Reflections on ‘Victim,’ The First British Movie To Deal With Homosexuality

An undated photo of British actor Dirk Bogarde, star of the 1961 film, ‘Victim.‘
An undated photo of British actor Dirk Bogarde, star of the 1961 film, 'Victim.' AP Photo
An undated photo of British actor Dirk Bogarde, star of the 1961 film, ‘Victim.‘
An undated photo of British actor Dirk Bogarde, star of the 1961 film, 'Victim.' AP Photo

Reflections on ‘Victim,’ The First British Movie To Deal With Homosexuality

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Victim, the 1961 film, directed by Basil Dearden, was the first British film to deal with homosexuality. For portraying a gay man, the crime thriller ended actor Dirk Bogarde’s career as a leading man. WBEZ Film Contributor and Director at Facets Chicago, Milos Stehlik, discusses the cultural, societal and political turmoil that surrounded the film with Nick Davis, author of The Desiring-Image: Gilles Deleuze and Contemporary Queer Cinema. Davis is also an associate professor of English at Northwestern University. He writes broadly on film, and teaches queer theory, feminist and gender studies, and American literature.

Davis will conduct a teach-in featuring Victim titled “Why are LGBTQ+ rights necessary?” on March 26, 6:30 p.m. at Facets Cinematheque, 1517 W Fullerton Ave, in Chicago.