Sebastiane (1976)

Reassigned to a lowly outpost, a Roman guard's Christian beliefs clash with his gay commander's desire for closeness. Being tortured becomes pleasurable.

Directors:

Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman

Writers:

Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman

Stars:

Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Neil Kennedy

Cast

Cast overview:
Leonardo Treviglio	...	Sebastian (as Leonard Treviglio)
Barney James	...	Severus
Neil Kennedy	...	Max
Richard Warwick	...	Justin
Donald Dunham	...	Claudius
Ken Hicks	...	Adrian
Janusz Romanov	...	Anthony
Steffano Massari	...	Marius
Daevid Finbar	...	Julian
Gerald Incandela	...	Leopard Boy
Robert Medley	...	Emperor Diocletian

Storyline

300 A.D. : the Roman Sebastianus is exiled to a remote outpost populated exclusively by men. Weakened by their desires, these men turn to homosexual activities to satisfy their needs. However, Sebastianus becomes the target of lust for a homosexual centurion, but he rejects the man's advances.

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Plot Keywords:

male full frontal nudity | penis | male rear nudity | gay love | whipping | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

Latin

Release Date:

28 October 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Sebastian

Filming Locations:

Cala Domestica, Sardinia, Italy

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinegate, Disctac, Megalovision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

For added realism, the script was taken to a classics scholar, who translated the script's erotic language into common Latin.

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Goofs

It takes a full minute for Sebastian to pour his jug of water onto himself, a seemingly long and impossibly protracted amount of time. He finally sets the jug down but then proceeds to continue his shower with water hitting him from somewhere overhead. (Presumably he had just trained the desert air how to accommodate him by demonstrating a desired effect, and the desert air obliges by squeezing copious amounts of water from itself to wash him.)

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Quotes

Justin: You are marvelous and dance like a god.
Sebastian: Not like a god, Justin, but for God.
Justin: Severus understands your dance?
Sebastian: Yes, he understands.

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Alternate Versions

When shown on British television in the 1980s, a shot of a naked man with the erection was cut out of the film.

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Connections

Referenced in Arena: Glitterbug (1994)

User Reviews

9/10

Not being overly familiar with Bible stories or Christian history (and the fact that the opening rolling titles are impossible to read), the factuality of this film will escape me. But Jarman is a visual artist, and his film has more in common with the many paintings of Sebastian than it does with factual storytelling. Jarman's ornate decor can sometimes feel dull and bland -- his films can seem lifeless, bogged down by the set decoration. This calls to mind "Velvet Goldmine," a complex film I didn't care for, even though I love Todd Haynes; I want to like Jarman -- I love his books -- and this is the first film of his that I've been actively enthusiastic about. It has much more to do with sex than history; and it's apolitical and political at the same time.

Consider the film's approach to homosexuality. No one is defined as being a homosexual, so that at first seems like a de-politicization of sex -- all there are are acts, and acts are not political. But at the same time, it's acts that are disdained and made illegal, and without the "political" approach to defining (and thereby defending) people as homosexuals, it leaves the acts open to censorship and condemnation -- politicization. As a film itself, though, it is not pedantic or accusatory -- in fact, Sebastian is killed, it seems, because of the lust of Severus, who he refuses. Like the Christian God who Sebastian loves and sees as more beautiful than Adonis, Severus wants Sebastian. But it isn't just condemning lust, either -- Anthony and Adrian are openly lovers, and the abundance of male nudity, and the eroticism of it by Jarman, could hardly be called prudish. In fact, there is a scene at night of the men grabbing each other, their dark-lit bodies, and the soldier pressing his near-naked, muscled body on his lover, that still seems shocking in its passion today.

It's more like a lyrical tone poem, and Brian Eno's New Age-y score goes well with that. Jarman isn't a bully, and when the crucifying comes around he doesn't bludgeon us -- first we see a close-up of his face, as arrows pierce through Sebastian's skin, silently with the exception of the wind, and Jarman gives us one final distorted image to meditate on the death of the one we can't have. 9/10