Narrator Matt Bomer (“Magic Mike”) uncovers the story behind International Male, the late-20th-century mail-order catalog that specialized in men’s underwear, helped promote heightened masculinity in modern fashion after decades of glum conformity, and reshaped the popular image of queer male American life. —M.G.
International Male was a mail-order men’s catalog notorious for its male vibrant and boundary-pushing fashion—and the indelible impression it left upon a generation of gay men. At the catalog’s inception, mainstream men’s fashion was firmly confined to traditional masculinity, but International Male changed the game with audacious clothing and eroticized male imagery. Narrated by Matt Bomer, this upbeat and celebratory documentary follows the rise of International Male with commentary from the unlikely batch of creatives and business people who launched it. With the added observations of noted fashion personalities and queer comedians, including Carson Kressley and Drew Droege, ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY shows how International Male caught a wave of gay awakening that led to the modern reaction of gender stereotypes in men’s fashion. —C.F.
- Year2022
- Runtime83 minutes
- CountryUSA
- DirectorBryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed
- ScreenwriterPeter Jones
- ProducerBryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed, Peter Jones
- CinematographerGabriel Bienczycki, Jonathan Ingalls, Bryan Darling
- EditorBryan Darling, Carl Pfirman
Narrator Matt Bomer (“Magic Mike”) uncovers the story behind International Male, the late-20th-century mail-order catalog that specialized in men’s underwear, helped promote heightened masculinity in modern fashion after decades of glum conformity, and reshaped the popular image of queer male American life. —M.G.
International Male was a mail-order men’s catalog notorious for its male vibrant and boundary-pushing fashion—and the indelible impression it left upon a generation of gay men. At the catalog’s inception, mainstream men’s fashion was firmly confined to traditional masculinity, but International Male changed the game with audacious clothing and eroticized male imagery. Narrated by Matt Bomer, this upbeat and celebratory documentary follows the rise of International Male with commentary from the unlikely batch of creatives and business people who launched it. With the added observations of noted fashion personalities and queer comedians, including Carson Kressley and Drew Droege, ALL MAN: THE INTERNATIONAL MALE STORY shows how International Male caught a wave of gay awakening that led to the modern reaction of gender stereotypes in men’s fashion. —C.F.
- Year2022
- Runtime83 minutes
- CountryUSA
- DirectorBryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed
- ScreenwriterPeter Jones
- ProducerBryan Darling, Jesse Finley Reed, Peter Jones
- CinematographerGabriel Bienczycki, Jonathan Ingalls, Bryan Darling
- EditorBryan Darling, Carl Pfirman