The Naked Civil Servant

As someone who has recently entered early middle age there has been no doubt in my mind who has been the most consistent actor in my lifetime - John Hurt . He's not an actor who'd probably qualify as "Film Star" but has appeared in film , theatre and television and had always given a great performance where he steals every scene . When an actor dies I'm not the sort of person who seeks out the departed's resume by in the case of Hurt I have made an exception and watched his breakthrough role in THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT as way of tribute

This is based on Quentin Crisp's autobiography . Now no matter your opinion of Crisp or homosexuality the ethos of the narrative is how a cruel , conformist society treats the outsider . As someone who was born in to an Edinburgh housing estate I grew up on a small Scottish Island . An urban lower working class prole growing up in a class conscious crushing environment . Society scorns "You're not one of us" and you're supposed to put up with that until your autopsy . Anyone who considers themselves to be an outsider can either sit there and take it or stick two fingers up at the world and declare "I am who I am" . It says a lot about Hurt that he elicits so much empathy or even sympathy from the audience

It should be remembered that THE NAKED CIVIL SERVANT was produced in 1975 . In those days THE BLACK AND WHY MINSTREL SHOW and LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR were massive television hits so homosexuality was treated as a subject of insensitive humour in much the same way as race relations were . In other words the homosexuality portrayed in 70s television is one of grotesque black comedy and one can see an Islington dinner party in 2017 being outraged by the portrayal of homosexuality seen here . There is nothing to be offended about and the only possible sin seen here is one of self parody , but it's done with such a sense of tongue in cheek fun it's impossible not to be carried along by it . This is mainly down to the lead actor , an actor whose greatest tour de force as an outsider would be in THE ELEPHANT MAN in 1980 and a role that was predated five years earlier by the one seen here . .

RIP John Hurt and thanks for all the great performances down the decades

The Naked Civil Servant is a TV film based on famous gay wit Quentin Crisp's autobiography. John Hurt gives a characteristically committed, outstanding performance. His Crisp is both a bon vivant and a serious, determined man who, underneath his outrageously camp exterior, is anything but frivolous, flamboyantly using his wit and dress like weapons as a defence to the repressive, smug and specious attacks from the mainstream English establishment and society, which regards his sexuality as criminal and deviant.

Hurt's Quentin Crisp is an unlikely crusader, made appealing not only by his inspiring moral force in facing prejudice, abuse and rejection with honesty, courage and an uproarious sense of humour, but by the fact that he never loses his belief in humanity, living his life undaunted and surrounded by friends who he treats with warmth and compassion.

Jack Gold's direction is wonderfully theatrical and so suited to Crisp's eccentric world, and the dialogue is incandescent. Nevertheless, the film's narrative, as it ranges over Crisp's long life, is episodic and at times sketchy. Also unnecessarily, Quentin Crisp himself appears in a sort of preface at the beginning of the film.

The pejorative insult to someone a bit gay at school in my day was calling them Quentin. I suppose that was a sign that Quentin Crisp had made it big into the national consciousness.

I actually have vague memories of watching some of The Naked Civil Servant when it was first broadcast. I was far too young to understand what it was all about.

There was so much ballyhoo about the show. That my parents must have switched it on to watch and were presumably appalled at what was being broadcast.

Quentin Crisp himself appears in the introduction and the end to this television movie made for ITV. It features a tour de force performance from John Hurt as Quentin Crisp. It is a brave bravura acting performance, totally unflinching. If the film was released for the cinema he would had got an Oscar nomination.

It is the story of Quentin Crisp from his time as an effeminate young man in the 1930s right until he enters middle age after World War 2. A flamboyant gay man who had to frequent the underground gay scene in London. On his tail were queer bashers and the police.

Quentin Crisp was open about the beatings he regularly received and the harassment he got from the police.

There is something Oscar Wilde about Crisp, his open pomp and glitz. The film has despite its serious undercurrents a lot of humour and cheekiness.

Almost life affirming, a man who knows he is different and will not shy away from his real self. Despite the criticisms and the violence he encountered.

Directed by Jack Gold it was moves along at a quick pace with plenty of quirky characters that Crisp encounters in his life. There is an element of fantasy about the production as well as brutal realism. Crisp recalls a happy moment on his life when he meets a group of sailors in Portsmouth. It is done in dazzling manner in a sound stage.

I had a copy of this film back in the early 80s, it's long gone, but I'll never forget its power. I'm not a homosexual, nor had I ever heard of Quentin Crisp before, but watching the film, I was very impressed by his determination to stand up for his God-given right to be himself, whatever that "self" might be. I didn't see it so much as a proclamation of his homosexuality, but rather, an individual determined to live life on his own terms, rather than kowtow to the wants of society. To this fact I strongly relate. Crisp was a man who faced the ostracism of society head-on, and soldiered on through in spite of it. And for that I admire him strongly. After watching the film, I quietly said "Thank You" to Crisp for his forthrightness and honesty.

John Hurt's portrayal of Crisp was absolutely magnificent, and I've been a fan of his ever since. He's the most versatile actor of his generation, having played everyone from Jesus Christ in "History of the World part 1" to the guy in "Alien" who has the little monster jump out of his body to the inimitable Quentin Crisp in this film! However, some of his films are hard to find, given that he's not a household word name as an actor. Too Bad, He's among the best!

This film is the autobiography of Quentin Crisp, a gay man living in the conservative times of 1920's to 1970's.

The story is simple but deep. It portrays It also portrays how people lived in fear and loneliness during those days. A particularly remarkable moment is that, after Quentin's friend is released from he mental institution, his friend pronounced his love for him. Quentin says something to the effect of "This is how lonely he is, and how low I can get". This little sentence means so much. Acting by John Hurt is excellent. This film is really quite remarkable, as homosexuality was still considered as a mental illness back in 1975.