C;learly this was the intention of the film, that Adam Faith's character Mike was besotted with Jim Maclaine. It becomes apparent as the film develops. Yet isn't this difficult to believe? Does this infatuation only surface in Stardust, because the character in That'll Be The Day- played by Ringo, I think- shows no inclination.
shareI think that Jim's girlfriend, Danielle, insinuates that Mike Menary (Adam Faith) has homosexual tendencies towards Jim other than just the money-making aspect during a scene in the film. However, I do believe that it was merely the money-making aspect of Jim that he was besotted with.
shareI think he was besotted with both the money and the man....
shareCouldn't agree more: I think he was happily heterosexual but enjoyed the control of this vast moneymaker and of his dependency on him. It's all about the money.
At the end, Jim says, "Mike...we had a lot of fun in the van, didn't we, gigging around?", reminiscing for simpler un-fame-laden aspirational life as so many successful rock stars have.
"Not really", says Mike. Rich now. Poor then. Sod the artistic freedom :-)
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Free your mind and the rest will follow
I agree with bhaktigirl: both.
But it seems to me the issue was more complex than that. At the time of the film (both the period depicted and the year of making) homosexuality was a very dark secret indeed. Mike, I reckon, may not have been entirely aware that his attraction to Jim was more than a lucrative friendship. Or if he was, it was something he kept very suppressed.
The scene where Jim locks Mike out while he makes out with the twin singers: Mike sulks over that, but is it because he missed out on the girls, or because he missed out on some sort of sexual encounter with Jim?
When Mike watches Jim performing, and Danielle slyly asks "Is he not... beautiful?", Mike's discomfort and shock is perfectly balanced. Is it the shock of realisation, or fear of discovery? His protestations when she follows up with "Come on, you can tell me." are weak and unconvincing. "Don't be stupid," he says.
During their period in the castle they come to hate each other in many ways, but they're still bonded together by long acquaintance and shared experience. When Jim dies in the ambulance, all Mike can find to express his loss is "You can't die - I own fifty percent of you!" But is he only talking about money?
I thought this was a very cleverly-handled thread of this excellent film.