MOVIES:

A HOMOSEXUAL WHODUNIT

The homosexual as victim not victimizer? What a pleasant, refreshing, almost rejuvenating concept. As expressed in the film currently showing at art theatres throughout the country, the idea has dramatic possibilities as well as shock effect. Not a lot mind you, but with typically British genius for compromise, the motion picture Victim which treats the subject of homosexuality almost fairly, if not squarely, also is a "jolly good thriller."

Victim is basically an attack on the laws in England as they pertain to homosexuality. Its main characters are a boy named Barrett who hangs himself in a jail cell because the police want to know why he stole money and a young barrister named Farr who knows why. The inevitable answer is that Barrett is being blackmailed as a homosexual. It is all very exciting viewed as a suspense drama, but its significance from our point of view does not lie in the story's entertainment value (for accurate and thorough review of book based on film see ONE, March, 1962) but rather in its message-a plea for understanding and toleration of homosexuality. Time and again characters stand up and demand the right to lead private lives safe from blackmailers and the police. In fact the sympathy and patronizing becomes a little sickening more than once. But then the picture is not especially designed for a homosexual audience. The man on the inside will immediately see flaws in it. The important thing is that presumably Mr. and

Mrs. Average will not see the bad points. Some of the distortion was probably necessary to make the picture palatable to the general public. Here lies the major contribution of Victim: that it appears possible the picture may reach and influence for the better thousands of people which ONE has not been able to, at least so far. Truly, the men who made the film were brave. Not that they did not expect to make money. Ten years ago, however, the picture would have caused a riot. Even today it is being shown without the seal of approval from the Motion Picture Code.

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Personally, I could have wished for a little more balance in the types of homosexuals represented. They were all so sort of harmless and goodygoody. And Dirk Bogarde who plays Melville Farr, a homosexual going straight. is sadly miscast as he was in The Spanish Gardner. Throughout the picture he is too precise and meticulous to much of "old auntie" to ever be anything else. Also unconvincing is Peter McEnery in the role of Boy Barrett. This boy, the victim, is supposed to have inspired the love and adoration of any numbers of men. But we never know quite how this could be possible. Neither his actions nor his looks (he is pimply-faced and somewhat too old) are likely to arouse such response.

But these are minor flaws. The picture has much social significance. and should do the cause a lot of good. urge everyone to go see it.

I

D. S.

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