HOME Mcr is hosting ‘Ian McKellen On Stage’, McKellens new touring solo show, for two nights this week. And capitalizing on all things McKellen, HOME also screened the 1997 film ‘Bent’, in which he had a small part. ‘Bent’ is directed by Sean Mathias and based on the 1979 stage play by Martin Sherman, who also wrote the screenplay. The film follows the stories of several gay men as they try to evade Nazi Persecution, with varying degrees of success, after the Night of the Long Knives in 1934.
Principally the film follows Max (Clive Owen) and, through his journey, we are introduced to other gay men trying to survive in their own way; notably Max’s dancer boyfriend Rudy (Brian Weber II) and Max’s friend, Horst (Lothaire Bluteau). Already a fine cast, Paul Bettany, Ian McKellen, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau and Mick Jagger also make excellent contributions, though their appearances are brief. A quick search on the internet also reveals unnamed parts for Jude Law and Rachel Weisz. Not a single part wasted here.
The performances are stunning across the board, Clive Owen carries the film brilliantly as a man understandably reluctant to accept who he his in the face of torture and death; Mick Jagger and Ian McKellen steal their respective scenes with wonderful ease (I could watch a film just with Jagger’s self-serving Greta); and Bettany and Coster-Waldau seem to thoroughly relish their roles, though they couldn’t be more different. Weber is dealt the worst hand in terms of character, as despite having more screen time than most, the naive Rudy is somewhat one-dimensional. It is Lothaire Bluteau’s turn as ‘Horst’ that really shines. The Canadian actor does phenomenal things with this role and fares much better than Owen with some of the more difficult dialogue (more on that later). Horst is a quiet character but Bluteau says so much with just his eyes, it’s truly mesmerizing to watch. It is difficult to criticize this film. Not because it is without fault but because I wish it were better than it was. It has a phenomenal cast that does great work, it’s an important story and it’s thematic core of the courage and dignity of being who you are is resonant. But it feels very much like a stage play poorly adapted for film; the dialogue is inconsistently stylized and much of the camera work is horribly dated.
Watching the film made me want to watch the play, because while film and theatre are similar mediums they are not the same and certain elements will work in one and not the other. While the production design immediately flags this as an adaptation, it is the dialogue that the film struggles with the most. It is poetic and stylistically repetitive in a very ‘theatrical’ way; specifically in a very 70’s way. This is not in itself bad, as it works successfully time and again on the stage, but when used inconsistently throughout a feature film it feels clunky and forced. It is a testament to the actors abilities that they manage to emote so strongly throughout it. This is perhaps a trifling concern and if you don’t think these things will bother you, then I highly recommend the film for the story and acting alone. Otherwise, I’d recommend seeking out a theatre production or a published play script.
This showing also coincides perfectly with Pride Month; a celebration of the LGBT+ community held every June. ‘Pride’ was started by bi-sexual civil rights activist Brenda Howard in 1970 as a memorial march for 1969 Stonewall Riots; a series of spontaneous and violent demonstrations by members of the LGBT+ community in response to a police raid at the Stonewall Inn in New York City. The riots are considered to be one of the most important events for advancing gay and civil rights for the LGBT+ community. It is a very fitting backdrop for a reminder of the Nazi persecution of this community and for the message that surviving is not the same as living.
Reviewer - Deanna Turnbull
on - 5/6/19
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