Sebastiane

Year of Release:  1976

Director:  Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress

Screenplay:  Derek Jarman, Paul Humfress and James Whaley

Starring:  Leonardo Treviglio, Barney James, Richard Warwick, Neil Kennedy

Running Time:  85 minutes

Genre:  Historical drama

Third Century AD:  Sebastian (Treviglio) is one of the Praetorian Guards for Emperor Diocletian (Robert Medley).  When he intervenes to stop a servant form being strangled by one of the Emperor's bodyguards, Sebastian is reduced in rank to private and exiled to a remote coastal garrison.  Sebastian's religious faith and pacifism, not to mention his celibacy, incense his commanding officer Severus (James), who becomes increasingly obsessed with Sebastian, with tragic results.

Inspired by the life and death of early Christian martyr Saint Sebastian, this homoerotic fantasia, is starling, sexy and more than a little dull.  Despite sharing a co-directing credit with Paul Humfress, the film opens with the title "Derek Jarman's Film", and this is how it is seen today.  Beginning his career in the film industry as a set designer (most notably for the Ken Russell film The Devils (1971)) Sebastiane marked Jarman's directorial debut, and he would go on to become a notable name in British independent film throughout the 1980s and early '90s.  The male gaze has become increasingly controversial, but this film celebrates the gay male gaze.  Filmed under the blazing Sardinian sun, the film mostly consists of bronzed, sweaty men, either naked or mostly naked lolling around on the rocks, wrestling, hitting each other, washing or caressing each other in languorous slow motion.  Despite being successful, the film was controversial for it's copious nudity (when asked about the nudity Jarman responded "we couldn't afford costumes") and also for the fact that, despite being a British film, the dialogue is entirely in Latin.  The acting is variable, with many of the cast seemingly chosen more for their looks than their acting ability, it's an important film in the history of gay cinema.  While it's a powerful film, with some memorable images, if you're not tuned into Jarman and Humfress' brand of homoeroticism, you may find it a long slog.

Richard Warwick and Leonardo Treviglio in Sebastiane