Victim
(1961)
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An intriguing story of an eminent barrister who reveals his homosexual past to thwart blackmail. |
Not a great movie, but a ground-breaker in its depiction of homosexuality, this film marks Dirk Bogarde's brave bid to break free of his matinée idol image. He plays a homosexual barrister whose former lover commits suicide after he's arrested to protect Bogarde's name. Bogarde can either say nothing or “come out”, putting a strain on his marriage to Sylvia Syms and possibly ending his career. By today's standards the film is tame, and director Basil Dearden insisted that homosexuals should be called “inverts”. However, the movie refuses to glamorise its subject, depicting homosexuality in every sidestreet, every Rolls-Royce and every club in town, stopping short only at Downing Street.
Halliwell's Film Guide
A plea for a change in the law is very smartly wrapped up as a murder mystery which allows all aspects to be aired, and the London locations are vivid.