Dirk Bogarde's leather pants have ensured this movie was/is much mocked but playing his character as gay works for the drama. John Mills doesn't quite get the ambiguities that say Marlon Brando, Peter Finch or Alec Guinness might have but it's clear he has strong feelings for Bogarde's bandit character - and Bogarde is clearly in love with Mills.
Homoeroticism isn't uncommon in male adventure films e.g. Point Break, Howard Hawks' output - it's heightened here because one is a priest and Bogarde is cast. Also I guess because the story wouldn't make any sense otherwise. Bogarde isn't the first actor you think to play a Bandit, and his leather pants are a bit camp, but the whole cocked eyebrow sardonic thing he's got going on works.
No one looks remotely Spanish or Mexican, and it goes for too long, but this is consistently interesting - watching it I couldn't help thinking "the British film industry made this??" Myleen Demongeot is incredibly cute, with those bee stung lips, as a girl in love with Mills.
No comments:
Post a Comment