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A strong message in this film that's relevant today

posted 11 years ago by starlighthime
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While I was watching this I think a good message in this: people who are so deeply prejudiced, enough to believe a child's lie and use it to destroy lives, are often much more amoral than what they're 'defending' society from like homosexuality. You still see this hypocrisy today, with people hiding behind an illusion of sanctity.

The way the people acted after the rumors were spread disturbed me and scared me. The way the delivery man just stared at the two main characters was downright eerie. This was a reality though.

I agree with Shirley Maclaine's comments after the film though. Due to censorship the film wasn't entirely properly done, however it's still an interesting well acted piece of cinema.

[–] dunlap-mark64 11 years ago

I'm aware of Maclaine's comment (if you mean when she was interviewed for The Celluloid Closet), and I've thought she was off the mark.
Shirley thought that her character, Martha Dobie, should not have been guilt-ridden or feel any shame at being gay. That's wishful thinking - that all gay people are comfortable with their sexuality. I see a lot of similarity between Martha's expression of self-contempt and the character Michael in The Boys in the Band. It is a fact that some gay people are deeply ashamed. Many more of them felt that way back in the 50s and 60s (after all, in those days the American Psychiatric Association labeled it a mental illness). Martha's shame was realistic, so I think Shirley was wrong to claim that the movie wasn't done right, that a lesbian would "fight for her budding preference."

Yes, the movie is so watchable because of outstanding acting performances with a script that is riveting.

[–] starlighthime 11 years ago

I see what you mean and I agree that it's unrealistic to think she'd have no guilt whatsoever. I think Maclaine's comments might've just been personal feelings of rooting for a character.

To add though, I think part of the film that makes me uncomfortable and makes it dated, is that there is no validation ever that there was nothing shameful about being gay. It's virtually impossible to have projected that message at the time, so I understand, but I wanted Martha to have some fight in her too. This is an entirely modern perspective though, and not plausible.