A Very British Sex Scandal

This docu-drama may err more on the side of docu than drama but it is nevertheless pertinent, beautifully made and ultimately very moving. Written and directed by Patrick Reams, it tells the story of the famous Lord Montagu trial in the early fifties when a peer of the realm and a well-known British journalist were arrested and tried for gross indecency and buggery. The high-profile nature of the trial in turn lead to the establishment of the Wolfenden Committee and ultimately to the decriminalization of homosexual acts between consenting adults in Britain.

Part history lesson, part polemic and part love story Reams' film shows just how terrible life could be for practicing homosexuals in the 1950's. It may all seem a lifetime away from today when gay role-models now seem to be ten-a-penny, (young gays may wonder what all the fuss is about), yet it is films like this that make us realize just who are heroes are and the debt we owe to men like Peter Wildeblood, the journalist in question who sealed his fate by admitting his homosexuality in court.

Alternating between a dramatization of events and a 'talking heads' approach in which elderly gay men who were either directly caught up in the events or simply remembered them talk directly to the camera, it is never less than engrossing. At times I found it deeply depressing but ultimately it is both uplifting and deeply moving and a credit to everyone involved.

Shown as part of Channel 4's "40 years out" season of films to make the anniversary of the legalisation of male homosexuality in the UK, this film looks back at a period where a high profile homosexuality trial (the Lord Montague case) was conducted at the same time as a Common's committee was reviewing the legal situation and the possibility of legalisation of the "Huntleys" and their acts when conducted in private with mutual consent. The structure of the film mixed contributions from those involved at the time, a narrator delivering a frame not unlike a documentary, all over a dramatisation of the salient points and sequences.

The mix is not one I expected to work that well but actually it does. The film does focus more on the documentary aspect and as such the occasional attempts to flesh out the characters or provide something in the way of emotional involvement with them don't really come off. However I think this also protects the film from the usual trap of this approach, which is terribly hammy acting that don't work within the documentary side and mostly the rather crisp drama sequences work well as a result. The fact that they do lack flamboyant turns fits with the documentary approach and this is backed up by the cinematography, which again is quite crisp and gives the air of a factual presentation rather than a dramatic one.

The cast also match this as they provide restrained yet engaging performances. Of most note are turns from Hutson, Wells, Le Prevost and a few others. Overall then this is an engaging and interesting film that does mix the drama and documentary styles together to good effect.