Completed - ENGLISH - Drama
A new restoration of Basil Dearden's landmark film
Year of production : 1961 Director(s) : Basil DEARDEN Writer(s) : Janet GREEN, John MCCORMICK Cast : Dirk BOGARDE, Sylvia SYMS, Dennis PRICE Producer(s) : Michael RELPH
Basil Dearden's ground breaking thriller Victim was first released in 1961. With its location shooting, noirish lighting, and doomed characters, it was instrumental in paving the way for the legalisation of homosexuality in Britain. Dirk Bogarde, Britain's most reveared matinee idol, risked his career to portray Melville Farr, a closeted gay lawyer, at a time when homosexual acts were a crime. When his former lover Jack (Peter McEnery) is blackmailed, Farr - who is married - agrees to investigate. The case is complicated by his fear of being exposed and a sudden mysterious death. In addition to its pioneering treatment of a long-repressed crime, Victim is also notable for its sympathetic and non-stereotypical depictions gay men.
Country(ies) : UNITED KINGDOM