I saw the film last night and have been puzzling over it ever since.
The homosexual references in the film are many and I think I can detect the 'message'. The hard man who can't find the spirit for revenge; the old man who lacks respect from others in his old age; the lover who can't defend his love; the wife who can't be faithful to the man who truly loves her and so forth. Victor Mature and Hedi Lamarr in the spliced-in clip from 'Samson' - an anti-feminist blast if ever I've seen one. The character who comes out best is the one played by Iain McShane. He is unremittingly witty, has a functional attitude to sex yet has an eye for beauty. In the end, the old man agrees to accompany him to the Clayton (a gay club)and therefore seems to be getting to grips with his superannuated homophobia. The gangster's conversion through love gives rise to a new kind of world where other characters can find their true selves. What else could explain the grafting of the wife's head on to the old man's body, for instance? As a non-homophobic heterosexual male, I'd have appreciated a lot more up-front honesty about the film's themes. I think I've just seen 'Brokeback Mountain Meets No Country for Old Men' but with British cultural references.
The homosexual references in the film are many and I think I can detect the 'message'. The hard man who can't find the spirit for revenge; the old man who lacks respect from others in his old age; the lover who can't defend his love; the wife who can't be faithful to the man who truly loves her and so forth. Victor Mature and Hedi Lamarr in the spliced-in clip from 'Samson' - an anti-feminist blast if ever I've seen one. The character who comes out best is the one played by Iain McShane. He is unremittingly witty, has a functional attitude to sex yet has an eye for beauty. In the end, the old man agrees to accompany him to the Clayton (a gay club)and therefore seems to be getting to grips with his superannuated homophobia. The gangster's conversion through love gives rise to a new kind of world where other characters can find their true selves. What else could explain the grafting of the wife's head on to the old man's body, for instance? As a non-homophobic heterosexual male, I'd have appreciated a lot more up-front honesty about the film's themes. I think I've just seen 'Brokeback Mountain Meets No Country for Old Men' but with British cultural references.