Word: bents
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...film's acting is generally above average; unfortunately, that's not quite enough to make things work in a film so character-oriented as Bent. Owen's Max is conventionally handsome and is good at looking worried, but he doesn't quite succeed in letting us see into his inner world. It doesn't help that the chemistry between him and his first lover, Rudy, is almost nonexistent. Webber as Rudy exaggerates the younger man's submissiveness to the point that the character becomes almost infantile--while we sympathize with his helplessness, he's petulant enough to alienate the audience...
...would be unfair to suggest that this adaptation of Bent is a total failure--its ambitiousness and intrinsically powerful subject matter aside, there are a number of marvelous moments in the film. The opening sequence, which captures the sensual decadence of a gay Berlin cabaret of the 1930s, is almost worth the admission price by itself. Titillating and visually gorgeous, it's heightened by an unexpected cameo: Mick Jagger, startlingly in his element as nightclub owner Greta (a.k.a. George), performs a throaty torch song in full drag whilst suspended on a platform from the ceiling, in a menacingly campy turn...
...McKellan, who originated the role of Max 20 years ago in the stage premier of Bent that won him an Olivier, is luminous in a later cameo as Max's Uncle Freddie. Freddie is a "fluff" like Max, but he's one who has chosen to play it safe by repressing his desires. And, fortunately, several of the play's most powerfully written moments have translated well to film. Especially remarkable is a pivotal scene in Dachau in which Max and Horst, forbidden to touch and kept under the ever-vigilant eye of their guard, make love to each other...
...moments like this in which the characters of Bent almost connect with each other and with the audience, and we are able to see what the film could have become in the hands of actors better suited to their roles and to one another. Unfortunately, the bulk of the movie is weighed down both by the actors' slightly unsympathetic characterizations and by its sluggish pacing...
...Bent's cumulative effect is an extremely heavy, painful and unhappy one. For those who feel that this is an appropriate effect for a film that chronicles atrocity, it will undoubtedly be a fulfilling experience. But those who prefer to be entertained as they are educated may find something lacking. In the end, for better or for worse, it's hard to imagine a more depressing way to spend two hours...