Extraordinary, complex, deeply-felt
In Sebastiane (1976), British writer/directors Derek Jarman (this was his first feature) and Paul Humfress created a remarkable historical film and a landmark of gay cinema. It depicts the martyred fourth century Roman soldier, who was later both canonized as Saint Sebastian and revered as an enduring gay icon. The film strikingly balances a cinéma vérité depiction of the everyday life of common soldiers and a visionary exploration of one man's defiant growth in faith, even as it subtly questions the nature of that experience. Despite its microscopic budget, it is a remarkably well designed, shot, edited, scored (Brian Eno's first film music), and acted picture. The Kino DVD transfer is very good, especially considering that the picture was originally shot in 16mm, then blown up to 35mm.
The film takes some liberties with the historical/legendary Sebastian, who was never exiled to a remote outpost, and incredibly who was supposed not to have died from the arrows...
Strange, massively homoerotic, serene...
This was Derek Jarman's debut film, which he co-directed with Paul Humfress, who was a director at the BBC and was there to assist Jarman in case there were any problems (there were none). It's actually Jarman's most homoerotic movie. The dialogue is in Latin, and it was street Latin (or "dog" Latin), not proper Latin. Jarman was very specific about the speech because these soldiers were ruffians; they wouldn't be speaking the queen's Latin, so to speak. Many have found the famous painting of St. Sebastiane (which Jarman recreates at the end of the film) very homoerotic (Yukio Mishima famously said that it gave him an erection the first time he saw it), so Jarman indulges quite freely in the erotic aspects of the story. The film has a mythic sheen to it, and it is a film you will never forget. The opening scene at the Roman orgy is very memorable. Jarman started out as Ken Russell's production designer, and this orgy scene seems a homage to him. Brian Eno's eerie, electronic...
An homage to male beauty
Derek Jarman's first film (made in 1976) is a visually gorgeous film featuring an all male cast in various states of undress. Even if you are not interested in debating whether or not the film truly follows the real life of St. Sebastiane or what views of religion Jarman is trying to project, you can appreciate the film for its unique visual style and celebration of the male body. Here we have gorgeous tanned ripped males running around the desolute landscape in nothing but sandals and thongs (and sometimes nothing at all). The camera in slow motion captures them bathing, frolicing in the surf, riding horses, fighting and making love. This is a highly sensuous film, sometimes violent but often tender and not for those offended by homoerotica. The dialog is in Latin with English subtitles but the dialog on the whole is minimal. The only extra features on the dvd include a brief narrative text about Jarman's life and his filmography. The picture quality is superb.
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