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Reviews
Min and Bill (1930)
Min and Bill between the lines
The story is set a Pacific Northwest fishing port. It concerns the tragedy of Min, a woman who like Fellini's Cabira,has saved her money and invested in a seaman's hotel which has a restaurant, bar, barber shop and both long and short term rooms. She has had a relationship for years with Bill, a fishing boat skipper who runs a little rum on the side. Years before the action starts Bella, a younger prostitute, has blown into town and dumped her unwanted baby on Min who she figures for a soft touch. After the opening which introduces Min, Nancy and Bill, one of the younger fishermen, creates a crisis by attempting to seduce Nancy with the intent of taking her to a large port to the south and putting her on the street. Min's emotionality devastating actions to protect Nancy are the first step in her self immolation and the rich fulfillment of Nancy's life. Min's fate is not decided by this alone, it is driven by the repeated visitation of Bella, who in her first appearance makes a statement of intent for Nancy no different from the young fisherman's plans. There is also much comic relief, Min's wild ride is not to be missed nor is the battle royal in Bill's room. Remember when watching this that not long before Bill has knocked out a strong young man with hardly more than the flick of his wrist.
The Terence Davies Trilogy (1983)
It's like a symphony by Mahler
This can still be bought in the USA from Strand Releasing but you must go to their web site to do so. But why should you buy it, other than that is the only way you will see it. Not from birth, as the synopsis reports, but from childhood to death it is a portrait of male homosexual life in a repressive society. As so it the biography of millions of men who lived before 1972, and many who have come after. And it shows the viewer no mercy. As the writer of the synopsis for IMDb chooses to call the mother daunting, which I think he must have gotten from reading Martin Beibler rather than watching the movie, I ask you to watch the mother's face very carefully as her son reads their 'stars'. I don't know when the other reviewers think that the death scene begins, you could well say that the whole of 'death and transfiguration' is the death scene but lets say it begins after the nurse goes for the X-rays, the cutting between the reality of the remembered child and the reality of the hard death of the man is Mahler made film.
Fellini - Satyricon (1969)
not a defense of child exploitation
Fellini was deeply interested in the inter life of whores, and Gitone is his only male whore. Please watch Max Born's sences with that in mind. Gitone is 16 and has been a sex slave to males since childhood. He dosen't love his master, Encolpius or Ascyltus, or anyone. He loves music. When Encolpius shows up at the theater, Gitone looks disappointed as the possibilities of freedom in the actor's troupe will be ended by smothering obsession of Encolpius. Note that Gitone laughts when Encolpius is pushed down. And later is delighted to leave with Ascyltus who might use him for sex but doesn't love him and might sell him to someone interesting, as he had done before (most likely because Ascyltus loves Encolpius and wanted to get rid of Gitone). Please compare the miserable expression of Ascyltus and the contemp filled smirk on Gitone's face when during the shipboard wedding Encolpius is told that he must give up his boys.
During their return home from the theater, Gitone allows himself to be lead off by a pimp. Then after passing a room full of little boy sex slaves, such as he was, he is quite willing to be taken into the room of an adult woman and is disappointed when his owner pulls him away. One can tell he's asking why he couldn't go in. Remimber he is a sex slave and that's all he's allowed to be. We don't really know what his sexuality is, we only know that he has become an expert at making men feel like 'love gods'.
Staircase (1969)
why do people hate this GREAT film?
Because they can't see story. And because it's about OLD men in love who swish a bit and we all know that gay men never swish. Watch this film as soon as you can. And you will see that Harry is not a hairdresser but a BARBER, and Charle a has been/ never was actor who helps out around the barber shop as he has no other employment. Harry does not hate his bedridden mother, but loves her deeply and is moved to tears because he can't help hurting her when changing her clothes. You try taking care of an elderly person, I have. It's Charlie's mother who hates him. And motivation? Look for this Harry's self worth is wrapped up in his sex appeal, which was all in his beautiful hair. Hair which fell out overnight, crushing him emotionally. He's now impotent, making Charlie frustrated, and Harry is the only one Charlie wants, Charlie doesn't care about the hair but can't make Harry believe it. Much has been written about the fact that the pair live on a street which dead ends at a grave yard, but dear, we all live on that street. The last image in the film his Harry and Charlie walking together to face a hostile world while Harry's mother looks at them beaming with love for her son and joy that he has a life mate. I am too.