The young, naive Smitty is sent to prison for six months; Cathy, his girlfriend, watches as he disappears behind the bars and barbed wire. He's assigned a cell with Queenie, a balls-out drag queen, Rocky, a quiet but cocky con, and Mona, a young gay man who ministers to Rocky. Smitty watches in horror as gangs of inmates brutalize prisoners who lack protection. Those who complain risk beatings or murder at the hands of unsympathetic guards: all cries are bootless. Mona offers... (Full plot summary below)
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The young, naive Smitty is sent to prison for six months; Cathy, his girlfriend, watches as he disappears behind the bars and barbed wire. He's assigned a cell with Queenie, a balls-out drag queen, Rocky, a quiet but cocky con, and Mona, a young gay man who ministers to Rocky. Smitty watches in horror as gangs of inmates brutalize prisoners who lack protection. Those who complain risk beatings or murder at the hands of unsympathetic guards: all cries are bootless. Mona offers poetry - Shakespeare's sonnet XXIX; Queenie and Rocky offer Smitty advice, and Rocky offers protection for a price. Smitty's choices and their consequences are the film's main subjects.
Leave your thoughts about Fortune and Men's Eyes.
| User ReviewLuc LGreat prison movie filmed in Quebec. I loved it ! |
| User ReviewMikael KSmitty, a naive young man ends up in prison with a six month sentence. As he enters the closed world of convicts he immediately encounters the social game that rules everyday life in the prison ward. The constant power play and a strict hierarchy of dominance become apparent. âFortune and Menâ(TM)s Eyesâ? is based on a play by John Herbert. Director Harvey Hart finished the project started by Jules Schwerin in 1971. The result is a somewhat uneven but compellingly straightforward drama inhabited by peculiar and multifaceted characters. The storytelling is a bit uneven and the whole thing seems slightly aimless and a bit barren with its subject matter. Because from the very first minutes until the very end this film is all about the expression of sexuality and especially sexual violence between inmates. One and a half hours of prison rape discussed, alluded to and shown. It is often presumed that sexual violence between men is all about a primal game of dominance. âFortune and Menâ(TM)s Eyesâ? takes the interesting stand of stating the opposite: that a great deal of violence and power play between men- and by extension any people- is sexually motivated, a twisted outlet for denied physical desire and frustrated longing for closeness. Yet the film doesnâ(TM)t undermine or glorify violence, nor does it use it for shock value. It leaves you with a nihilistic statement about human fear and weakness and the ways in which those make us into beasts. |
| User ReviewMichael TUndoubtedly daring in its day (1971), this "expose" of prison homosexuality comes across as melodramatic and sleazy by today's standards. |
| User ReviewJohnnyLee TConfused. Has no "point of view". Pretends to portray realism of prison life but it is unconvincing. Unfortunately at the time it was released, society had the view gays were predators and this film would have only enhanced that total misconception - even though the main character Smitty isn't gay nor the other major character Rocky. Yes, Queenie and Mona are, but one (although a strong character) is a drag artist and the other a weak victim. The gaolers are all violent and sick. It's all very bleak, with one of the most depressing endings of any film. No one is redeemed, nor any hope offered. For anyone struggling with their homosexuality, this would have sent them straight back into the closet! Thankfully, depiction of gays on the screen has improved in the 45 years since I first saw this - as has society's attitude towards LGBTI people. Special mention for the awful camerawork. Important to remember, this is not a film about gays but rather how men cope in prisons (supposedly). Even the great Roger Ebert (go to his review - listed first on this site) gets it wrong when he believes everyone except Smitty is supposed to be gay. I don't blame him, as it is the impression the movie conveys. Two from the numerous confusing/unexplained things: How does Queenie get out of his solitary experience so unscathed? He just suddenly re-appears and unchanged. Since when were prisoners allowed such easy access to razor blades? It's a sham. According to Wikipedia this is Canada's most produced play ever. Got great support in development stage from Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. Shame then it wasn't transferred successfully to the screen. Also, in the same entry, the playwright based it on his experiences in a boy's reformatory where he served time as a 20 year old (?!) after being convicted for wearing women's clothing in public. These facts make the film less confusing. They make it more of a shame that the film fails, at least for me. |
