Sebastiane
Amazon.co.uk Review
The first and only film shot entirely in subtitled Latin, Sebastiane is Derek Jarman’s first work as a director (though he shared the job with the less well-known Paul Humfress) and is a strange combination of gay nudie movie, pocket-sized Ancient Roman epic and meditation upon the image of Saint Sebastian. It opens with the Lindsay Kemp dance troupe romping around with huge fake phalluses to represent the Ken Russell-style decadence of the court of the Emperor Diocletian in AD 303, then decamps to Tuscany as Diocletian’s favourite guard Sebastian (Leonardo Treviglio) is demoted to ordinary soldier and dispatched to a backwater barracks because the Emperor (Robert Medley) suspects him of being a covert Christian. The bulk of the film consists of athletic youths in minimal thongs romping around the countryside, soaking themselves down between bouts of manly horseplay or sylvan frolic. It all comes to a bad end as the lecherous but guilt-ridden commanding officer Severus (Barney James) fails to cop off with Sebastian and instead visits floggings and tortures upon his naked torso, finally ordering his men to riddle the future saint with arrows, thus securing him a place in cultural history. The public schoolboy cleverness of scripting dialogue in Latin–a popular soldier’s insult is represented by the Greek “Oedipus”–works surprisingly well, with the cast reeling off profane Roman dialogue as if it were passionate Italian declarations rather than marbled classical sentences. The film suffers from the not-uncommon failing that the best-looking actor is given the largest role but delivers the weakest performance: Treviglio’s Sebastian is a handsome cipher, far less interesting than the rest of the troubled, bullying, awkward or horny soldiers in the platoon. Peter Hinwood, famous for the title role in The Rocky Horror Picture Show, can be glimpsed in the palace orgy. The countryside looks as good as the cast, and Brian Eno delivers an evocative, ambient-style score. –Kim Newman
Buyers should be aware that the DVD as released here is the censored version, as distributed over thirty years ago! The basic content / narrative remain the same, although this version loses some of the original intensity.
Rating: 4 / 5
An outstanding work – for all those interested in the MALE form.
An intriguing play on the male psyche – juxtaposing multiple themes: unrequited love; social acceptance of sexual thought; the demands of society upon the individual; sexual desire in an exlusively male environment; and the requirements imposed by religion values.
Jarman explores the ancient Roman Garrison philosophy – that to love ones fellow man (in the most intimate way) leads to a bonding which instills a greater will to fight to the death in order to protect ones comrade in arms
Sebastian, a catholic, has difficulty in forming the social and sexual bonds defined by this ‘garrison philosophy’ as a result of his devout relgious beliefs. His commanding officer finds Sebastian intriguing, captivating, alluring. Sebastian’s reluctance to respond to his superior’s desires only makes him more desirable. There is a definate affection between the two, but the demands of Sebastians religion and the social standing of both men place their attaraction above the common place male bonding which surrounds them. Ultimately their relationship is doomed, as the society of which they are a part are threatened by, and so condemns, the ‘true’ love to which they each aspire
“Sebastian” contains possibly THE most classic “homo-erotic” playfight. This, for me as a young heterosexual man, was thrilling, arousing and to some degree disturbing. I left this film questioning many aspects of my own sexual orientation, and at the same time allowed me to affirm many of the feelings that I had. There is little doubt, that watching this film will answer, no confirm, many questions one may have about their own sexuality
A fantastic film, although perhaps lengthy – it is filled with some memorable cinematography. Jarmen works well on close-ups and symbolic imagery. His style captures the many and varied emotions of the protagonists, allowing the viewer to fill in many of the ‘moments’ with their own perceptions, experiences and expectations.
Best advice is to watch the film alone, with a BIG bag of Dorito’s, salsa dip needed and maybe a bottle or two of a good red.
Rating: 4 / 5
I bought this as I remember seeing it on Channel 4 when it was first broadcast, causing a bit of a stir. So I thought it would be interesting to see it on my big screen TV.
Time has moved on and although it is still interesting it does feels a bit dated and contrived.
Rating: 3 / 5
Sebastiane is a rather controversial movie but for those who wish to build up an eclectic library of DVDs then it would be a useful addition.
The film is famous of course for the graphic and cold brutality of the final scene. Overall though it’s actually a rather slow film as it follows the tribulations (including boredom) of a group of Roman soldiers in the hot and barren Mediterranean countryside. Essentially, it charts the day-to-day happenings of the group and how they ended up executing the title character in such dramatic fashion (with multiple arrow shots from very close range).
Some characters are particularly annoying (e.g. Max) but what would you expect from a bunch of squaddies thrown together in baking heat at close quarters? The film doesn’t omit the famous Roman sordid sense of humour either and has its moments of innuendo.
It’s interesting that it’s all in Latin and this is what the famous Roman Army actually sounded like.
Rating: 3 / 5
Er, a this movie is a classic and carries meaning on many levels, but I found it a bit self-indulgent and overbearing at times. Some of the scenes are just too idyllic in a silly “swords & sandals†type of way, while the poor Sebastian so obviously wants to be martyred that I soon lost my empathy with him. And the captain who lusts after him is just too obviously of the sadist type that cannot distinguish his power lust from his desire. Some beautiful shots, though, and it is worth seeing. There is something awkward about the film, however, that makes it less than perfect. It is as if Jarman didn’t keep enough distance between himself and his work, or he tried too hard to make a “European Art Film.â€
Rating: 3 / 5