Bent

Director: Sean Mathias Sean Mathias

Overview

Sean Mathias directed this screen adaptation of Martin Sherman's award-winning play about the persecution of homosexuals by Nazis during World War II. In Germany, the Nazi party's program of genocide against any and all perceived "enemies" is coming into full swing when the party begins a violent purge of homosexuals in its membership. Max (Clive Owen), a bisexual playboy, is attending an orgy thrown by drag queen "Greta" (Mick Jagger) and featuring a number of party members when the festivities are raided by the police; Max and his lover Rudy (Brian Webber) escape, but they are later arrested and sentenced to a concentration camp. En route to the camp, Max betrays Rudy and arranges to be given a yellow identification star, marking him as a Jew, instead of a pink triangle, which would signify him as gay; while the Jews are destined to be executed, gay prisoners receive even more brutal treatment from the guards. While incarcerated, Max meets Horst (Lothaire Bluteau), an inmate who proudly wears the pink triangle. Max and Horst fall in love with each other, and Horst's bravery leads Max to accept his sexual identity. Bent was released in two versions; the original cut was rated NC-17 for a sequence featuring strong sexual content, while a trimmed version was granted an R.

Product Details

Release Date:	01/08/2019
UPC:	0859686006994
Original Release:	1997
Rating:	NC-17
Source:	Film Movement
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Stereo]
Language:	English
Time:	1:45:00
Sales rank:	43,646

Special Features

Closed Caption; Cast & Crew interviews; Mick Jagger "Streets of Berlin" music video; Behind the scenes footage; New essay by Steven Alan Carr

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Ian McKellen	Uncle Freddie
Clive Owen	Max
Lothaire Bluteau	Horst
Brian Webber	Rudy
Mick Jagger	Greta/George
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau	Wolf
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
Peter Stark	Guard 1 on Train
Rupert Graves	Officer on Train
Charlie Watts	Guard 2 on Train
Holly Davidson	Girl on Train,Max's Friend
Rupert Penry Jones	Guard on Road
Paul Kynman	Corporal
Paul Bettany	Captain
Claire Cunningham	Dancer
Shira Haviv	Dancer
Filip Van Huffel	Dancer
Sacha Lee	Dancer
Ben Maher	Dancer
Jane Manson	Dancer
Nat	Flame Throwing Man
Packer	Happy Sad Man
Ernesto	Leaping Man
Dorigen Hammond	Trapeze Stuntperson
Myer Taub	Rudy's Dresser
Geraldine Sherman	Prostitute
Rachel Weisz	Prostitute
Sadie Frost	Max's Friend
Lou Gish	Max's Friend
Simon Hammerstein	Max's Friend
Johan Johnstone	Max's Friend
Chris Karlitz	Max's Friend
Mark Misauer	Max's Friend
Howard Sacks	Max's Friend
Mandy Stone	Max's Friend,Max's Friend
Daisy de Villeneuve	Max's Friend,Max's Friend,Max's Friend
Helen Whitehouse	Max's Friend
Zed	Max's Friend

Technical Credits

Sean Mathias	Director
Tom Delmar	Stunts
Hisami Kuroiwa	Executive Producer
Dixie Linder	Producer
John Markwell	Special Effects
Frederic Moreau	Special Effects
Andy Pryor	Casting
Sarah Radclyffe	Executive Producer
Michael Solinger	Producer

Editorial Reviews

This film adaptation of Martin Sherman's play is only partially successful. The greatest problem is that it seems too theatrical; the stylized sets, the small number of people in the concentration camp scenes, the visual monotony of watching two prisoners constantly move rocks back and forth, the clipped exchange of repetitious dialogue, and the overwrought ending all contribute to making the film seem stagy and artificial. The scenes don't seem to flow together organically; instead, the film seems like a series of discreet set pieces. Also, some individual scenes are less compelling than they could have been; for example, a crucial scene in which Max "earns" his yellow star is filmed in a manner that minimizes its dramatic value. Granted, this particular example could be due to either a lapse in filmmaking or a conscious decision to not exploit the scene's highly disturbing content. Indeed, the film's subject matter is so emotionally charged that some of the scenes are affecting even if they do seem overly theatrical. The fine performances help a great deal; Clive Owen does a convincing job of portraying Max's transformation from a selfish hedonist to a man willing to reclaim his dignity while Luther Bluteau is quite effective at conveying Horst's underlying feelings of anger, pride, and fear. Their performances are particularly important in the film's showcase scene; as Max and Horst talk themselves into mutual satisfaction without any physical contact, they demonstrate the indomitability of the human spirit and the ability of people to express their sexuality, love, and defiance of oppression under even the most adverse conditions. Sure, this is a self-consciously crowd-pleasing scene that's intended to drive home an obvious point, but it's still quite moving. Too bad there aren't more equally compelling scenes in the movie.