The 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.

After wanting to see this film for a long time, I finally tracked down a VHS copy taped off TV in Philadelphia (I found the copy in California). The performances are very good. And it's well made, until it gets close to THE BIG MOMENT, and then the editing goes awry, as if studio executives had gotten nervous about the subject matter and deleted whole sections, so that the time line of the behavior of the title character - played by Rod Steiger - is all off. One minute he's telling John Philip Law to get lost; the next minute he wants him near. I know people change their minds, and LOSE them when they're obsessive, but it feels choppy here, and glaring. And between THE BIG MOMENT and the denouement there is an odd black and white montage that seems to be some kind of memory device (could the copy I saw be missing something?), so that seemed like another obvious studio error. Still, the movie is worthing seeing and should be on a double bill with "Reflections In A Golden Eye," another well made, failed film from around the same time and on the same subject (repressed, lonely, older, closeted military man fascinated by a handsome younger guy).

With the current debate over gays and lesbians serving in the military this 1968 film The Sergeant has a relevance undreamed of by the people who made this film a year before the Stonewall Rebellion.

Rod Steiger gives a brilliant performance as the tortured, self loathing, latently gay non-commissioned officer with whom the psychological bubble finally bursts. Steiger is a master sergeant assigned to a construction battalion in France. He's a professional soldier through and through and does take a rather lax company and whips into some kind of shape. Still there's an uneasiness to him that the men can't figure out. It isn't even on their radar screens, a gay man in the military just didn't compute back then.

It computes least of all to Private John Philip Law whose company Steiger seems to crave incessantly. The fact that Law is seeing local French girl Ludmila Mikael doesn't make any difference, Steiger intrudes on their relationship even more as it gets more serious between Law and Mikael.

It all breaks out in a devastating and dramatic climax where Steiger bursts forth from the latent closet. I assure you that you will not forget it once you've Steiger's self destruction.

In the time Steiger was brought up being gay was the most loathsome thing there was. Brokeback Mountain covered the same things and Steiger did not even have an idyllic summer to look forward to as did Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal. Another military film that covered latent homosexuality was Reflections In A Golden Eye where Marlon Brando as an officer was crushing out on a private in his company played by Robert Forster. That however was only one of many issues covered in that film, whereas this is the central and only theme of The Sergeant.

For those interested in gays in the military I would commend you reading Nigel Hamilton's book on the life of Field Marshal Sir Bernard L. Montgomery. Although it's a small part of the story, Hamilton attributes Monty's well known prickly personality to the fact that he was latently gay and never came to terms with it. Rod Steiger's character would have known exactly what Montgomery was feeling.

This is one of Rod Steiger's best screen roles, but the timeliness of the topic means this film could use a remake. Try casting this film with some of today's players. I could see Al Pacino or Robert DeNiro in the part of The Sergeant with maybe some teen heartthrob like Zac Efron as the recruit.

Still it would be extraordinary if it topped this one.

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. ***