Bent

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Subtitle: Mult
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Theatre Wide Screen)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • English: Stereo surround
  • English, French & Spanish language subtitles

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Clive Owen - Max
       Lothaire Bluteau - Horst
       Brian Webber - Rudy
       Holly Davidson - Girl on Train

• Director:

  Sean Mathias

• Producer:

  Michael Solinger, Dixie Linder

• Screenwriter:

  Martin Sherman

• Play Author:

  Martin Sherman

• Cinematographer:

  Georges Arvanitis

• Composer (Music Score):

  Philip Glass

• Editor:

  Isabelle Lorente

• Production Designer:

  Stephen Brimson Lewis

• Co-producer:

  Sean Mathias, Martin Sherman

• Executive Producer:

  Sarah Radclyffe, Hisami Kuroiwa

REVIEW:

• 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. ~ Todd Kristel, Rovi