Homo-erotic war film

Re: Homo-erotic war film ?

Only to a homo.

...in The Great Escape. Where was he getting his uniformed cleaned? This movie was a bit lighthearted at times for me to be a serious POW story.

I didn't se a homo erotic subtext so much as a class warefare subtext.

I saw King as being stripped of all his power and "respect" when the war ended. He was now just another dogface corporal and he hated it. What other corporal could say he had officers on his payroll doing his bidding? If he tried any of that stuff outside a POW situation he'd be thrown in the brig.

King resented that Marlow was an officer and a better educated man than he.
That's why he rejected his friendship in the end.

Marlowe was even told by Lt. Grey at the films conclusion that the working class even in England were now going to rule the world and not stay in their place.

I see Cpl. King in the same depressed state as the James Whitmore character Brooks in The Shawshank Redemption. Once out of the environment that he felt made him worth something valuable, he was worth nothing.

I disagree with your brain fart. The movie is about friendship and the bonds betweeen people (in this case men). I suppose under your theory, "Paradise Road" is just a den full of lesbians. Marlowe and King were business partners, King's main interest was Marlowes skills at speaking the native language, which he used frequently. Yes, they liked each other and became friends. But after King saved Marlowe's arm by going out of his way to supply medicine, that's when Marlowe incorrectly thought they were the best of friends. To Marlowes disappointment, King didn't feel the same way due to some hangup he has about having close friends, it appeared. After all, King did not survive because of friends, his survival was based on his ability to conduct business and pay others to assist. For his years as a POW, and possibly even before that, his selfish thinking is what caused him to excel in his personal interests. Marlowe, on the other hand, doesn't have t6hat same kind of mentality, and is saddened that he cannot stay in contact with someone who not only made a time in hell more bearable for him, but ultimately probubly saved his life. The fact is, they were both living in a horrible situation on the edge of death, and the mental stress of it all cannot be rationalized by anyone who has not been through it. That's what this movie is about at it's core, what men will do to survive.

Just read the book, that'll put paid to this homo-erotic claptrap.
a) It'll help you understand the situation for what it really is. The film is way too short to do a proper character/situation analysis. The book does it well.
b) To make lovers out of King & Marlow would be a totally unnecessary & stupid plot change. If the makers wanted to show homo-eroticism all they had to do was leave a bit less of Stephen's story out. Also, it's a shame that the film left Sean out, there was an 'interesting' character study.

Another tip would be to live a bit of life on the edge of survival. Then, if you were lucky, you might come to understand what was happening between King & Marlow.

You must really be hard up for stroke opportunities if you think this is a homo-erotic film.

But of course you are. I used to think that all homosexually-obsessed men were a bunch of weirdos, but at least they were well-spoken. You, sir, are not. Well-spoken, that is. Re-read your post and fix it.

That being said, I hope you enjoyed a good flogging of yourself after watching the flick.

I am 60 years old. I state my age so that you might get the idea of time span. Men of my generation and those before often made close friends and never thought of screwing them. That's a very recent introduction.

LL