The Other Side of Aspen


The Other Side of Aspen is a 1978 American gay pornographic film. It is produced by Falcon Studios, directed by Matt Sterling, and stars Casey Donovan, Al Parker, and Dick Fisk. The film was Falcon's first feature-length release, and is noted as one of the first adult films to be published on videocassette. A critical and commercial success upon its release, The Other Side of Aspen is regarded as a landmark work of the Golden Age of Porn, and has been called one of the greatest gay pornographic films of all time.

Plot

In San Francisco, a skiing instructor recounts to his friend a particular incident that occurred during his recent visit to Aspen, Colorado. While traveling to instruct two clients, he witnessed two men having sex in a cabin. Upon arriving at his destination, he found his clients also having sex; they are subsequently joined by the men from the cabin and the instructor in an orgy. Having recounted the story, the instructor comments that he is aroused; he exposes his penis to his friend, who reaches for it.

Cast

Development

In fall 1977, Falcon Studios cameraman Colin Meyer suggested to the studio's founder Chuck Holmes that Falcon produce a film that featured the most famous performers from the three "generations" of gay adult film actors: Casey Donovan, the star of Boys in the Sand and the first ever gay porn star; Al Parker, a popular Colt Studios model who had appeared in several Falcon films; and the up-and-coming Dick Fisk. The film would become The Other Side of Aspen after a staffer at Falcon suggested making "a movie in the snow."

Filming

The Other Side of Aspen's skiing and sex scenes were shot in Lake Tahoe, California. Holmes regularly took skiing trips, and filmed scenes for the studio on one such trip so he could claim the vacation as a write-off. The film's setting of Aspen, Colorado references the city's popularity as a destination for LGBT tourists; in 1979, the city was the first municipality in Colorado to pass a non-discrimination ordinance, and has hosted Aspen Gay Ski Week annually since that same year.
At the time, gay pornographic films were typically eight- to 10-minute single-scene film loops that were shot and released individually on 8 mm film; The Other Side of Aspen was similarly shot as four individual scenes. After filming concluded in Lake Tahoe, Holmes, director Matt Sterling, and Falcon co-founder Vaughn Kincey elected to shoot additional scenes of dialogue in San Francisco. The dialogue scenes were edited between the sex scenes, giving the film a narrative with plot and continuity, and making The Other Side of Aspen the first feature film to be released by Falcon.
Donovan and Parker met for the first time while flying Lake Tahoe to shoot the film. The film's first sex scene between Donovan and Parker was improvised; initiated as a still photography session, the encounter was filmed after the actors began to have sex of their own accord. During the encounter, Donovan was fisted by Parker; this was cut from the film's original 1978 release, but was included in its 2002 re-release.

Release

The Other Side of Aspen was heavily marketed in the lead-up to its release, an atypical approach for gay adult films at the time. As the majority of Falcon's business was conducted through mail order, reservation cards and a brochure promoting the film were sent to the top customers on Falcon's mailing list.
The film would be released in all extant media formats of the time: standard 8 mm, Super 8, Sound 8, VHS, and Betamax, making The Other Side of Aspen one of the first adult films to be released on videocassette. The film was re-released on DVD in 2002, and a remastered version of the film was released in 2014.

Reception and legacy

The Other Side of Aspen was a major critical and commercial success upon its release, and has been called one of the greatest gay adult films ever made. By 1993, 45,000 copies of The Other Side of Aspen had been sold, making it the best-selling gay pornography film at that time and producing the highest revenues in Falcon's corporate history up to that point. The film cemented the legacy of Donovan and Parker, with writer Jeffrey Escoffier noting that the film "put Donovan back into the spotlight and confirmed Parker's celestial status."
The film is regarded as a turning point for the development of gay pornography as a genre and industry: its elevated production values were largely unprecedented at the time, and feature film-style releases would become the norm across the gay pornography industry in the wake of The Other Side of Aspen's success. It is also credited with popularizing the macho gay porn star aesthetic that would remain broadly popular in the decades subsequent to the film's release, with Escoffier writing that The Other Side of Aspen "crystallized Chuck Holmes' vision of the erotic movie it signaled the culmination of the gay macho sexual ethos, the confirmation of the ideal gay male body–young, a swimmer's build, no tattoos, and little hair–and the codification of gay porn movies as a genre."

Awards

In 2002, the film's re-release won Best Classic Gay DVD at the GayVN Awards, and Best Classic Video at the Grabby Awards.

Sequels

A total of five sequels to The Other Side of Aspen have been produced by Falcon, and often star the most popular performers of the film's given era. The film's sequels have received a largely lukewarm critical reaction, with Michael Joseph Gross arguing that the franchise has gone "mostly downhill" since the release of the original film.