This movie was made for TV? In 1977???

I found the content of this movie rather shocking even by 2011 standards. It's not that I found it inappropriate - quite to the contrary, I thought it was rather poignant and vital. I was just very surprised not only to see the subject of inter-generational homosexual love breached, but to see it actually enacted on the screen. Not to mention the brutality of juvenile detention (especially the scene with the deranged girl the inmates had sex with in that cabin.)

Maybe my American perspective is overly Puritanical and shock-prone.

Anyway, I thought the actors were quite superb, the writing excellent, and that the very grave and delicate subject matter was handled with aplomb. Maybe not my favorite movie of all time (and quite difficult to see on my computer monitor on netflix streaming) but a fine, fine effort.