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Jean Genet's only contribution to cinema is a 25-minute silent film, steamy and poetic in its eroticism and fetishisation of the relationship and tension between male prisoners. There are images here, like the passing of smoke between cell walls and into a lover's mouth, which are so beautiful and direct in their sexuality that you'll feel something stirring, whatever your orientation.The plot is easy to follow, despite the absence of dialogue and the reputation of the film as 'experimental': a prison guard observes his inmates engaging in various sexual activities, in most cases masturbation. But, as in the scenario outlined above (which takes place between our main protagonists), these activities are sometimes more romantic. The guard becomes aroused by what he sees, and begins to have a homosexual fantasy. This scares him and he bursts in on one of our lovers, and in an obvious sexual metaphor, thrusts his pistol into the prisoner's mouth. This prompts the second fantasy sequence in the film, in the mind of the prisoner, who is now free and roaming through woodland with his lover. The scene is quite tranquil, and emphasises the contrast between the violence inherent in repression, as exemplified by the fantasy of the guard, and the romance between our two lovers.While Genet must have had the arousal of his audience in mind when he made the film (its sexual explicitness suggests this, as well as its intended audience of Genet's circle of friends, not to mention the fact that he would later refer to it as "pornography"), it is certainly more than that. It's an erotic near-masterpiece of pure cinema, and it has had the effect on me of wanting to seek out more of this iconic artist's work.
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