Key West: City of Colors (2004) User Reviews (2)

A True Picture of the Colorful City Of Key West

[northmiamidave · 8/10 · 17 July 2005]

I lived in Key West during the filming of this documentary. I got to know the Director, Talmage and the star of the movie, Gilbert Baker, creator of the original Gay Rainbow Flag.

Like many people, I went to Key West to 'escape' life. Having grew up in a right wing religious home I was extremely sheltered. When I came out in my early 30's I was, for all practical purposes, abandoned by friends, family and church.

When I came out I threw caution to the wind and got caught up in the whole Party Scene of Backstreets in Atlanta. Every night was a party. Every day was time to recover from the night before and get ready for that night.

I needed a vacation from this lifestyle and went to Key West with a friend. I never went back to Atlanta. I became part of the Key West scene. I found that I could be myself and no one cared what my sexual preference was.

I got to know Gilbert and Talmage and became part of the Key West Story. If you watch the movie you'll hear my story. I would love to hear your feedback.

David Wylie

An Homage to an Island of Understanding

[gradyharp · 10/10 · 18 September 2005]

KEY WEST: CITY OF COLORS is a fine little documentary meant by its creator Talmadge to focus on the unraveling of a 1 and 1/4 mile long Rainbow Flag down Dylan Street connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Gulf of Mexico. The beauty of the film is not just the documentation of this 2003 event marking the 25th anniversary of the creation of the Rainbow Flag by Gilbert Baker, it is also a celebration of the little island of Key West and the people who live there.

Creator Talmadge Hayward presents a brief history of this isolated island at the far southern tip of the United States (closer to Cuba than to Miami!), showing old photographs of the sponge business, the piracy, the smuggling, and the ever present cohabitation of African Americans, Hispanics, famous artists, wealthy, poor, gay and straight citizens. He then spends a great deal of the film in interviews with many of the residents - some lifelong some newly transplanted - who explain in warm and simple terms why this oasis for acceptance is an oasis for human kind.

The colors are rich, the parade of the flag unfolding from ocean to gulf is magnificent and inspiring, and the message of peaceful coexistence serves as a goal for us all. Grady Harp