What did Max and Brian fight about?

xdayton says > Nonsense. Max wasn't "closet" anything. He pursued both Brian and Sally equally and openly. Not sure you watched the same movie I did.

This is a perfect example of us seeing our own version of the movies we watch. Our interpretation of a movie is based on our own filters.

I didn't get the impression Max was a closeted homosexual either. He was just a self-absorbed, hedonistic type like Sally and her crowd; out to have a good time. He did what he wanted and only cared about what felt good at the time.

He got involved with Sally even though he knew she was after his money. He also knew and didn't care that she was already involved with someone else, Brian. Max was nice to Brian to cover his tracks and keep him from causing trouble. However, being around him led to an attraction he wanted to pursue. Brian, who had questioned his own sexuality prior to sleeping with Sally, was easy pickings. Aided by alcohol and bad judgment, anyone could get him to do anything.

Maybe he had some guilt after their sex, or maybe it was just some post-coital, wham bam thank you sam kinda thing.

Max and Brian went off somewhere on their own and had sex. Both realized how low they'd sunk and were ashamed at how far they'd gone. That's why not a word was exchanged between them. They were disgusted with themselves. Some people will cry foul but hear me out.

When Brian came home he was in a very foul mood. It was the exact opposite of how he'd felt after having slept with Sally. At that time he was happy, excited, and felt good about himself. Now, he wasn't just upset with himself, he with fed up; both with Max and Sally. Sally was the one who brought Max into their lives; and for what?

Sally and Brian had been happy together and doing well but she let Max's money, title, and position distract her. Now it had even caused him to do something for which he felt shame. He was becoming like them; even in how he cheated on Sally and exchanged sex for favors. When Sally started talking about Max; potentially making her his wife, Brian could no longer take her delusions. He lashed out. He wanted her to open her eyes and see Max for what he was. He wanted her to know he knew what was going on and that she wasn't the only one. Whatever she thought she had with Max was an illusion. Max was using them both.

As I've said in other posts, I believe each character represented a certain segment of the German population. Brian represented the Germans who knew or should have known better but still got sucked into the Nazi mindset and party. They went along with and did things they never would have done. It wasn't just guilt by association; they were participants. They were ashamed but felt powerless. They were angry with themselves and the Nazis for having started it all.

That's why Brian, angry as hell, purposefully picked a fight with the Nazi on the street. He knew what would happen but he didn't care. The pounding he got made him feel oddly better. Later, when he learned there would be a child, it represented hope; something good could come out of a terrible situation. The child would be their redemption; salvation - just as everyone hoped there would someday be hope for Germany. After all that had gone wrong, they'd need to get back on track.

whatever, they had some sort of lovers spat and Max took off. I think it was more a matter of he had accomplished his goal - he seduced them both - and now it was on to the next conquest.

Sally pursued Max. He showered them both with gifts and perks. Brian came to like those things and got caught up in it too. Neither he nor Max understand what they were feeling but they went along with it.

Max represented the Germans who helped the Nazi party by letting things happen and doing absolutely nothing to stop it. They liked what they were getting in the deal. Like Max, they saw what was going on but thought it minor; they'd deal with those Nazis later. That's the same thing Max did in regards to Sally and Brian. He was just having fun but it got out of control. Sally was hoping it would be more than it was and brought Brian along for the ride. Brian got sucked into it way deeper than he ever imagined or wanted. Max helped to push him along. Brian lost all self-respect. He not only put up with Sally, someone he cared about, sleeping with another man, he sold himself out too. He had become as cheap and tawdry as the people he was associating with. This educated, decent man, a teacher pursuing a higher degree, trying to improve his life, sold himself for a gold cigarette case, a few lousy bucks, and a taste of the high life. He was bought and paid for; very cheaply.

When things had gone too far for Max; too much for him to handle, he ran away. He was in just as foul a mood as Brian. He snapped at his driver to get the hell out of there fast; his first attempt to escape. He did the same with Germany, running off to Argentina when the Nazi threat got too strong and he felt uncomfortable; He did the same with Sally and Brian. They meant nothing to him just as his wife and his country meant nothing. He thought the Nazis would be easily dealt with but they grew and became unmanageable in the same way his hopes for a casual fling with two lovers got beyond his control.

I can't imagine Brian or Max ever making the same mistake again; neither of them was gay. They learned their lesson; the 'exchange', or lack thereof, in the car said it all. The only one who seemed to learn absolutely nothing from all this was Sally. She seemed to get a clue but it didn't last. It didn't take long to slip back to her old ways; deluding herself in order to cope with her miserable life.


Woman, man! That's the way it should be Tarzan. [Tarzan and his mate]

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