Victim (1961)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Basil Dearden

Writers:

Janet Green (screenplay) and
John McCormick (screenplay)

Release Date:

11 October 1961 (Denmark)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

A prominent lawyer goes after a blackmailer who threatens gay men with exposure (homosexual acts still being illegal). But he's gay himself...

Plot Keywords:

Blackmailer | Gay | Homosexual | Blackmail | Law

Awards:

Nominated for 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Dirk Bogarde	...	Melville Farr
Sylvia Syms	...	Laura
Dennis Price	...	Calloway
Nigel Stock	...	Phip
Peter McEnery	...	Barrett
Donald Churchill	...	Eddy
Anthony Nicholls	...	Lord Fullbrook
Hilton Edwards	...	P.H.
Norman Bird	...	Harold Doe
Derren Nesbitt	...	Sandy Youth
Alan MacNaughton	...	Scott Hankin (as Alan MacNaughtan)
Noel Howlett	...	Patterson
Charles Lloyd Pack	...	Henry
John Barrie	...	Det. Inspector Harris
John Cairney	...	Bridie

Runtime:

90 min | 100 min (pre-censored version) | 96 min (video version)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:12 (video rating) (2004) | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | Finland:K-16 | West Germany:18 (bw) | UK:X (original rating) (cut) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2005) (uncut)

Filming Locations:

Cambridge Circus, Covent Garden, London, England, UK

Company:

Allied Film Makers (AFM)

Trivia:

Due to the film's subject matter the BBFC studied the script before official submission and several lines of anti-homosexual dialogue were removed. Eventually John Trevelyan agreed to pass the film after cuts to 4 lines of dialogue including Melville Farr's confession to his wife of his homosexual urges ("Because I wanted him. I WANTED him!"). Surprisingly 3 of these were rescinded upon appeal, including Farr's legendary admission, and the only cut made to the film was the removal of a line of dialogue referring to an adolescent boy 'making the wrong choice'. Later releases restored this line and the film is now an uncut 'PG'.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Melville is stood outside the Counsel & Clerks office, the shadow of the boom microphone is visible beside the sign, on the wall behind him.

Quotes:

Frank: Well it used to be witches. At least they don't burn you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Kind of Loving (1962)

restrained heroic indictment of prejudice

Just prior to viewing "The Victim", I watched a police procedural called "The Division." "The Division" is a 2002 TV series set in San Francisco involving primarily women police officers. The particular episode involved the death of a student. His sexuality was paramount to the plot. Forty years apart and the fear of disclosure engendered an almost identical life-ending response from characters in both productions. "The Victim" has that low key, polite, off-putting English civility that sometimes makes me want to pull out what's left of my hair. Still, there is great tension in the film and I agree heartily with an earlier comment that the first twenty minutes are the best. Barratts search for help, for escape,is heart-wrenching. Farr's blind, fearful rejection of his entreaties are the catalyst for his transformation. This must have been a risky venture for Dirk Bogarde. His character Farr, aside from his ethical response, is a contained, measured man. His life appears orderly yet there are strong indications that his past has been to say the least, checkered. From a 2002 perspective, the relationship between Farr and his wife (I always love stumbling across films with Sylvia Syms) is hard to fathom. Certainly their mutual love and respect is evident but you somehow want something more for them. I suppose I want him not to be gay and for it all to be some minor diversion. The impression I get from the film is that Farr too wants this but recognizes the impossibility of it all. Still, they both are admiral portrayals, as is the actor who plays the head police officer. Impressive film and it deserves wider exposure.