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Daddy and the Muscle Academy

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Daddy and the Muscle Academy
Directed byIlppo Pohjola
Written byIlppo Pohjola
Produced byKari Paljakka [fi]
Alvaro Pardo [fi]
CinematographyKjell Lagerroos [fi]
Edited byJorma Höri
Music byElliott Sharp
Production
companies
Filmitakomo
Yleisradio
Distributed byKristallisilmä
Release date
1991
Running time
55 minutes
CountryFinland

Daddy and the Muscle Academy is a 1991 Finnish documentary film directed and written by Ilppo Pohjola. The documentary is focused on the life and works of Tom of Finland, the pseudonym of Finnish gay erotic artist Touko Laaksonen.

Synopsis

Daddy and the Muscle Academy focuses on the life and artwork of Tom of Finland, the pseudonym of artist Touko Laaksonen, whose homoerotic illustrations of masculine men produced in the mid 20th century significantly influenced gay culture. The documentary was produced in the years immediately preceding Laaksonen's death in 1991, and features interviews with the artist as well as a retrospective of his illustrations. Individuals who have been influenced by Laaksonen's artwork, notably Etienne, Nayland Blake, Durk Dehner, and Bob Mizer, also appear as interview subjects.[1]

Production and release

Daddy and the Muscle Academy was written and directed by Ilppo Pohjola, produced by Kari Paljakka [fi] and Alvaro Pardo [fi], shot by Kjell Lagerroos [fi], and edited by Jorma Höri. The film was produced by Filmitakomo and Yleisradio, and distributed by Kristallisilmä.[1] The film's soundtrack was produced by composer Elliott Sharp; Sharp remarked that Pohjola gave him "a few vague guidelines and suggestions" but left him "great latitude" to compose the soundtrack, which consisted primarily of electronically-processed guitar.[2]

The film premiered in 1991 at the Helsinki International Film Festival. It has been broadcast multiple times on Finnish television, most recently in 2011 as part of Yle TV2's Documentary Project.[3] A restored version of the film was released in Finland 2017;[1] in North America, Kino Lorber released the restoration on Blu-ray in 2021.[4]

Reception

Writing for The Spool, crticic B.L. Panther cites Daddy and the Muscle Academy as an example of New Queer Cinema through its "provocative secular-sexual imagery", non-linear narrative, and celebration of "a queer culture with a history", writing that the film gives a "clear sense of how gay men would use, send, lend, and share these magazine to see gay male erotica, which, in a profound way, made them feel seen themselves."[5]

Daddy and the Muscle Academy won Best Documentary at the 1992 Jussi Awards.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Tom of Finland – Daddy and the Muscle Academy". Crystal Eye. Retrieved September 8, 2021.
  2. ^ Sharp, Elliott (2019). IrRational Music. MIT Press. ISBN 9781949597158.
  3. ^ Itäkannas, Lauri (March 31, 2017). "Daddy and the Muscle Academy". Yle (in Finnish). Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Daddy and the Muscle Academy". Kino Lorber. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  5. ^ Panther, B.L. (June 28, 2021). "KinoKultur: Daddy & the Muscle Academy shines a light on Tom of Finland". The Spool. Retrieved January 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "Jussi Awards, 1990–1999". Jussi Awards (in Finnish). Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2021.

Further reading

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