VICTIM   1966
Directed by Basil Dearden
100 minutes
In English with English subtitles

This is a thriller starring Dirk Bogarde who portrays a persecuted sexual pervert. What is his perversion exactly? Homosexuality. That's right... when this British movie was made, homosexuality was still illegal in England. When it came out, this film was banned in America, and given a heavy x-rating in England, simply because of its theme.

When homosexuality was a crime, gays were the open target for blackmail because they couldn't go to the police for help. Many committed suicide without the general public batting an eye. This film centers on a lawyer with a dark secret who puts his career on the line to tackle the outrageous blackmail of London's gay community.

A young Dirk Bogarde (Death in Venice, The Night Porter) gives one of his most stunning performances, and he took a lot of risks in his career to accept the role in this film. He could easily have been torn to shreds by simply being in a film that was sympathetic to the plight of gays. He clearly took on this film as an attack against intolerance. In the end this movie was one of the key reasons why the laws in England
were finally repealed a few years later.  The directing by Basil Dearden is brilliantly tight, the lighting is noir-ish and off-kilter, and the cinematography is wonderfully moody. Sylvia Syms and Dennis Price also star in this ground-breaking film.

This will be a high-definition screening.