was a conscious disco progressive and sexual revolution. It did not help that the academic, while lauding women’s sexual revolution seemed embarrassed and hesitant to make her case. It reminded me of the annoying episode from The New Girl where Jess couldn’t say penis. You’re an adult! Act like it!
The Secret Disco Revolution is stronger when it actually focuses on those who participated in the disco phenomenon: performers, DJs, nightclub owners. The Secret Disco Revolution lost me when it tried to analyze The Village People’s songs’ origins. Even The Village People thought that was ridiculous. I think that I missed a lot after that segment because even the director’s lack of experience in interviewing and the topic felt obvious. How could The Secret Disco Revolution try to analyze black, gay and women’s voices, but NOT focus on Sylvester?!?
If you aren’t easily distracted by incompetence and are good at mining for gold, The Secret Disco Revolution has some great interviews with those who lived and breathed disco, otherwise look for another documentary.