IMDb >
Bent (1997)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsBent (1997) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 14 | slideshow) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
26 November 1997 (USA) morePlot:
Max is gay and as such is sent to Dachau concentration camp under the Nazi regime. He tries to deny... more | add synopsisAwards:
4 wins & 2 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(7 articles)
Martin Sherman's 'Bent'- Masterpiece To Play Rising Action Theatre (From BroadwayWorld.com. 27 May 2009, 1:52 PM, PDT)
Martin Sherman's 'Bent'- Masterful Work To Play Rising Action Theatre
(From BroadwayWorld.com. 15 May 2009, 7:10 PM, PDT)
User Comments:
powerful moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Clive Owen | ... | Max | |
| Lothaire Bluteau | ... | Horst | |
| Ian McKellen | ... | Uncle Freddie | |
| Nikolaj Coster-Waldau | ... | Wolf (as Nikolaj Waldau) | |
| Mick Jagger | ... | Greta / George | |
| Brian Webber | ... | Rudy | |
| Jude Law | ... | Stormtrooper | |
| Gresby Nash | ... | Waiter | |
| Suzanne Bertish | ... | Half-woman, half-man | |
| David Meyer | ... | Gestapo man | |
| Stefan Marling | ... | SS Captain | |
| Richard Laing | ... | SS guard | |
| Crispian Belfrage | ... | SS guard | |
| Johanna Kirby | ... | Muttering woman | |
| David Phelan | ... | Fluff in park |
Additional Details
MPAA:
Rated NC-17 for a strong scene of graphic sexuality.; Rated R for strong sexuality including explicit sexual dialogue, some brutal violence, language and drug use. (edited version)Parents Guide:
View content advisory for parentsRuntime:
105 minLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
Dolby DigitalCertification:
Finland:K-18 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (British Columbia) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:18A (Alberta) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:R (Manitoba) | Germany:16 (f) | Japan:R-18 | New Zealand:R18 | Brazil:14 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:NC-17 | USA:R (cut) | Portugal:M/16Fun Stuff
Trivia:
Ian McKellen, who appears as Uncle Freddie in the film, starred in the role of Max in the original London West End theatre production in 1979. moreQuotes:
Horst: We had a boy like that in school. Used to lead us in silences.Max: Ok. I'll explain. Ok. We have to move rocks.
Horst: Yes sir.
Max: You move one rock at a time.
Horst: Yes sir.
Max: You take it over there.
Horst: Yes sir.
Max: When that pile is complete, you take one rock at a time and move it back.
Horst: You move it back? You move rocks from there to there and then from there to back again?
Max: Yes sir.
more
Soundtrack:
STREETS OF BERLIN moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Bent (1997) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Coming Out | Europa Europa | Brokeback Mountain | La vita è bella | Another Country |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Drama section | IMDb UK section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |












When Martin Sherman's play first appeared (with Ian McKellen as Max and Tom Bell as Horst) it caused outrage and much discussion with its sympathetic and frank treatment of forbidden love in the age of the SS.
Here it has undergone a few changes but retains its stark power. Clive Owen (probably not my first choice for the role) plays Max, the homosexual who pretends to be a Jew so he is not at the bottom of the pecking order of prisoners. The way the SS force him to prove his sexuality is shocking whether on the printed page, in a theatre, or up on the big screen. Brian Webber plays his intellectual lover Rudy with some class and it is a brief but touching performance.
Lothaire Bluteau, who I had only seen before in 'Jesus of Montreal', was brilliant in the role of Horst, the prisoner with the pink triangle who awakens Max again from his imprisoned desires. There are quiet and intense scenes between the two that are almost unbearably moving to watch, and are done within this film extremely well.
Elsewhere in the cast, Ian McKellen himself plays Uncle Freddie (but those of us who saw him as Max would love to have seen that portrayal immortalised on screen), while Mick Jagger is surprisingly good as Greta (a role which could easily be played wrong but he's spot on).
This play/film is intended to make its audience confront their prejudices, to shock, move, and inspire them. I think it is an unmissable experience - a difficult one, but worthwhile.