Can a Movie Change the Law?

The 1961 film VICTIM isn't just a tense thriller. It was crafted to serve as a stealthy challenge to a British law that criminalized the very existence of homosexuals. It was a law that many had tried - and failed - to overturn. But at the dawn of the swinging sixties, a new challenge emerged. VICTIM brought together an unlikely team of writers, producers, and a matinee idol named Dirk Bogarde with a secret private life. Together, they’d use this movie to take on some of the most powerful figures in the British empire … and confront a moral panic that had gripped England since the reign of Henry the 8th.
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[@zosko1]

Arthur Gore (Lord Arran) who successfully introduces the decriminalisation bill into the house of lords also unsuccessfully fought to end badger culling in the UK. When asked why his effort for homosexual decriminalisation was successful but his effort to stop killing badgers failed, he replied: "There are not many badgers in the House of Lords"

[@NemesisOgreKing]

@.@

[@reelqueerreact]

a BANGER

[@neilgodwin6531]

The days when politicians and peers could not only form coherent sentences but had a sense of humour

[@yorgivon-schmourgeussborgi]

This is funny, because my gay they bff calls the gay male version of a cougar, badgers. Lol

[@zosko1]

@@yorgivon-schmourgeussborgi haha that's a pretty cool coincidence!

[@FreyasArts]

When I outed myself to my grandma, she surprised me by telling how she remembers sitting in on her sister and her sister's fellow law students passionately discussing the best arguments for legalisation of gay people in the 60s in Germany. This especially surprised me since my mom had reacted very negatively to my outing, but my gran got really angry at my mom instead and said she'd protect me against her daughter and should the worst case scenario happen and my mom actually follow through with her threat of throwing me out, I'd always have a place at my grandma's house ❤️

[@liamwinchesterchasten2229]

I'm glad you have your Grandma in your life.

[@brettbarney4927]

It's not often that I get verklempt reading KZbin comments. Thank you for that personal reminder that minds can be changed and that good-hearted allies are scattered among us everywhere.

[@RevShifty]

She sounds like a wonderful woman and an amazing grandmother. I'm glad you had her at a time like that.

[@wereoctopus]

One interesting aspect of Victim you didn't quite touch on is its effective demonstration of intersectionality between class and sexuality. The well-to-do gay characters have the means to pay off the blackmailers, but Barrett (the young working-class man pursued by police at the beginning) has to resort to theft.

[@tarryfingert]

Also; the law wasn't seriouesly considered by politicians until it impacted people they knew (that's flattening the issue significantly) but in that era of British history, politicians were pretty much entirely from the upper classes. The House of Lords certainly was, and to some extent still is.

[@MattBaume]

That's true, there's a class dimension to this film that I think many Americans would miss. It reflects what happened with Montague -- many people looked down on him more for hooking up with a "lower class" person than for being bisexual!

[@wereoctopus]

@@MattBaume you might be right -- I haven't seen Victim yet. My partner told me about it a few years ago, commenting on the class aspect. Also, the mystery of the opening chase sequence, who the 'victim' is and of what crime, was heightened by the film's marketing. In Jenni Olson's _The Queer Movie Poster Book_ (Chronicle Books 2004), she writes: "This lavender-hued campaign offers a brilliant pitch as it appeals to the prurient interests of the general public and manages to insinuate its subject matter… without ever actually saying what the film is about. (A booming voiceover in the film's preview trailer gives us a hint, asking provocatively, "What crime linked an aging hairdresser and a famous star of the theatre?") Note the imprint of Bogarde's grimacing face and the torn effect on the title-both conveying the tortured psychology of the homosexual." The poster reads "A scorching drama of the most *un*-talked-about subject of our time!" (emphasis not added).

[@GillyWhitfootHaysend]

@@tarryfingert and I don't think the Turing Act was mentioned. It was a law passed in the 2010s (?) monetarily compensated any who had suffered police harassment and/or imprisonment.

[@justicefool3942]

6:27 "Homosexuality was ruining British Theater" I literally had to stop the video because I was laughing so hard at such an absurd statement.

[@MrBarneyDinosaur]

All of this water is ruining my local swimming pool.

[@SarastistheSerpent]

Saying homosexuality was ruining theatre is like saying Italians were ruining pizza, or the Japanese were ruining Sushi

[@ThreadBomb]

​@@SarastistheSerpent Also reminiscent of Nazis complaining about Jews in classical music, when many of best musicians and composers were Jewish.

[@frankpeter6851]

I guess they meant that if you remove the lurid pathology aspect from homosexuality, in effect, you ruin the magic trick.

[@littlemiss_76]

I found that was hilarious too. Clearly, they forgot about Shakespeare's time. :D

[@petradonovan5161]

Today is May 8th and Dirk Bogarde died exactly 25 years ago in 1999. He was an astonishingly good actor as evidenced in this movie and many others including my personal favourite, Visconti's Death In Venice. Few people remember or realize that he was knighted in 1992. RIP Sir Dirk Bogarde.

[@Polyphemus47]

"Public opinion in the 1950s was strongly opposed to homosexuals." I know that only too well. I was born in 1947, and began having 'crushes' on boys in my classes in about 3rd grade. Being raised in a Fundamentalist "Christian" environment, I never heard anything but disdain if the subject ever arose among the adults. I didn't screw up the courage to 'come out' until my mid-20s, having escaped the church and my family and living on my own. I've never heard of this film before, so it's quite a revelation. Since you were able to include excerpts, I'm hoping it's available somewhere online.

[@MattBaume]

Yup it's streaming in the US on whatever HBO is called now, and also there's a beautiful Criterion Collection release (a lot of libraries have that version so it's pretty easy to find for free!)

[@lastyeehaw715]

It's also here on KZbin

[@susanmorano405]

I was just gonna say, available here​@@lastyeehaw715

[@tytn9978]

Interesting! I don't think I even heard about "homosexuality" until I was in university in the 1970's, and even then, it was presented as something negative. I do wonder how different MY life might have been had I understood at the time who I was, and had I had the courage to BE who I was. I can't say now that I regret my life, because I have enjoyed being a parent, but I regret not understanding and then not accepting the "inner-me" and I do still wonder what possibilities I have missed out on.

[@missnaomi613]

@@tytn9978 It's never too late. 🙏❤🏳‍🌈

[@OuterGalaxyLounge]

Dirk Bogarde's greatness as an actor is too often ignored. This is a great film and incredibly brave for everyone involved.

[@AndImsomelady-fq6cw]

He is so underrated, at least here in the u.s.

[@flashrobbie]

2 Baftas from 5 nominations and an Outstanding Contribution award, Knighthoods in England and France, 2 Honorary Doctorates, London Film Critics Lifetime Award, British Film Institute Fellowship, first English person to be President of the jury of the Cannes Film Festival.

[@AndImsomelady-fq6cw]

@@flashrobbie that’s good to hear. I had the criterion streaming service and they had a whole collection of his movies. All of them were great.

[@gloriamontgomery6900]

His subtlety was amazing. He could convey so much with just his expressions

[@raymondwolken7975]

This was my favorite film although he’s had many great films. He had a wonderful life amid beautiful people, ❤😊

[@matthewrobinson2172]

My favourite exchange in the film comes between two policemen discussing the law. The younger of the two expresses support for keeping homosexuality banned, whilst the senior of the two expresses how the law creates blackmail victims. “I can see you’re a true puritan” “There’s nothing wrong with that sir” “Of course not. There was a time when that was against the law you know.”

[@mikevale3620]

With age brings wisdom.

[@markastoforoff7838]

Mentioned was Alan Turing, I had never heard of him until the past few years or if I did in school it wasn't mentioned that he was gay nor what happened to him in the aftermath. It's horrible that a man who was so crucial in breaking the Enigma Code and saving countless lives and helping to shorten WW2 was treated in such a fashion for the mere crime of being born not straight.

[@mikeb6389]

Yes, it took a long time for Alan Turing to be posthumously pardoned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 2013.

[@roodbennett]

2013 Geezuz Kriste! How kind of Her Majesty! SERIOUS sarcasm. She could have done so SO MANY YEARS EARLIER!

[@sarahgoldberg6614]

And now the post Brexit student exchange scheme is named after him.

[@RadikAlice]

A sad but poignant example of why the system will always chew you and spit you out, no matter how high on the ladder you are. They'll use whatever excuse is most acceptable

[@omp199]

Not true. Alan Turing was not convicted of the crime of "being born not straight". Being born not straight has never been a crime in the UK (or anywhere else to my knowledge). He was convicted of the crime of "gross indecency". Of course, "gross indecency" should never have been a crime in the first place, but you should really be honest and tell people what he was actually convicted of.

[@tyrant-den884]

in the book Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, it is widely accepted by academics that when Henry's friends bring up his new friend Hyde, whom he is mysteriously giving a lot of money, and ask if he's in any trouble: they are asking if Hyde is lover who is blackmailing him.

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

Something I found interesting because it was the 70s and IIRC made for tv, not movie theatres ,is that in the Jack Palance version of Dr Jekyll and Hyde, Hyde frequents both male and female prostitutes .

[@legendswarble2845]

I remember reading that story and wondering if I was meant to think Hyde was his lover. I thought, for the time, I was perhaps supposed to read it as a secret son, but it just looked like everyone around thought Jekyll was gay or was reacting in shock to discovering it.

[@rickhillbrant7195]

​@@jacquelinecallejas1390y y ft61 ft61 y Hu y Hu hi by by ft61 ft61 ft61 ft hi hi in I b 7B bnat beethoven variations

[@YodaMan.]

"protect the children" mmhmm... hearing that a lot these days too.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

We the general public have memories like goldfish. The good news is that we could just recycle pretty much every progressive film of the past 60 years and possibly have the same effect 👍

[@safiremorningstar]

Yes look at Harry Potter that last book said it all, in the irony is that when she said the Dumbledore was gay all gay people that I knew was like yeah she's saying that there is a gay character in her book wow et cetera et cetera and I said no she's a homophobe and you can tell by the way she's written it. Maybe it's because I am autistic and I pay attention to details very my new details and I didn't like the comments that Snape makes to Dumbledore at all it bothered me to the point where I realized what nobody else was realizing, and when I came in out and said that look she's not pro-gay she's anti-gay and you can tell by this line don't think she's suddenly saying she's pro-gay she's not she's very much not she's a homophobe and nobody would listen to me until about 2 years later when she made a comment and about it the whole thing and came out as being anti gay and one of those very gay people came out to me and said you were right I don't know how we didn't see it and I said I noticed things because at a very young age my father made me realize what prejudice is and how you can tell by what people say and what they don't say. And then that person asked me if I was gay, and I said no I'm not but doesn't mean I'm blind either. I know it's going to say that I edited this but I didn't I can't I use voice to text because my hands do not work so not having been said I wanted to add this little blurb and that is at the time when I was asked I said no I was not because of the fact that I didn't have a term for what I was I would have to wait something like 10 years to find out there was a word for what I was and that word was asexual, up until that time there were at least three boxes you could tick in the 1980s they were just coming out with the third box making it more publicly known that there was such a thing as bisexual but they were still no term for people like me so you have to pick what about you felt most appropriate with. Even if none of the current boxes really fit you. It's what I really liked that animation the point., and why I recommended it.

[@dwa22204]

If you’re not a grooming pervert, you don’t have anything to worry about.

[@meganegan5992]

@@safiremorningstar She never put it in the books explicitly, and again it was only implied when she had a whole movie to spend on that relationship. It was meant for brownie points, not for any genuine exploration of his character. My bet is that 3, 4 years down the road, she'll retcon it again, and he always had a lovely wife and kids juuuuust off-screen.

[@richardlee2642]

Reminiscent of Anita Bryant…

[@CarysCantDance]

It doesn’t surprise me that Richard Attenborough was one of the people who helped make Victim happen. He was a prominent human rights activist and an ally to many communities.

[@gnocchidokie]

Every video of yours ends with me crying in thanks to our badass gay ancestors. I wouldn't have had the courage to star in a gay movie in 2005, let alone 1960. I feel like I owe them a great deal of gratitude, and your videos allow me to do that vicariously through your research and honoring of their work. Thank you.

[@marienbad2]

Thank god I am not the only one who cries at Matt's videos! They are such emotional rollercoasters, but in the end I cry and am happy as well in a way.

[@hotdog1214]

I know how you feel. Matt's videos really delve into gay history in a way that no google or Wikipedia search does, really brings it to life and yes it is very touching to hear about our predecessors and how they paved the way for not only themselves but all of us who followed. I'm with you, in thinking that I wouldn't have the bottle to do as they did, they are indeed worthy of our applause, respect, thanks and some tears; its very humbling.

[@Fuchswinter]

I just came to say this - the world is a scary place even now, but I cannot imagine the joy and rage and relief when those laws were overturned due to these incredible, brave people. We owe them to keep fighting.

[@johnnimbus8761]

Great essay of Victim and the UK laws and the impact on DB's career. A decade later John Hurt made The Naked Civil Servant but his career continued across his life. A sign that change indeed happened.

[@DenkyManner]

He said in interviews he was warned not to do it because of the impact it would have on his career. Thankfully he didn't listen, and that it wasn't at all true

[@geofftayloruk]

Difference being that John Hurt wasn’t Gay irl….

[@ThreadBomb]

@@geofftayloruk OTOH I'd say Naked Civil Servant is a much "queerer" film than Victim. The central character is flamboyantly out, attracted to men, involved in the gay scene and having sex. Extraordinary in a made-for-TV 1975 movie. I hope Matt makes a video on it.

[@frankpeter6851]

​@@ThreadBombit is a very good adaptation

[@neilgodwin6531]

Dirk played a similar character in the adaptation of Mann's Death in Venice

[@BrettWhitmarsh]

Matt, the online library Queer liberation Library just recently featured your book. They’re a fantastic free library for anyone in the US.

[@AlexPeterson-vw8kw]

Hey there

[@zeeaurora6264]

That's beautiful 😢

[@cassylow9418]

I analysed this film for a module at university.... absolute classic and the story was phenomenal....you can imagine that happening in real life....people's lives destroyed because they were trying to hide who they were 😢

[@TheWildwest666]

I'm so hyped for this, baby. Victim is a movie that's stuck with me for a long time and to see someone of Matt's stature cover it is exactly what it deserves.

[@slc2466]

Dirk, who had risen to #1 among British Box Office stars, really was a rock star for daring to do "Victim" (ditto Sylvia Syms for jumping onboard early).

[@benjaminxue4017]

thank you for bringing this gem into modern light. As a country which recently just decriminalised homosexuality (Singapore, in 2023), this hits so many levels. A lot of the same moves and themes were still being felt by the local LGBTQ community as recently in the early 2020s. Thank you Matt.

[@acecat2798]

Congratulations-- I'm sure it's been a hard road. Decriminalization is an incredibly important and difficult step, and I'm so glad for LGBTQ Singaporeans that you made it. I hope that more rights become protected under law, and that public opinion changes as well. Keep up the good fight, and show each other love. It's a long road to liberation.

[@SylviaRustyFae]

I love how so many stories about gay activism start with a woman from an older generation wantin to make a real change to society for the better Its a constant reminder of the fact that things arent so black and white as the generational divide usually makes folks see such things as old ppl and their views; or even the nonqueers and their views... A reminder that no matter who one is that they can make a great change for the better for the rights of others; and also a reminder as to why women are put first in the LGBTQ+ acronym, given all they, esp lesbians durin the aids crisis, did for the betterment of our slice of society Its also a reminder of why intersectional fights for rights are always the best way forward; bcuz we have allies we dont know about in communities we're not in, and siblings as well, no matter what hateful biases may exist that wud stop one seein their own among anothers kind

[@CanelaAguila]

It's somehow easier to stand up for groups that you're not in, because the fight isn't so personal. Before I left Twitter I was happy to see a lot of (mostly straight) men pick up the defense of women in tech, which I am one of. For me as a lesbian woman it is easier to pick up the trans defense. It is very hard to defend your own right to, quite literally in some cases, exist.

[@mikeb6389]

@@CanelaAguila Yes, it took a long time for Alan Turing to be posthumously pardoned by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth in 2013.

[@mikeb6389]

Oops, sorry wrong thread. YT won’t let iOS Safari edit or delete my comment.

[@HighHolyOne]

​@@mikeb6389 Quite apropos!

[@WinstonSmithGPT]

What the fuck are you on about? You know zero about actual history. Zero.

[@y_fam_goeglyd]

Dirk Bogarde has long been one of my heroes. (I'm a straight female, but have been an ally for 40 or so years, since I was a late teen. Turns out two of my 4 kids are part of the LGBTQIA+ community, as are any number of all my kids' friends.) He was an outstanding actor, but his whole life was fascinating and in many cases, heroic. And let's be honest, to an innocent teen who had no clue about homosexuality, he was simply _gorgeous._ 😂 This is an excellent film - and an excellent story told by you, Matt, so thank you. You mentioned Polari a few times, and as an amateur linguist, it's a subject which has long fascinated me. Back in the 1950-60s (a bit before my time! Thank the gods for repeats in a sort of "golden oldies" dedicated channel), there were two BBC radio shows; Beyond Our Ken, and Round the Horne. Kenneth Horne being the titular host. In them they had two regular characters, played by Kenneth Williams & Hugh Paddick (whose openly gay relative, Brian Paddick, became Deputy Assistant Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police); Rodney & Charles, and later Julian & Sandy (Rodney & Sandy were Williams' characters), a pair of extremely funny men in both shows. It wasn't so obvious in the R&C sketches, but frankly Julian & Sandy were outrageously camp and used Polari. On the BBC, when being gay was still illegal! Talk about balls... AFAIK the writers were straight but very sympathetic. Being a comedy show they naturally had many jokes aimed at them, but they had equal opportunity to turn the tables. The writers got pilloried by the cast most weeks 😅. What is really funny - when you know what is _actually_ being said - is that the audience found the strange way of them speaking to be hilarious. While those who know Polari realise that the actual jokes were going straight over the audience's heads! I won't go on, but if you want a subject (for which you'll probably need an older gay Brit to explain the cultural references - not pop culture, but national) to sink your teeth into, I can't recommend these shows enough. (RTH came on basically like the next season of BOK, with some similar but different characters such as the aforementioned.) Though you might want to centre it around Kenneth Horne, despite him being straight. He was _very_ protective of the whole cast, and Kenneth Williams in particular, saw him as a father figure when he (though certainly out to some if not all the regular cast) was deeply in the closet. His story is utterly heartbreaking at times. So much for me not going on. Thanks again and at least read the Wikipedia articles. I've got Williams' authorized biography, Born Brilliant, and it's a hell of a read at times.

[@AndyG13GLA]

It would be brilliant if Matt researched “Round The Horne” & “Beyond Our Ken”. I’ve got many of them recorded on old reel to reel, some on cassette tape & even CD. Some of the “Julian & Sandy” sketches are even available on Spotify where the actors camp it up & use Polari. It might be a struggle for Matt, Americans & even younger Brits or English speakers to get to grips with Polari & why it was so important a part of communication between gays when being gay was illegal. Whilst I’m of an age where the age of consent was 21, older gay people passed on this cultural history to us younger gays. It was decades before the law decriminalised being gay & finally allowed gay marriage. Until then many gay people didn’t have the equivalent rights of heterosexual couples in many areas from property rights, pension rights, medical rights for information relating to their partners, & many other areas. Hopefully Matt will look into the cultural importance of RTH, BOK & Julian & Sandy. It could make an interesting show.

[@stephenpalmer9375]

@@AndyG13GLA I 100% agree. There was always a tacit secret understanding between the British public and gay stars - Kenneth Williams, Charles Hawtrey, Freddie Mercury, Frankie Howerd, Paul O'Grady, Eddie Izzard, Stephen Fry, Graham Chapman (of Monty Python), Julian Clary - to name a few - all seem to have been accepted, or actually taken to the very heart of the nation... despite the prevailing nature of 'public opinion'

[@marienbad2]

@@AndyG13GLAYou can get a torrent of all the Julian and Sandy sketches if you know where to look.

[@marienbad2]

"Oh hello, I'm Julian and this is my friend Sandy" I think the audience knew. They were out of work "actors" who set up random businesses always called Bona something. The audience knew they were really a gay couple, it was pretty blatant for the time. There was an interview with the guy who was head of bbc radio comedy at the time and he was asked about it. They said did he know they were gay and was it right for them to "promote" it. He said it was funny, and his job was to put on funny stuff, so he left it on as he found it funny. I agree when you say "talk about balls." Seriously that is some big pair to do something like this. WIlliams was a master of Polari as well, he was fluent!

[@MJBiddy1]

Was lucky enough to see Victim on the big screen at the BFI one pride season. My then gf and I gained a catchphrase from it and recommended our friends to watch.

[@TheWildwest666]

What's the catchphrase?

[@stregalilith]

It wasn’t until the 1980s when so many gay men in the film industry had died that many people first became aware of the fact that so many of their beloved films were created-written, directed, choreographed, acted, edited-by gay men and that the locations and scenes where they were played out and brought to life by gay production designers and crafts people. Without gay people and gay culture it would be a gray colorless humorless and heartless world❤️🥀😢👏

[@AndImsomelady-fq6cw]

It would be a hot mess of uninspired John Wayne movies.

[@euansmith3699]

@@AndImsomelady-fq6cwJust a bunch of chaps in chaps? 🤔

[@dickpiper5339]

​@AndImsomelady-fq6cw John Wayne was a coward who refused to fight in WWII claiming he had a family to support. A family he actually abandoned while having an affair with a woman from Mexico. He also lied to gat out of a second military call

[@hank0365]

"Gay culture" is a sharp knife that slices apart a mixed fruit pie.

[@KnightsAndDarths]

"I WANTED him!" Ooh Daddy that's passion 🔥

[@colinneagle4495]

It's beyond me why anyone would turn to Henry the Eighth of all people for moral leadership in determining appropriate romantic relationships, but what do I know

[@neilgodwin6531]

In those days the King WAS the law. No one 'turned to him'

[@colinneagle4495]

@@neilgodwin6531 Does someone need to explain to you what jokes are?

[@sodadrinker89]

It's also funny the church he founded didn't allow divorce for a very long time.

[@CareelBay]

@@colinneagle4495🤭🤭🤭

[@QPRTokyo]

@@sodadrinker89 Remember Henry VIII was Anglo Catholic. He was just following the Roman Catholics.

[@euansmith3699]

Dirk Bogarde *AND* Dennis Price; truly a film blessed by the casting gods. Thanks for another great video, Matt; you are a real treasure.

[@neilgodwin6531]

And Sims, Attenborough, and a host of great (and already well known) character actors like Norman Bird. Incidentally, Hermione Baddeley was the sister of Angela, loved by millions as Mrs. Bridges, the cook in Upstairs Downstairs for so many years

[@lizzieallen2284]

Syms @@neilgodwin6531

[@ethanhorn6093]

Ah yes, another Matt Baume video to make myself cry over... wonderful. In this installment you got me with in the first five minutes...

[@marienbad2]

He suckers us in and then, bam! your crying your damn eyes out! He is such a great presenter and his videos hit hard. He has such a great way of discussing and describing things that you can't stop watching even as the tears run down your face!

[@gerardmackay8909]

I thought it was just me. I could weep for those persecuted men from Alan Turing all the way back to Oscar Wilde. Matt is a quite brilliant presenter.

[@AlexPeterson-vw8kw]

Hello

[@lyylski]

It's actually interesting it's taken this long to talk about Bogarde. I would actually enjoy a full length video of his career since despite being a bit of a lower profile later on, he still had some great performances like the one in The Night Porter and the villain in Modesty Blaise.

[@wookong1723]

!! The Servant as well! It even got him a BAFTA nomination so I don't think Victim hurt his career that much in the end haha. Not to mention he served as Jury President at Cannes as well.

[@robertwilloughby8050]

Accident was very good (if a bit arch) as well, in fact it's a bit of a favourite of mine. Bogarde is excellent in that picture.

[@neilgodwin6531]

Death in Venice is a good adaptation of the novel, I studied it for A level German and our teachers took us to the cinema to watch it. Bogarde is stunning as the aging vonAschenbach

[@fruzsimih7214]

Bogarde played his best roles after Victim.

[@acecat2798]

I just saw Modesty Blaise for the first time! Now that's an LGBT movie. (A mixed bag, but one that feels like it's for LGBT people first and foremost). Bogarde-as-Gabriel is my favorite.

[@nononame113]

Victim is a superb film. I think sometimes it's underappreciated because it gets seen as a 'film about an issue'. It's brilliantly written and acted, and Bogarde is outstanding in his portrayal of a man living a double life. It should make any list of 100 best films.

[@Serai3]

Hey, Midnight Express brought two countries to the diplomatic table. No reason this film couldn't change the law. Art can do a lot!

[@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311]

For a really long time, my favourite film! Going round the mill grind with the Englishman "Oxford was my alma mater", the Swedish guy offering to soap him up in the shower and the blind fury with Rifki who sneaked on him for having contraband cos he was jealous! The denouement with the commandant who had got his belt out to deliver a thrashing and ended up impaled on the coat hook..... The years of corrupt, dragging Turkish justice and that filthy prison and its inmates was a TRULY gripping ride from the tense opening scenes at the airport, the shyster lawyer with his beads and fly swatter, the sclerotic judge bemoaning his "hands are tied by Ankara" - and who can forget John Hurt as the heroin addicted long term resident - right through to him walking out in the prison guard uniform. Christ it still gives me chills, truly dramatic, dark, sexually charged, could have happened to anyone type thing..... Saw it over and over!🙂🔥❤

[@otsoko66]

@@mrkiplingreallywasanexceed8311 Although in real life (it was 'based on a true story'), he DID have an affair with the Swedish guy, and did not kill the commandant. It was a classic example of straight-washing a story.

[@algiles881]

I have noticed throughout the years that the first victim in Victim, is Peter McEnery who played Barrett (still alive as I write in April 2024). He was 20 when the film was made, and straight. He gives a very sympathetic performance. It is never explained, the nature of the friendship between Barrett and his friend, who was with his wife in the shop doorway. Why was the wife so bitter?. Had the two men been more than friends?. One of the things that bothered me when I first saw it, was how he, Donald Churchill, who played Barrett's room-mate who works for the London Underground, and to a degree, Charles Lloyd Pack, who played Henry the hairdresser, are treated more or less as underlings - the room-mate is instructed by Farr to find somebody else who is being blackmailed. We never learn Barrett's forename (he is known as Boy Barrett by some friends), but Farr forever refers to him as "Barrett" . Interestingly, Dirk Bogarde always referred to Tony Forward as "Forward". Surely you would call Barrett by his first name if only once?. I had the uncomfortable feeling Janet Greene was more interested in the barristers, the actors, the aristocrats than the "ordinary" men, who were treated much more harshly in real life. In the Montague case six years earlier everyone knows the names of Montagu, Peter Wildeblood and a minor member of the landed gentry, Michael Pitt-Rivers, but how many people know that the names of the two RAF (airmen) were Edward McNally and Jonny Roberts?. They are just forgotten victims, deemed not as "important" as those with a position in society. Eddie & Jonny disappeared from view. It is just about possible one or either both are still alive though they would now be in their 90s.

[@elvisneedsboats3714]

“What’s it matter to you?” There’s not much more to say, is there.

[@marysue7165]

I've been saying the same words over our current craziness on the topic of abortion. I can't understand their desire to control everyone's genitals

[@omp199]

@@marysue7165 Then you are simply being dishonest. Why is that? Are you so certain that your position is wrong that you feel the need to lie in order to defend it?

[@wookong1723]

Terence Davies too was deeply impacted by this film and wrote about Dirk Bogarde's performance in the film as being a turning point for British Cinema as a whole and I couldn't agree more. Speaking of, would love to see something from you on the extensive filmography of Davies! What a wonderful director, what a massive loss for the world.

[@dudleydiehl6850]

Wow, I had never heard about this movie, and your broadcast tells a story that far precedes Stonewall. Thank you very much for your in-depth reporting. We all walk on the trials of so many that precede us and cleared a path that while it seemed treacherous to us, it was so much more open to our fresh footprints.

[@Bazroshan]

There is a moment when Mel's (Bogarde's) clerk says 'I have never doubted your integrity and I see no reason to doubt it now' or words to that effect, I burst into tears at that moment because of the simplicity of the clerk's response. This calm, rational response is the opposite of the emotional, horrified response of the newspaper-reading public.

[@Rockpirate101]

My goodness this is important work. You’re giving us back our voice after years of queer silencing and being swept under the rug. Thank you ❤

[@MaryMoodymegumimom]

Well done, Matt. I'm really happy that you covered Victim. It was one of the movies that helped my dad understand me.

[@jamesryan360]

Turned this vid off after a couple of minutes and immediately tracked the movie down on yt. Great stuff cheers. I'll watch the rest of yours when it's over (25 minutes to go)

[@MattBaume]

Aw that's awesome, Victim kind of fell off the radar over the decades, so I'm glad to shine a spotlight on it!

[@jamesryan360]

@MattBaume I'd never heard of it. I love discovering old movies. I've always been an outsider and loner myself, guess that's why I love this channel bro. I think I've watched all your videos so far. And it helps that u seem to be the coolest dude in the world(haha ok that's enough ass kissing, I just love the content on this channel

[@binkle76]

Great video, Matt. Some lawmakers in FL could learn a lesson from this movie...

[@t.p.mckenna]

I always counsel that major societal changes cannot be attributed to one-off events. Nothing was going to change until Wolfenden's report - advocating the decriminanlisation of homosexaul acts - and even then, it would be not be till eleven years later that legislation was passed to make that happen, and even then even then, only in England & Wales. Scotland and Northern Ireland having to wait till much later.

[@omp199]

It's sad how far one has to scroll through comments to find people who know what they are talking about! Thanks for this comment. According to the UK Parliament website, though, Wolfenden's report was published on 5th September 1957, and the Sexual Offences Act received Royal Assent on 21st July 1967. So, just under ten years!

[@t.p.mckenna]

@@omp199 I stand corrected there as I've rounded up somewhat, but my overall point stands. The Wolfenden process started back in 1954. Decriminalisation, what's more, only came by the narrowest of definitions - no more than two males 'at it' - in private. I can't remember the exact wording, but I'm sure the expectation was the bedroom, lest a couple start getting it on in the kitchen. What if the gas man came in to read the meter. What indeed!! Then there was all the police intimidation of the bars and cruising spots. I wasn't cautioned once as last as 2003! As I say, change comes mighty slowly which is why I'll always pipe up when someone says 'this is the X which changed everything'.

[@cerysfrost3215]

@@omp199 21st July is my birthday, and I never knew that. Section 28 (banning local authorities in the UK "promoting homosexuality") was repealed in Scotland in 2000 and England in 2003, which I find shockingly late.

[@jonatantomaz7058]

I just watched the movie. It's a masterpiece!!! Thank you for sharing all this content. Made me think about all the other places where those laws still exist

[@darrensellers]

Brilliant video. As a UK viewer loved the UK content. I also loved the Golden Girls video you did, one of my favourites.

[@AndImsomelady-fq6cw]

You Brits were years ahead of the us in lots of social issues. Hell MTV banned a queen video in the late 80s because they were wearing dresses.

[@dwdei8815]

Superb talk, sir! Really opened my eyes to just how brilliantly conceived the film was - I owe it thanks. My memory of it when it came onto BBC1 was dad, who was a huge Bogarde fan, switching the TV off after the word "homosexuality" was used.

[@alexander3699]

Thanks so much, Matt for covering this gem of a film! It’s been part of my movie library and the commentary provided further its legacy and awareness for others to see!

[@PosthumousAddress]

I was *so* hoping you'd mention Wolfenden, because it meant you really had carefully researched the era and the politics of it. Great video as always

[@JordyBoothy]

As a filmmaker/animator it's really empowering to hear how fiction has been a force for real social change. Great video as always!

[@KravKernow]

I didn't know she also did Sapphire. That's such a great film too.

[@LavenderLinguist]

My graduation gift was a framed print of the Wolfendon Report translated into Polari. Thank you Matt, for shedding light on a part of my country's queer history I hadn't heard of before. It filled me with pride to see the poster you flashed up at 35:31 was for a meeting to change the law in Deansgate, Manchester - the city I was born in, and the part of it where I now live

[@garykelly6669]

" Victim " appears very dated in Today's society, but it was groundbreaking in its day ,Dirk Bogarde who played the lead found he was no longer offered the tough guy roles he got before this film , British society in the 1960s was changing and as well as the decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales ( gay men Scotland and Northern Ireland had to wait two more decades for change ) the new Government also changed the law on contraception and abortion and abolished the death penalty, it was definitely a time of great change

[@susanmorano405]

I love that movie. When Dirk Bogarde loses it with his wife -- superb acting, totally believable breakdown.

[@LydiaKrow]

I just love these in-depth examinations of movies! I especially love the way you introduced this and build the same suspense the filmmakers wanted you to feel - very clever!

[@jeffwatkins352]

Excellent video, and Victim richly deserves special attention, especially since so few gay people today would be aware of it without your spotlight on it. One thing I especially like about the film is how, thanks to the clever writing, it starts out seeming like a standard crime drama which, as you say, casts the young man very much in the role of Psycho's Marion Crane, the detective's reveal of the film's core issue with its own punch resembling Hitchcock's shower scene. BTW, for those of us who are older but not quite that old, Dirk Bogard came to our attention thanks to his films after Victim: Modesty Blaise, The Servant, Accident, Death in Venice, and so on. Victim didn't by any means ruin him for us.

[@cuppapablo]

Sorry I missed the KZbin pre-show. I had caught a case of the gay. Not only was it well acted and written, but so beautifully shot. My god the camera work and lighting.

[@CareelBay]

“a case of the gay”?! And what do you do to treat that then?! 😉 🤭

[@ianfoster6601]

Damn, mate. I've been enjoying your channel for a while now, but this is the first one that's made me cry. Excellent work, mate.

[@phalseyv]

Thank you so much for spotlighting this film! I fell in love with Victim when I first saw it a few years ago but I haven’t been able to find much discussion about it on the internet. Your videos are always fantastic, so entertaining and well-researched and I’m so glad you’re calling attention to this very compelling and historically important film.

[@barbraseville8984]

This is a beautiful story. Thank you for your diligence and dedication to preserve these stories!

[@lukemauerman3734]

Great video, Matt. I remember seeing "Victim" on TCM a few years back; knew it was bold but didn't think about the ground-breaking risks they were taking. But I do remember realising that blackmail back then must have been a horrible and constant danger

[@markmh835]

What an enjoyable coincidence. Just last week I dusted off my VHS copy of "Victim" (and the VCR for that matter) to watch it for the first time in a few years. And then you step forward with this in-depth history and analysis. God bless you! You made an already great movie even better. A remarkable and important film! 😊👍❤🌈

[@72PRODIGALSON]

YES!!!!!!!!! Another Matt Baume video! These are ALWAYS great! Thanks, Matt! We appreciate all your hard work!

[@mr.harrison817]

Such a fantastic video essay, Matt. Always so informative, well researched and entertaining. Thanks for covering a British perspective too!

[@wwh484]

Have gone back to this film over and over again since discovering it more than 30 years ago. Still amazed it was made in 1961. Upon viewing your piece, ordered your British Board of Film Censors t-shirt IMMEDIATELY. Thanks!

[@myrrhis01]

The amount of learning I am taking away from this . . . Amazing! Thank you so much!

[@kassemir]

It's actually wild that this law was on the book all the way in to 1978. Like, that means there are like lots, and lots of gay people who are still alive today who was at one time or another imprisoned. Actually pretty scary. I also feel like some sort of reparations would have been just, as going to prison for years will absolutely wreck your life, both socially and financially.

[@itsgonnabeanaurfromme]

Gay people are being murdered for being gay in countries like mine today. You guys need to remember that civil rights aren't as advanced as in your countries

[@wereoctopus]

Here in Australia, decriminalisation happened state-by-state, starting with South Australia in 1975 and ending with Tasmania in **1997**. I don't know what typical sentencing was like though. In the United States, 14 states still had sodomy laws in force until 2003, when the Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional in Lawrence v. Texas. 12 of them still haven't actually repealed said laws.

[@neilgodwin6531]

Until I was 11, in 1967, it was illegal to be gay. Full repeal of anti gay law came gradually. The age of consent was 21 until much later. At 19, I technically broke the law or my 21 year old partner did. The age was reduced to 18, then the Labour government finally equalised the age of consent at 16 at the turn of the millennium

[@wereoctopus]

@@neilgodwin6531 yeah, in my state of NSW, homosexuality was decriminalised in 1984 (a few years before I was born) but it took until 2003 for age of consent to be equalised (to 16, from 18). At the time, NSW had no exception for partners close in age, though that would likely affect sentencing, and/or police discretion in choosing whether to lay charges in the first place. Additionally, it wasn't until 2014 that people in NSW with historical anti-homosexual convictions could get them expunged.

[@okamiseven]

Texas had sodomy laws until 2003

[@fanorama1]

Such a groundbreaking film. Dirk was brave to tackle this role at the time.

[@yuckmouth]

Excellent work, Matt Baume. Well done! I thank you and your co-workers for all the great work you're doing.

[@TheRedheadSam]

MATT BAUME VIDEO ABOUT VICTIM?????? yesssssssss a classic.

[@ciaran3207]

Another amazing retrospective Matt. Thanks for doing these. So interesting and important to see the work done by a brave few to contribute to the freedoms we enjoy today. Appreciate your hard work.

[@albertmarnell9976]

Beyond well done Matt Baume and crew! Thank you!

[@marytaylor9398]

I'm straight and I absolutely love your series Matt! This video in particular is very touching. I love Victor/Victoria and To Wong Foo. Will you ever do a video on those films?

[@Ggnmgjhg]

Victor Victoria, YES!

[@caranook]

Victor Victoria is one of my all time favourite films, I need matt to cover it!

[@lastyeehaw715]

I think he already did a video of Wong Foo some years ago!

[@marytaylor9398]

@@lastyeehaw715 I thought he did too, but I can't find it anywhere.

[@lastyeehaw715]

@marytaylor9398 Never mind, I was thinking of his video on Priscilla Queen of the Desert. In which case: seconded! A To Wong Foo video would be cool

[@EveEsquire]

Absolutely brilliant! The fact England said “homosexual” before the US in 1964 in THE BEST MAN is eye opening and a revelation of our own repression.

[@queenannsrevenge100]

Britain ended legal slavery before the U.S. did, and even enabled gay marriage before the U.S. - so them having another freedom first like homosexuals openly in films is not surprising. The only thing the U.S. DID get to first was women's sufferage. 😆

[@gerardmackay8909]

The first time a man was referred to as ‘gay’ on US mainstream TV was the Mary Tyler Moore show around 1970/71. Rhoda is telling her mother on the phone her new male neighbour isn’t dating material. She lists several reasons and her mother dismisses them all till finally an exasperated Rhoda shouts ‘MOM he’s GAY!!!’ This was filmed before a live audience and the shocked gasps and screams were incredible.

[@garycolton6522]

Victim is a very bold and daring movie….excellent!.

[@zetacrucis681]

Thank you for making this video. I didn't know about this film. Alan Turing, genius, my heart cries out for you. Unforgivable.

[@IAmAnAlbatross]

John Trevelyan was descended from Charles Trevelyan, the British politician who was responsible for the British response to the Irish famine in the 1840's; which was to let people die of starvation 7:44

[@jamesclifford189]

After hearing his name I wondered if there was a connection to that swine from Irish history. He gets a mention in the Irish folk song "The fields of Athenry"

[@caranook]

I knew I recognised his name! I’m Irish, and in school here we learn a shit ton about the famine. Like we used to hate it, every year we would repeat the topic. Our books were always very critical of the wealthy English people who allowed it to happen, and Charles Trevelyan is infamous to anyone who remembers their history lessons.

[@davidlloyd7597]

He also gained a reputation later for being somewhat liberal. His successor was chosen to counteract the more permissive tone it was thought he brought to the office.

[@nicholaspjames]

Brilliant explanation of this film and the huge impact it had. Thank you Matt Baume.

[@ireallydidntwanttomakeanac575]

I do hope that there is more British Media coverage coming on this channel, there is a whole lot to say about it.

[@zoinomiko]

I had to stop watching halfway through this and go find the movie. What an incredible, masterful piece of work, and not only for its impact. Thank you for this insightful look into such an important piece of media. ~excited new subscriber

[@user-fc7is6jo2e]

Thank you for making and sharing this very important topic.

[@jvar_DC09]

Bravo, Matt 👏👏👏 SN: If there was anything positive that came out of the JS plagiarism mess, it was the exposure to simply beautiful and authentic content from creators such as you ❤

[@ReddNSlymmProductions]

What a refreshing video! I am completely new to "VICTIM" and is now on a must watch list, thank you for bringing this to light, Matt :)

[@TheLovelyTraveler]

Thank you for the work you do Matt. Your essays are incredibly well researched, your scripts and presentation engaging and entertaining and your production value is superb. I'm always excited to see you've posted a new video. Thanks again and keep up the great work!

[@tiago161]

Your commentary is brilliant. Thank you!

[@jennifer7685]

Terrific essay, thank you

[@zopizopi5054]

I hadn't heard about this film. Thanks so very much for a very interesting and informative video.

[@tomlidot4871]

Didn't this hit the spot! What a great piece. I never knew about this film nor it's impact. Thanks Matt.

[@samgradyfilm]

Oh this is great. Always enjoy your work. That Paul Lynd retrospective was fascinating. Great channel!

[@sep.s]

Thank you for the captions ❤

[@reymark-ub6is]

I really enjoy your videos. Wonderful research and always an engaging presentation. Congratulations.

[@AammaK]

Absolutely fascinating! One of the symptoms of the erasure of our history is that still today even people my age (elder gen z) have internalize the idea fed to us implicitly in our education that until our days Queer history is completely obscured and hypothetical. Even when the information and documentation is out there, it's not - until now - anything that would have naturally transferred to us from our communities. It's like each generation has had to fight the same basic battle for justification (though always in a whole new context) because the knowledge of our wins has been kept from us. I'm not saying there havent been communities of Queer people with traditional knowledge over a while, but it's not like young people outside cities (or outside the anglosphere for example) have any access to tab into it. Learning concrete cases of our history, especially the wins besides the countless losses, is a powerful weapon against the erasure; the basic narrative about practically any previous historical context up until the last few generations, that "gay sin, gay illegal, therefore no gays" - so no Queer history worth teaching or referring to, and daring to do just that is simply spreading an agenda or historical revisionism. This is of course also a residual from the idea that teaching our existence is infectious and immoral in the first place. There's an enforced, deliberate disconnect, so seeing our rights being fought for, hearing about real people, the connections they formed and how their lives were affected by the forms in which demonization and persecution took place in each era is immensely touching.

[@jayfrank1913]

Thanks for another great production, Matt! It's always worth the wait.

[@jaredbaratta8589]

Look at the way England fucked over Alan Turing. THE IMITATION GAME should be your next review.

[@darrensellers]

Speak to Dermot Turing on camera about Alan Turin, he researched him for his book on him and gives great insight.

[@avi111986]

That's a good idea. Seconded!

[@flashrobbie]

he should but should mention the petition, pardon, apology, Alan Turing Law which retrospectively pardons men previously prosecuted, Alan Turing Year, Alan Turing Day, the statues, stamps and coins - all of which happened before the movie. And he should speak to John Graham-Cunningham who started that petition.

[@douglasjohnson4382]

That movie is largely fictional.

[@neilgodwin6531]

​@@flashrobbieIt should not have been a pardon, that implies guilt. They broke the law in the same way Schindler broke the law. It was a bad law, victims should have been totally exonerated. That said, Gordon Brown put Turing on a banknote, and streets have been renamed after him

[@epg644]

It on MAX presently. Fantastic film. See it. And another great treatment by Matt Baume!

[@ChicaG-vg7pj]

Fascinating video! TY for featuring the movie, one I'd never heard of before.

[@stevenbarton989]

Excellent analysis Matt!

[@lordsxman]

Another wonderful video Matt. I love your work. 👍

[@davidfisher6528]

I love your content, and this, I did not know even existed. Thank you for showing it. Our arms are forever wrapped around you here in Kennewick Washington, Washington state on the mighty Columbia river.

[@seamanjack2448]

Congratulations on a terrific and revealing program. Thanks.

[@keithmockett3810]

Matt Love your videos! This one in particular had me in tears! Cheers Chum! xxx

[@outtagoodnamesdangit]

Great video. Let's hope we see more brave creators now when we need them.

[@fred2310]

Fantastic video, thank you for your work to share this film's story

[@Popcultureguy3000]

I SAW THIS MOVIE ON TCM!! It hasn’t been the same after Zaslav came fully to power and the TCM Underground block was killed.