Fortune and Men's Eyes

'Fortune and Men's Eyes' is a film which I recommend as interesting viewing for anyone who wishes to watch an early story of important gay cinema.

It's author, the late playwright Jonhn Herbert, is an icon of gay writing.

This is a story based on John Herbert's own unfortunate true experience as an inmate as a teenager in a penal institution in Canada, wrongly imprisoned after being the victim of gay bashing. It is a play that later became a film.

I recommend that you watch this film despite the fact that it is old, to say the least.

I saw this film shortly after its release, when I was around 18 years old, and many of the scenes went right over my head. Watching it again now, I am amazed at how many scenes have stuck in my mind (especially the harrowing ending). Although (not surprisingly) dated, and clearly made on a very low budget, this film has a remarkable way of pacing the action and building tension: for instance, the almost-hallucinatory prison Xmas party seems to be going on forever until it suddenly erupts in violence.

In 1971, people were excited (or outraged) about the homosexual scenes, but I think it would be wrong to think that the film is "about" homosexuality. For me, it is about power structures in what Goffmann has called a "total institution". Sexuality, or rather rape, is just another tool to maintain power, along with violence and trade in tobacco and drugs.

It's a raw, brutal and uncomfortable film, and well worth watching.

Theme of homosexuality and rape in prison was very daring for its time (1971). You could feel the pain of the lead character as he succumbs to the brutal advances of his cellmate, while longing for his girlfriend.

I saw the movie when it first came out, and I still remember the line uttered by a prisoner as he observes a gang rape- "Nobody's going to stop a man from getting his oats." It's one of my all-time favorite quotes from films.

Smitty (Burton) goes to prison and realize that it place where inmates set each other up, and also a place where there is no women, so a weak prisoners are forced to be sex slaves for tougher prisoners. He shares a cell with a drag queen name Queenie (Greer) and a tough Christian Slater type name Rocky (Hall). Smitty becomes friends with Rocky, not knowing that Rocky wants Smitty to be his lover. Crisp dialogue, well edited scenes, make this film very shocking for 1971. Hall is a standout as Rocky and gives a very icey performance that makes me wonder why he didn't become a big star playing villians in films (only other big work he did was 99 44/100% DEAD in 1974). Burton and Greer is also good, as Burton does a fine job projecting a innocent kid who keep looking at his picture of his girlfriend, knowing life isn't going to be same. Canadian actor Danny Freedman is also effective at the end scene that is another shocker. Don't see this film if you are offended or scared of the subject. But I think it's one of the best film of the 70's. Highly Recommended.

I saw this in the Cosmo (pre GFT) in Glasgow one afternoon. The original and still the best movie on prison sex. Kept me to the straight and narrow! Powerful, unpleasant, occasionally verging on crudeness. Definitely best viewed after some libation. Not a date movie. Recommended - once.