Interesting timing, showing this on TCM as the US Congress is supposed to be having hearings on repealing Don't Ask Don't Tell right about now.
I didn't find this film to be particularly good. The title character was kind of a cardboard caricature (suggestive bottle rubbing? hot dogs? really?) and you never get into his mind at all except for the black and white. The Sergeant in The Sergeant is basically The Thing in the The Thing. What a missed opportunity.
The parallels between the army preventing the Sergeant from openly acting on his desires, and the Sergeant trying to do the same to Swanson were probably lost on most viewers (including myself until now). I wish that angle had been examined a bit more.
I think the overall pacing was too slow for today's audiences. Gay people aren't some shocking secret to be discovered or pitied any more. Being admired by a gay man isn't the horror it might have seemed decades ago. But it's an interesting peek into an unpleasant history, and does still have something to say about sexual harassment and the abuse of power in the military.
I think this film would be a good companion to the 2009 documentary Outrage, which isn't about the military, but does get a bit more into the mindset of closeted conservative gay people in power. When you force people to hide their true selves, it shouldn't be surprising they act out in inappropriate ways.
Also, the 2003 TV movie Soldier's Girl, based on a true story, tackles anti-gay violence in the military. Yossi & Jagger from 2002 covers a more welcome relationship between one officer and his commanding officer.
I didn't find this film to be particularly good. The title character was kind of a cardboard caricature (suggestive bottle rubbing? hot dogs? really?) and you never get into his mind at all except for the black and white. The Sergeant in The Sergeant is basically The Thing in the The Thing. What a missed opportunity.
The parallels between the army preventing the Sergeant from openly acting on his desires, and the Sergeant trying to do the same to Swanson were probably lost on most viewers (including myself until now). I wish that angle had been examined a bit more.
I think the overall pacing was too slow for today's audiences. Gay people aren't some shocking secret to be discovered or pitied any more. Being admired by a gay man isn't the horror it might have seemed decades ago. But it's an interesting peek into an unpleasant history, and does still have something to say about sexual harassment and the abuse of power in the military.
I think this film would be a good companion to the 2009 documentary Outrage, which isn't about the military, but does get a bit more into the mindset of closeted conservative gay people in power. When you force people to hide their true selves, it shouldn't be surprising they act out in inappropriate ways.
Also, the 2003 TV movie Soldier's Girl, based on a true story, tackles anti-gay violence in the military. Yossi & Jagger from 2002 covers a more welcome relationship between one officer and his commanding officer.