La marque

One of the best films of the 1960's is almost forgotten today, along with its superb lead performance by Stuart Whitman, who was nominated for the Oscar for this movie and whose career was downhill from then on. Whitman is given expert support by Rod Steiger as his psychiatrist and Maria Schell (her career high) as his girlfriend. Dicey subject matter (sex crimes) handled with taste and talent.

I had never heard of this movie before I saw it. In fact, I almost didn't watch it at all. As the black and white opening credits rolled, it looked cheap, and the cast wasn't all that impressive, but I had some dead time and took a chance. I'm glad I did. The story revolves around a man, who in the midst of an emotional crisis, almost sexually assaults a 10 yr old child. He is so appalled by what he almost did, that he offers no defense and spends three years in prison. After release, he enters into group therapy, and eventually individual therapy to work through his doubts. The story picks up from there. With the help of the therapist he finds a job, gets a promotion, falls in love with a co-worker, and is about to get his life back together. But as in most movies, at some point, it all hits the fan. I won't go further into the storyline, because it turned out to be a nail biter for me, and I would like it to do the same for you. Instead, let me comment on the performances. Stuart Whitman plays the lead, and does he ever play it. He has never been an expressive actor, but he hits every emotion required here, and there are lots of them. Sadness, optimism, doubt, fear, guilt, love. He does it all. Maria Schell plays the love interest, and practically every gesture is a marvel. Just a quick example. In a very emotional scene, she pulls out a hanky, puts it to her nose and blows it - loudly. How many times have you seen a principal actress put a hanky to her nose and actually make a noise? Rod Steiger plays the shrink, and he does it so well, he made mine look like an amateur. This is a British production from 20th Century Fox, but most buffs will recognize most of the supporting cast. Every one a pro. This movie was released in 1961 and could have turned into an exploitation flick. In fact, that's what I was afraid of. But instead, it was a sensitive, gut wrenching glimpse into a subject most people would rather not deal with. Well done.

The groundbreaking "The Mark" has now been released on a splendidly restored widescreen DVD with commentary by director Guy Green and star Stuart Whitman. Green admits that if the Whitman character had actually followed through on his child molesting tendencies and attacked the little girl he takes for a drive, the film would never have been made, as it would have been too difficult to keep the audience caring and sympathetic to such a man. While Whitman has fantasies and comes close to acting them out, he recognizes that he has a problem and turns himself in for psychiatric treatment, which is largely successful. The focus then shifts from his attempts to reintegrate himself back into society to the misunderstanding and persecution he experiences from those around him once they hear of his arrest. Thus the film can congratulate itself on being daring while staying well within the "safe zone." It's one of those movies that can pretend to be controversial while carefully editing out all the elements in it that would really make it so. This may be why it has been largely forgotten today. "The Mark" is engrossing as far as it goes, and avoids overt titillation (other than the kind that comes from dealing with such a story at all). It's expertly directed and acted by a fine cast. However, for a film that deals with the psychology of a child molester with complete honesty and candor, you would have to turn to Todd Solandz's heartbreaking, yet brilliantly funny and insightful "Happiness."

This is such a great, intelligent, courageous film, about so much that's right and wrong in our culture - good parenting, disastrous parenting, thoughtless media, unthinking prejudgments, psychology grounded in reality not dogma, fear, ignorance, innocence, love, hate, and the reach for deep inner joy and redemption. This is besides the great acting on the part of everyone involved, and the great direction, script, and cinematography. The film is not what the subject matter might lead someone to believe. I guess it's not better known because it is in part such an indictment of our anxieties, unthinking cruelty, and self-righteous morality - without condoning in the least the guilt at the heart of the central tragedy. It should and does make viewers uneasy - not because we're all repressed criminals at heart, but because we so often, as individuals and as a culture, refuse to look deeper than appearances, settling for inanities and superficial distractions, ignoring the profound possibilities for the growth of nobility we're all capable of, no matter what we've done. It may seem unrealistic to some, considering the kind of crime it revolves around and the nature of many if not most such criminals, but that's just the point - so often, without bothering to really investigate, we think we know enough to label and condemn.

The Mark, daring for its time in handling the matter of recovering sex offenders, is rather tame stuff for today. It's also something that the cops on Special Victims Unit wouldn't buy in a million years.

Mainly because the rate of recidivism among them is very high. Rod Steiger as psychiatrist claims he's 'cured' Stuart Whitman of any lingering desires for pubescent young females, but Detectives Benson and Stabler would never buy it.

The film is a British production with three imported stars. Stuart Whitman is an American who settled in London and did serve a stretch in prison for unlawful imprisonment of a minor. Rod Steiger tried out the brogue he was to use 14 years later in Hennessy as the psychiatrist who works with sex offenders. And Maria Schell from Austria plays a young widow with a child who develops a relationship with Whitman.

Whitman's been placed in a job with Donald Wolfit's firm and he knows about Whitman and why he was in jail. Brenda DaBanzie and Maurice Denham rent Whitman a room and start treating him like surrogate parents. Things really start going well for Whitman, but when he's picked up for questioning in a child sex murder, reporter Donald Houston recognizes him and writes a story. A lot of people then reevaluate their relationship with Whitman.

As for what happens you'll have to see the film for it. It's a well acted drama, Stuart Whitman got an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, but lost to Maximilian Schell, Maria's brother ironically enough for Judgment at Nuremberg. Still it could never be made today, because the audience simply wouldn't buy it.