Solemplex To me, this movie is perfection.

ChicRawIdol A brilliant film that helped define a genre

ChanFamous I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

Ortiz Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.

jm10701 First, this movie has nothing AT ALL to do with Mae West. It is not even a veiled story of her life, and she did NOT "force the studio to pull it out of distribution and burn all the copies." Whoever made up that tale was an idiot. The East/West surname coincidence is ONLY a coincidence. You might as well say that East of Eden is about Mae West as say it about this movie. It's just stupid. This movie owes more to A Star Is Born than to anything involving Mae West.Second, this movie also is not meant to be campy or any of the other dumb adjectives people try to apply to it. Maybe campy people see themselves in it, but that's in THEM, not in the movie.True: it was made with very little money and with no talent AT ALL, anywhere, either before or behind the camera. But it was made with a huge amount of heart, and its sincerity, its openness and generosity of spirit are what make Dinah East well worth watching.This is a love story about two misfits, and despite all its flaws it is sweet and moving and honest. It's not a joke. Laugh at if you want to, but if you do you're depriving yourself of something a lot better than a good laugh.But if you do want to watch it, be VERY DILIGENT about which of the two DVD releases you buy. The DVD most earlier reviewers saw is a semi-pirated 2006 release of ABOMINABLE quality in a chopped-off 3:2 full-screen (old TV) format, almost surely copied from a VHS tape released briefly in the 1980s.It has a rather dull cover, with a photo of Diana East at the bottom and "A superstar actress is really a man... Hollywood's strangest story! DIANA EAST" at the top. That is the DVD you DO NOT want to buy. It's nearly unwatchable. Amazon in the US says it's currently unavailable, and let's hope it stays that way. But Amazon in the UK still sells that version; and it is the version the large American DVD-by-mail renter has, so don't bother putting it in your queue.There is a MUCH better 2010 DVD from Kit Parker Films, distributed in the US by VCI Entertainment and possibly other distributors in other markets. It has remastered video and audio and is in the original 16:9 wide-screen format. It has a more modern, glitzier cover, with "UN-CUT THEATRICAL VERSION" in a black banner across the top and "KIT PARKER FILMS" in a black banner across the bottom. That is the DVD you MUST buy if you want to see this movie. Amazon sometimes groups the two very different versions (and their reviews) together, so you have to be diligent about buying the right one.

paulh71133 In 1970, when the film was first released, I was a 36/37 year old gay man who had just left a wife of 10 1/2 years and 2 children. I had spent 35 years in a closet pretending to be someone I wasn't. During the first few years after my divorce I was desperately searching for an identity. Dinah East was, to me an amazing experience. Yes, it was 'amateurish'. But, it is now an historic film for many reasons. In one of the preceding reviews the film is treated like trash! How unfortunate the reviewer has no understanding of films attempting to show how gay men and women live. If you want exploitative, try "Advise and Consent", "Tea and Sympathy", The Killing of Sister George", or any of dozens of films where gay men and lesbians are depicted as sick, crazy, killers etc. Edward Everett Horton will always be remembered for his many roles as an obvious flaming queen. Or, re-watch Dynasty. Linda Evens and Joan Collins did their level best to portray flamboyant drag queens. But, Jeremy Stockwell did his best to portray a real woman. No outlandish costumes, no wild movements. Just a subdued portrayal of a woman, despite the fact that she wasn't. The entire film, which I just saw again, (April 2010) is an historical footnote to Hollywoods portrayal of homosexuals. And, for everyones information, there is no, repeat no, steamy sex between two men. A kiss is hardly steamy sex. There is one scene between two lesbians that starts to get graphic when Dinah interrupts them, does that count? Hardly! In any event, I would hope that someone who has the where withall, and the ability, can see to it's restoration. It does have historical significance and shouldn't be overlooked.

InSearchOfMaeWest By R. Mark Desjardins (Vancouver, B.C. Canada) Dinah East is one of those rare cinematic romps that appeals to absolutely everybody; hot- blooded heterosexuals, lusty lesbians, horny homos, titillating transvestites, and even nefarious necrophiliacs! Written and produced by Gene Nash in 1970, starring renown transvestite, Jeremy Stockwell, and featuring Andy Warhol alumni, Ultra Violet, the film parallels several key aspects of Mae West's career. It is this connection, however tenuous, that makes this long unavailable camp classic so controversial. Advertisements for Dinah East claim the movie was pulled from distribution after Mae West filed a successful lawsuit stating the film slandered her name, and then proceeded to buy and destroy as many prints of the film she could find. However, the following facts seem to be at odds with these claims. In 1982, Gene Nash told the LA Times that he had given Mae West and Paul Novak a private screening of the film in 1970. West found the film entertaining and made a few suggestions to "beef up the dialog" which Nash was unable to do, as the filming had wrapped up. Certainly Variety would have run a story on any Mae West lawsuit. Stanley Musgrove who was her publicist at the time would have brought the topic up with friends, and Kevin Thomas who was a film critic at the LA Times would most likely have known about any such lawsuit as well. Since no word of this was ever brought forth, it is highly possible that West never brought about a lawsuit. The Mae West overtures aside, Dinah East stands on its own merits. The characters are colorful and engaging, the sets are over the top and the scene set in a gay bar complete with a nude go-go boy in a cage is delightfully wacky. Good humored fun and a sensitive examination of a subject that would have been handled in a tacky way by a less enlightened director. What is not generally known about Gene Nash is that he had a show business background and worked with Eddy Cantor in his later years, once filling in for him and nobody noticed the difference. Nash also produced, directed as well as wrote the movie screenplay and all of the songs for the film, What Am I Bid?, featuring the legendary country and western entertainer, Leroy Van Dyke. Other stars who appeared in the film include Al Hirt, Tex Ritter and Faron Young. My request for information about Gene Nash went unanswered by Paula Stewart, credited as Co-Producer of Dinah East. Stewart, currently a weekly host on KCLA FM in Los Angeles, is working on a biography of Lucille Ball. Dinah East is a blast from the past that is still fun and essential viewing for today's jaded sensibilities.

mdm111-1 I saw this movie in 1970 in Boston,Massachusetts, and I absolutely loved it. I wish it were available on VHS as I feel it was so ahead of its time it would now be a great inspiration for young movie makers. It also would be greatly appreciated by the gay and lesbian film goers and film buffs.