Victim (1961)

As contentious an issue as homosexuality can be -- and given the breadth of opinions Christians hold on the subject -- I was a little hesitant to write about this hard-hitting film from England's Basil Dearden. The more I think about this amazing movie, though, the more compelled I am to do just that. So let me apologize in advance to anyone I may offend (either way), and please know that it's not my intention to do so. Writing honestly about a film that deserves a broader audience, though -- that is my intention.

Victim stars the great Dirk Bogarde as Melville Farr, a brilliant, successful barrister with a thriving practice and political connections that bode well for his rapidly rising star. He also has a secret that threatens to derail it all -- he's a closeted homosexual, a criminal offense that brought jail time and ruin in post-War England. Farr learns that a man with whom he'd had a tryst has committed suicide, having been hounded by blackmailers into a corner he couldn't extricate himself from. He's hardly alone in that regard; and the vicious blackmail scheme continues to extract a heavy price from desperate gay men, until Farr decides to risk everything by taking matters into his own hands.

Brilliantly written (in terms of careful plotting and well-honed dialogue) by Janet Green and John McCormick, Victim rarely misfires. The scenes between Farr and his adoring wife, Laura (Sylvia Syms), where the couple confronts what she's always known about her tender-hearted husband as both discover that their love is very real, are handled with amazing sensitivity and a welcome low-key finesse by Dearden.

The sympathetic portrayal of homosexual men is also thoughtfully handled; stereotypes are avoided in lieu of fully fleshed-out characters. Regardless of how one feels about homosexuality issues, it's impossible not to feel moved by the persecution they faced.

Victim is a powerful film that makes a virtue out of its sparse, black-and-white cinematography and outstanding performances, especially Bogarde and Syms in the leads. That this was made in 1961, when homosexuality was still a crime in the UK, is all the more remarkable.