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| Bent | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Sean Mathias |
| Screenplay by | Martin Sherman |
| Based on | Bent by Martin Sherman |
| Produced by | Michael Solinger Dixie Linder Martin Sherman |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | Yorgos Arvanitis |
| Edited by | Isabelle Lorente |
| Music by | Philip Glass |
| Production company | Channel Four Films |
| Distributed by | FilmFour Distributors |
| Release dates |
|
| Running time | 105 minutes |
| Countries | United Kingdom Japan |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $0.5 million |
Bent is a 1997 British-Japanese drama film directed by Sean Mathias, based on the 1979 play of the same name by Martin Sherman, who also wrote the screenplay. It revolves around the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany after the murder of SA leader Ernst Röhm on the Night of the Long Knives.
Plot
Max is a promiscuous gay man living in 1930s Berlin. He is at odds with his wealthy family because of his homosexuality. One evening, much to the resentment of his boyfriend, Rudy, Max brings home a handsome Sturmabteilung (SA) man. Unfortunately, he does so on the Night of the Long Knives, when Adolf Hitler ordered the assassination of upper echelon SA corps. The Sturmabteilung man is discovered and killed by SS men in Max and Rudy's apartment, and the two have to flee Berlin.
Max's Uncle Freddie has organised new papers for Max, but Max refuses to leave his boyfriend behind. As a result, Max and Rudy are found and arrested by the Gestapo and put on a train headed for Dachau. On the train, Rudy is brutally beaten to death by the guards. As Rudy calls out to Max when he is taken away, Max lies to the guards, denying he is gay. In the camp, Max falls in love with Horst, who shows him the dignity that lies in acknowledging one's beliefs. After Horst's death, Max finds the courage to be true to himself and takes his own life.
Cast
- Clive Owen as Max
- Lothaire Bluteau as Horst
- Ian McKellen as Uncle Freddie
- Brian Webber II as Rudy
- Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Wolf
- Mick Jagger as Greta
- Jude Law as Stormtrooper
- Paul Bettany as Captain
- Rachel Weisz as Prostitute
Reception
Critical reception
Bent has an overall approval rating of 72% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 25 reviews, with a weighted average of 6.4/10. The site's consensus reads: "Bent juggles heavy topics with style, though its heavy-handedness at times feels more like exploitation than exploration".
The film grossed $496,059 in the United States and Canada and $46,697 in the United Kingdom
Awards
- 1997: Won Award of the Youth at the Cannes Film Festival
- 1998: Won Best Feature Film in the Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival
References
- ^ "British biz at the box office". Variety. 14 December 1998. p. 72.
- "Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
- Bent at Box Office Mojo
External links
- Bent at IMDb
- Bent at Box Office Mojo
- 1997 films
- 1990s war drama films
- British war drama films
- British LGBTQ-related films
- English-language Japanese films
- Films scored by Philip Glass
- Films directed by Sean Mathias
- LGBTQ-related films based on actual events
- British films based on plays
- Japanese war drama films
- Japanese LGBTQ-related films
- Films about violence against LGBTQ people
- Homophobia in fiction
- Films set in Berlin
- Films set in the 1930s
- Films set in 1934
- Holocaust films
- Films about Nazi Germany
- Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer films
- Film4 Productions films
- 1997 LGBTQ-related films
- Gay-related films
- Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany
- 1997 drama films
- British World War II films
- 1997 directorial debut films
- 1990s English-language films
- 1990s British films
- 1990s Japanese films
- English-language war drama films