While I was watching the movie, I was really confused at the end.
I checked this site to find any clue about this movie. I read some people's posts, and those helped me, but I just wanna make sure few things......
1. Barret manipulated Tony.
2. Tony started abusing LSD.
3. Tony is actually homosexhal (or bisexual?)
4. Homosexhal movies were shocking at the time (in London).
Am I wrong?
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Don't remember anything about LSD, but there is certainly a strong homoerotic element to Tony and Barrett's relationship.
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After Tony said he didn't want to drink anymore, it seemed to me that in the scene where Barrett was really pushing him to take "just a sip" of that little drink before the party, Barrett had definitely put something in the drink (it really didn't seem like LSD - more like a roofie or something, because Tony could barely move or talk and was having a lot of trouble standing up). I was really hoping that Susan would help him, or call the police or an ambulance. Too bad she just left, as far as we know.
About the homosexual undertones, two scenes seem very interesting: the scene where Tony & Barrett are playing hide & seek and Tony's hiding in the shower - the "i know your dirty little secret!!" part, which is scary and darkly funny - combined with the scene in which Tony said he felt like they were old pals, and he'd had that feeling once before in the army (with a dude, it seems). These two scenes to me, along with several innuendos throughout the film (saying he was "a good driller" in the army, "where they just chuck balls in your face" scene etc., add up to very heavy homosexual or bisexual overtones. Tony also seemed to have PTSD symptoms and LOTS of anxiety, as well as personal weaknesses that allowed Barrett to take over his life and house easily - which makes me wonder if Barrett found Tony specifically somehow and picked him to play this trick on.
And who were the other ladies at the end?? They were all so awfully evil. A brilliant film.
Thank you guys for replying back! After watching this film, I felt awkward because the script was so original that I didn't expect anything about drugs or homosexhality....
shareNext decade.
1 Yes.
2 Not sure of the LSD, but Barrett encouraged him to drink liberally.
3 Not clear, but he may play for both sides.
4 There may be some overtones, but I definitely don't think you could claim this film as being a movie about homosexuals.
The homosexual bit is all in the eye of the beholder. Pinter/Losey has us in a cage with these people and ramps up the intensity so much that it borders on theater of the absurd,
Barret and Vera are grifters. They've done this before and they will do it again, no doubt. Barret is just enjoying the hell out of his revenge as he watches Tony come apart, and one of his ploys is to tease him like a lover, but it's all part of the game.