American Gigolo (1981) Part One (American Giallo)

Bill and Kevin kick off a brand new season of Morally Offensive with American Giallo, a series exploring American thrillers from the 1970s through the 1990s that borrow the style, themes, and visual language of Italy's legendary giallo films.

Their first stop is American Gigolo (1980), Paul Schrader's sleek and controversial neo-noir starring Richard Gere in the role that transformed him into an international star. Joining them is Milwaukee journalist and LGBTQ historian Michail Takach to examine how the film blends erotic thriller, crime drama, psychological character study, and high fashion into one of the defining American films of the early 1980s.

The conversation explores Schrader's Calvinist worldview, Giorgio Moroder's groundbreaking electronic score, Dan Perri's iconic title sequence, and the turbulent behind the scenes behind Blondie's "Call Me." Along the way, Bill, Kevin, and Michail discuss how this film announced the style of the 1980s, the influence of Italian giallo on American filmmaking, masculinity, rampant consumerism, the cocaine hangover from the sexual revolution and the disco era homophobia in film, and why American Gigolo remains one of the most stylish, influential, and misunderstood neo-noirs ever made. Diversions include Giorgio Moroder eating chicken, Chevy Chase almost being offered the lead role, the worst Catholic review we've found so far, and the man who got rich off a fake autobiography of Howard Hughes. We also discuss the fact that Pretty Woman and American Gigolo are perfect bookends to the Reagan 80s, and even float our conspiracy theories about the films taking place in the same universe.

Whether you're a fan of Paul Schrader, Richard Gere, Italian giallo, neo-noir, erotic thrillers, film history, cult cinema, or classic 1980s movies, this episode launches our American Giallo series by tracing the DNA between European genre cinema and the American thrillers it inspired.

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