Movie Review: Victim

7/10

This is an exceptional movie, in the literal sense.

Made in 1961 , it tells a moral tale about what was known as "The Blackmailer's Charter", or the aged, christianity inspired anti-homosexuality laws that existed at the time.

According to imdb, it is the first english language film to use the word "Homosexual" at all!

Dirk Bogarde plays the barrister Melville Farr (outrageously decadent name!) presented with a problem when his lover commits suicide while being questioned about missing funds. The police suspect he was being blackmailed, and finding copious amounts of material concerning Farr the police are pretty sure what's going on. Thing is ; does Farr copme out and help trap the blackmailers - ruining his reputation and marriage in the process? Or should he maintain his reputation and burgeoning career by keeping silent?

While many others refused to play parts in the film because of the subject matter, Bogarde is intense and excellent as the central character although everyone else bar his wife is fairly two dimensional, in the style so prevalent at the time. As the wife, Sylvia Sym is excellent as the woman who loves a man who cannot love her back - capturing her torment and conflict perfectly.

As for the film's message, it's entirely anti-status-quo. While people's views are mixed from homophobic and archaic to more liberal, the coda and final speeches make it clear that these laws caused needless suffering and gave licence to hundreds of people to profit from what is in the end, hardly a choice on the victim's parts.

Now, as for the filmmaking itself, it's your typical kitchen sink drama level, no particular flashy camera moves or innovations in filmmaking, but solid as a rock.

I can recommend this to you purely for its originality in story. It's an importasnt, while not essential, part of film history.

I enjoyed it very much.

A