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 | extreme close up | penis | male rear nudity | gay love | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

X

Did You Know?

Trivia

This has the distinction of being the first non-porn film to show a male erection.

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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 Spitting Image: Election Special (1987)

User Reviews

Comparisons

Remember seeing this film on the big screen in an art film house in Ottawa while I was a student in Visual Arts two decades ago. Absolutely loved it and have pretty clear recollection of most of it, it's amazing! I was a bit blinded by some of the homo-erotic content and had no idea that Jarman would go on to make a number of art-house films, many also dealing with homosexual texts such as Carravagio, a painter I absolutely love as well as Edward the Second, film version of Christopher Marlowe's play of the fay king of England. The acting in Sebastiane may seem stilted but that also might be due to the fact that many of the actors were amateurs; the Latin for me also lent an aura of authenticity since I studied Latin in high-school for five years. The historical accuracy of the life of Sebastian, the saint, was more correct than most of the hagiographies of his life. The settings were perfect, the depictions quite accurate, the drunken scenes were real because they really were drunk. The hand held quality of the film was a pioneering method of filming that also lends to the realism of the period. All in all a wonderfully creative, even innovative, stylised film that I remind to those who enjoy auteur and art-house plus homo-erotic movies. The sound track was done by Brian Eno and was released separately as "Music for a Movie". This is the only part of the film that strikes me as incongruous but somehow the moody style set by Eno's pioneering electronic music does work. Needless to say that Jarman's short filmography is to my mind very impressive.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

Latin

Release Date:

28 October 1976 (UK)

Also Known As:

Sebastiane

Filming Locations:

Cala Domestica, Sardinia, Italy

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$4,091

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cinegate, Disctac, Megalovision

Technical Specs

Runtime:

86 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1