MOVIE REVIEW: Exposed: Beyond Burlesque

<p>The two DVDs that came through my letterbox just after Christmas could not be more different, though both come from our friends over at Matchbox Films.</p> <p><a href="http://www.thegayuk.com/GregMitchell">by Greg Mitchell</a> | 13th January 2014</p><p>★★★</p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4604425734.jpg" width="460" height="651" alt="Beyond Burlesque" title="Beyond Burlesque"/></p> <p></p><p>Director Beth B brings us Exposed: Beyond Burlesque, an expose of the ‘new’ burlesque scene, which seeks to challenge traditional ideas of body, gender and sexuality. A mixture of interviews, glimpses backstage and filmed performances, we are introduced to an engaging group of individuals, who might also, in other circumstances, be called misfits. </p><p></p><p> </p><p><img src="http://www.thegayuk.com/communities/8/004/009/928/388/images/4604425733.jpg" width="460" height="307" alt="Beyond Burlesque" title="Beyond Burlesque"/></p> <p></p><p>According to Mat Fraser, an English performer with phocomelia of both arms due to his mother being prescribed thalidomide during her pregnancy, burlesque is an honest and sometimes brutal art form. It can also be extremely vulgar, which is I suppose the point. </p><p></p><p>There is a lot of naked flesh on show, though very little in the way of titillation. Maybe, to fully experience the power of these acts, one has to be in the audience, but most of the interest really comes from the interviews, and the performers’ often quirky view of life; at its heart a touching little love story between Mat Fraser and Julie Atlas Muz. Truth to tell, it is a little long and could have done with some judicious pruning. I found my mind wandering quite a bit after the first hour.</p><p></p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00CG6IV5M/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=19450&creativeASIN=B00CG6IV5M&linkCode=as2&tag=th052-21">BUY ON AMAZON</a></p><p> </p>