Der Sergeant

A real tour de force for Steiger, whose riveting portrayal of an Army sergeant wrestling with his own repressed desires is both realistic and compelling. Another top-notch Steiger character study.

This was shown on TCM (Turner Classic Movies).

Set in a post-war Paris is the sergeant in question, one who has high standards and he believes, high morals. When he takes over a new set of men, they're sloppy, of low morale and in his eyes, weak and lazy.

He is naturally drawn to a young private, played by John Philip Law. Pte Tom Swanson (Law) has a sweet, French girlfriend but Master Sgt Albert Callan (Steiger) isn't interested in her, or women generally. He'd been married before but that fell apart.

Sgt Callan doesn't seem to show signs of his homosexual attraction to Law in the physical sense, but as mentor, friend and drinking buddy. Initially, he enlists him as the regiment's clerk, in effect his personal secretary, though Law tries to resist having to do that sort of work.

It's quite refreshing after all those Vietnam war movies where Sergeants are only shouting sadists, who beat their charges into total mental submission. However, this is not sweet nothings whispered over candle- lit dinners either, Steiger for all intents and purposes is a man's man. One, whom perhaps has lost his purpose, particularly in the Army, where they act now only as peacekeepers.

The film itself is quite slow and methodical and not really for a modern audience. But, for a character-driven drama, with Steiger both convincing and good, it passes muster. The script follows in the same vein as the direction.

It must also have been quite a brave role for Steiger to take as its subject was still taboo, especially in the macho world of the Military and any associations with that taboo could seriously affect an actor's reputation. The fact that Amazon don't list it as a region 2 DVD means that it must be a little-seen rarity. Kind of understandable. But, if you can catch it on TV, it's worth a look, I'd say.

With the close of World War Two, there were many unanswered questions for anyone who lived and worked in Europe. Life as the European faced it was difficult enough and that included the American Soldier. His military role went from active combat to stagnate occupation and that meant dealing with the drudgery of day to day life. It is easy to see the slackness and disorder which follows an occupying army when the main reason for being is removed. Thus viewers are not surprised when veteran Master Sargent Albert Callan (Rod Steiger) arrives at his station and finds a lack-luster supply company in complete disarray. The company commander is a less than inspirational officer who's a mealy mouth alcoholic with no leadership experience. He thus let's the Sargent handle the running of the camp. Soon, the company is brought into disciplinary order with the expertise of the Sargent. But the Sargent himself is troubled as he encounter a handsome young soldier (John Phillip Law) Pfc. Tom Swanson, whom he is attracted to. For Callan, the struggle begins between his repressed desires and the constant need to remain a 'straight' and stalwart military non-commissioned officer. For Steiger, this 1980's vehicle was seen as a scandalous, bold, and provocative movie. Yet for todays more sophisticated audiences, this film lacks direct confrontation between actors, content and message. Still for it's time, this was one surprising milestone in the history of filmdom. ***

I haven't seen "The Sergeant" since its first release more than 30 years ago, and I've been disappointed that it hasn't been made available on VHS or recycled on cable TV. The ending of the movie is a cliche, and an unfortunate one, that likely would anger certain gay interest groups today. Yet I recall this film as one that opened the mind of a young heterosexual male who, until then, had been extremely homophobic. Rod Steiger's performance, as a supermacho soldier who is horrified of his own feelings of attraction to another man, is riveting. The outcome of the film, while dated, reflects the conflict and repression that gay men and women often experienced in our society prior to the advent of enlightenment in the 1970s (and, in the case of gay people in today's U.S. armed forces, still do). For my teenaged mind, it aroused the prospect that ALL human beings have the capacity to be sexually attracted to another person of the same sex, and that such attraction should be accepted and understood, rather than dreaded or shunned. Nothing in my subsequent experience has altered that perception. Despite the cliched ending, this is a film that displays empathy for its tormented lead character and demands that he be understood. It deserves revival.

Cliché? No more than a thousand other films that make melodrama of the agony of unrequited love. What makes the film unique is not just that The Sargeant was "secretly" homosexual, what makes it unique is that he was TOO OLD (and fat!) for Swanson, who was obviously a "hottie", and more likely just plain heterosexual anyway.

It's impossible to watch this film and not be somewhat awed by the performance of Rod Steiger, who doesn't speak a word until ten minutes into the film, but his silent performance at the end still screams in your gut as the closing credits roll.

Did Swanson feel guilty for not helping out the old guy, or just pity because The Sargeant was a pervert? This question is left unanswered at the end of the film. It is as vital and important today as it was when released. It tells a story not only of general attitudes toward homosexuality at the time, but the never-ending story of young men's indifference to the attentions of fat old supervisors.

Seriously, the WB Archive DVD looks very good, but it's easy to see how a full restoration of the film could look exceptionally good. The important thing is that the film not be overlooked because the gay man doesn't get his guy.