adeUK

While Oliver Reed's camp cameo certainly amuses, I'm intrigued by the role Kieron Moore plays. At a time when the Production Code in the USA was still terrified of overt reference to homosexuality, here we have a well-known (and very masculine) actor taking a role that many stars today would still shy away from. The fact that Moore plays it straight (so to speak . . . ), is a victim of blackmail before Victim and is stoic in the face of the odd comment from the others (isn't it Attenborough who has to share a room with him?) struck me as unusually "grown-up", especially with the reversion to stereotype of Reed and his pal.

Has Kieron Moore ever talked about this role (he seems to have vanished off the radar)? Are there any earlier examples of gay characters played for real in British films?

penfold

In the original novel, it was the Nigel Patrick character who was the homosexual....presumably the parts of the script where he calls Hawkins 'Old darling' is a sort of throwback to that....now, what would be interesting would be to find out why that was changed....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

Windthrop

If you read Bryan Forbes biography he was a friend of Terence Rattigan, the gay playwrite, and was to have been in the original stage production of 'The Deep Blue Sea' when it was a 'gay' play as Hester before Rattigan lost his nerve and re-wrote/regendered it. Forbes appears to have been conscious of the reluctance, in the arts at the time, to tactle the issue of homosexuality head on and 'League of Gentlemen' was probably - I'm sticking my neck out here - the first overt example of it. The film does pre-date 'Victim' commonly cited as the first film to tackle the subject and the blackmail that often went with it but 'League' in fact tackled it earlier. The film is also quite progressive in that the gay character is played by a typically masculine character - muscular, tall and gruff and avoids a gay stereotype.

I had no idea that the film was based on a book and would be interested to read it - abebooks here I come.

As for Kieron Moore as I understand it he got involved in overseas aid and development and left acting. I do know that at the start of his career in the film 'Mine own Executioner' he was regarded as a potential great star in the making but that his wooden performance in 'Anna Kerenina' scuppered his chances and the rest of his career was a disappointment. I would be interested to know what he is doing now - I would presume retired.

penfold

There are three novels I believe; The League of Gentlemen, The Gentlemen Reform and The Gentlemen At Large, from 1958, 61 and 62 respectively. All easily available as 2nd hand paperbacks.
A bit of movie trivia for you meanwhile; in the 1958 original the pulp novel Hyde circulates to the gang prior to the meeting is named as Lionel White's 'Clean Break'...one of the gang recognises the plot from its film version, which he considered quite excellent; Stanley Kubrick's The Killing.......now that's talent spotting....

Bit of a Bay Window, what??

NappieB

I never saw the movie when it was first released, but eventually managed to catch it in the early 1970s on TV. I loved it (who wouldn't !) so when the opportunity arose, I grabbed a copy of the VHS tape many years later (about 1990 ?) here in the USA. The tape I have has been edited to delete some of the scenes... I don't know why... total time cut out is only about 10 minutes, but maddening nonetheless!

It should be illegal to cut scenes from movies when transferring to VHS or DVD !!

batman

Which scenes were cut?

Bats.

Jingle bells Batman smells ... I heard that at school Daddy.

BAT QUIZ 16 HAS JUST BEEN POSTED IN THE COMPETITION THREAD - 06/01/09

clitheroekid

He doesn't know - they've been cut

stevie boy

point taken,however, this was Cinema and not tv, this was normans first film role for 11 years, hence my comment about dickie

NappieB

Batman & Clitheroe Kid - I remember the scenes from the first time I saw the movie in the UK (early 1970s.)

My US copy has the following scenes cut out (as far as I can remember):

1) Some of the training and planning that took place in the cellar of the big house that the team uses. About 30 seconds remains...pretty useless...

2) Some of the scenes of the actual robbery...

3) Some of the Nannette Newman scenes... especially the one with her in the bath (predictable cut I guess! And equally predictable that I'd remember it!!)

4) Some of the night before the robbery.

HOWEVER, I happened to be talking to a friend of mine in Vancouver over the weekend. We got onto the subject of copying VHS tapes to DVDs and then I remembered that he has a number of old British movies that he never watches. He has an original old copy of LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN that he promised to copy onto a DVD for me....

Stay tuned!

"It gets late early out here!" - Yogi Berra on a trip to the country

NappieB

oh...one more:

I vaguely remember Norman Rossington somewhere in the army camp that was raided.... but he doesn't appear anywhere on my US copy except in the credits!

"It gets late early out here!" - Yogi Berra on a trip to the country

batman

Sounds like the sort of cuts they used to make (and still do sometimes) to fit in with TV schedules.

Bats.

Jingle bells Batman smells ... I heard that at school Daddy.

BAT QUIZ 16 HAS JUST BEEN POSTED IN THE COMPETITION THREAD - 06/01/09

Joenoir

The gay issue was a small part of LOG whereas it was what drove the plot of Victim along. There were also two films that predate both LOG and Victim, that focused on the life and trials of Oscar Wilde. I haven't seen either so I don't know how they handle the subject.

Start every day with a smile and get it over with.

DB7

Wasn't Rossington roadside pretending to repair the car engine when the RAC rider pulls up? Think his may have been one of the dodgy Oirish accents.

clitheroekid

Come Ed, Shake!

I think you are right DB7

NappieB

I saw an old biography of Oscar Wilde (circa 1952 ??) with Robert Morley badly cast in the title role. It was quite good despite the miscasting - passed no judgments and delved into the trial and legal process (and the punishments!) in detail.

"It gets late early out here!" - Yogi Berra on a trip to the country