The Strange One (1957)

Students faced with an ethical dilemma about the dehumanization associated with the tradition of hazing, at a military college in the Southern United States, take matters in their own hands.

Director:

Jack Garfein

Writers:

Calder Willingham (screenplay), Calder Willingham (novel)

Stars:

Ben Gazzara, Pat Hingle, Peter Mark Richman

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Ben Gazzara	...	Jocko De Paris
Pat Hingle	...	Harold Koble
Peter Mark Richman	...	Cadet Colonel Corger (as Mark Richman)
Arthur Storch	...	Simmons
Paul E. Richards	...	Perrin McKee
Larry Gates	...	Major Avery
Clifton James	...	Colonel Ramey
Geoffrey Horne	...	George Avery
James Olson	...	Roger Gatt
Julie Wilson	...	Rosebud
George Peppard	...	Robert Marquales

Storyline

Jocko De Paris, cadet leader in a Southern military academy, so manipulates events that George Avery, Jr., son of the school's executive officer, is found drunk and expelled. Through various pressures, Jocko silences such involuntary accomplices as his roommate Harold Koble, football star Roger Gatt and freshmen Robert Marquales and Maynard Simmons, a girl-fearing cadet whom Jocko terrorizes into dating Rosebud, a town girl.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexuality | sadism | drunk | southern u.s. | u.s. military | 

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Taglines:

You'll never forget BEN GAZZARA as the louse, "Jocko"

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Genres:

Drama | Film-Noir

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on the fiction novel 'End as a Man' by Calder Willingham. Said to be the authors experience as a cadet at The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina. The school has a long, proud [and infamous] tradition of hazing freshman or "knobs". Willingham attended The Citadel, but did not graduate from the college.

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Connections

Referenced in Hilde Knef - Ein Weltstar aus Berlin (2012)

User Reviews

louse Actors Studio style

Originally advertised as the first picture filmed entirely by a cast and technicians from the Actor's Studio, this tale of power play amongst the cadets of a Southern military academy, only comes alive when it features the material that the Production Code of the 1950's demanded be cut.

Based on the autobiographical novel and play End as a Man by Calder Willingham, director Jack Garfein uses the music of Kenyon Hopkins noticably in the scenes between Ben Gazzara as an upperclass man and Paul E Richards as a presumably gay cadet Gazzara nicknames Cockroach, who wears a shower cap when the other cadets don't. Richards is a "creative writer" who names the Gazzara character in his novel "nightboy". Their best scene together is where Richards reads to Gazzara, who plays with his sword! Clearly Gazzara is not adverse to Richard's attention, and their farewell handshake is more a sensual than manly experience. Gazzara's relationship with Richards is also echoed in his friendship with football jock James Olson, where Gazzara reacts to being casually touched. I also like idea of Gazzara's cigarette holder, though his kissing his own wrist at one point is a little too self-consciously Method.

But whilst it is interesting to observe these subversive (for the period) elements, the narrative ultimately disappoints in the treatment of Gazzara as the academy's resident sadist. The Actors Studio adaptation needs to create an ensemble, as opposed to allowing Gazzara to star, which dissipates the tension and reduces his threat. Whilst it may be more psychologically truthful for him to underplay his psychotic nature, with the addition of Freudian insight which makes him more intellectual than physically violent, this doesn't help the drama, which is even more obvious when the far more satisfying climax uses mob intimidation and a physical act of revenge.

The worst of the Actors Studio excess is in the presentation of victim Arthur Storch who is said to be schizophrenic and thus an easy target. Storch has coke-bottle spectacles, buck teeth, cartoon at attention posture, ambition to become a priest, is a mommy's boy, afraid of women, and anti-alcoholic. Gazzara's interest in Storch is inexplicable, even if he does hold him down while Olson spanks him with a broom, but as a good part of the film has us trapped in one room (the stage origins show here) while we're supposed to observe how bad Gazzara is, proceedings crawl into tedium. Or perhaps this kind of s/m power play just doesn't hold that much interest for me. The academy rooms have cell-like iron gates in front of the doors, and even though they aren't locked, the film opens with a guard hitting each as he passes, doing a role call.

Watch for Gazzara's sci-fi buggy car, which has room in the back for a passenger.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1957 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

The Strange One

Filming Locations:

Shamrock Studios - Winter Park, Florida, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Horizon Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1