Cheap Sebastiane (DVD) (Paul Humfress, Derek Jarman) Price

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Customer Reviews of Sebastiane

Extraordinary, complex, deeply-felt
In Sebastiane (1976), British writer/directors Derek Jarman (this was his first feature) and Paul Humfress created a remarkable historical film and a landmark of gay cinema. It depicts the martyred fourth century Roman soldier, who was later both canonized as Saint Sebastian and revered as an enduring gay icon. The film strikingly balances a cinéma vérité depiction of the everyday life of common soldiers and a visionary exploration of one man's defiant growth in faith, even as it subtly questions the nature of that experience. Despite its microscopic budget, it is a remarkably well designed, shot, edited, scored (Brian Eno's first film music), and acted picture. The Kino DVD transfer is very good, especially considering that the picture was originally shot in 16mm, then blown up to 35mm.

The film takes some liberties with the historical/legendary Sebastian, who was never exiled to a remote outpost, and incredibly who was supposed not to have died from the arrows with which he was famously shot - how Emperor Diocletian ordered him killed, and how the film ends - but rather from a second execution when he was clubbed to death. Although the film works brilliantly on many levels - cinematic, psychological, spiritual, aesthetic, even political - what may strike you first is the vividness and authenticity of the ancient world it depicts. Despite an over-the-top prologue at the glitteringly decadent court of Diocletian, and its strategic use of famous Renaissance paintings of St. Sebastian (by Mantegna, Reni, etc.) in the final scene, this film feels like lived experience.

Shot on location in Sardinia, every well-worn costume and dusty prop seems genuine. The dialogue is in the rough "street Latin" of its day (with English subtitles), but rather than feeling gimmicky it helps capture the texture of these nine banished soldiers' daily life. Its realism is in striking contrast to big-budget "sword and sandal" epics, from the Silent Era to the recent Gladiator, which always look too manufactured. In fact, its stylistic roots are more in the hyper-real mythic films of Pasolini, like Oedipus Rex and Medea.

From stills, you might think that the cast was chosen for their sculpted bodies. But each of these actors, even those in supporting roles, fully inhabits their characters and brings them to life. In particular, Leonardo Treviglio (seen most recently in Julie Taymor's film Titus) gives an intensely restrained, brilliantly nuanced performance in the title role. The constant ribbing and roughhousing among these nine men provides not only verisimilitude, but energy and unpretentiousness.

That is especially important, because the film deals with some dauntingly complex themes, as important now as 1,700 years ago, including the meaning of spirituality, the place of sexuality in life, and the contradictory nature of reality. The film's wild streak of humor, and its breathtaking visual design, help to keep this profoundly serious work from overdosing on "heaviosity."

The thematic core, as expected in a work about a man on the road to sainthood, is spirituality; and few films, including self-styled "religious movies," let one feel so deeply the growing importance of faith to an individual. Even some of the translated dialogue is beautiful, as when Sebastian, gazing at his and the sky's reflection in a pool of water, says that divinity is "That beauty that made all colors different.... The heavens and earth are united in gold." But while that vision of faith is powerful, it also has many layers, some of which are provocatively ambiguous. For some viewers, a central question will be: Is Sebastian a true Christian or is he a syncretist grafting his personal version of the new religion onto much older, Greco-Roman roots? The film offers different possible answers, not as a dodge, but because the film realizes how multi-faceted religious experience is, growing out of social, personal, and spiritual contexts.

It is also a landmark in the history of gay-themed films. Not only is this an authentic-seeming depiction of the ancient world, it is one in which a person's sexual orientation is not at all an issue. The guys jibe each other equally about their interest in Vestal Virgins, famous female prostitutes, and other men. In addition to this still-refreshing "backgrounding" of sexual orientation, the film depicts some of the most genuinely sweet and loving moments of any gay-themed film up to that time, especially in the budding relationship of the minor characters Adrian (whom the men tease about being a virgin) and Anthony.

And Sebastian's sadistically lovelorn nemesis, Captain Severus, is much more than a traditional "homosexual heavy," like the diabolical Claggart in Billy Budd. Severus (played by Barney James) has psychological depth, and seems to be equally divided between raw lust and genuine love for Sebastian. The film also takes a complex approach to him. For instance, the most visually beautiful and tender images of men are entirely from Severus's POV. And during the pivotal seduction scene near the end, Severus is shown as both monstrously brutal and beautiful, his hair ringed with golden light. That is exactly how Sebastian describes his vision of God, earlier in the film.

This is an exceptional film, deeply-felt, beautiful, and complex.

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Exploring the boundaries between painting and film
The martyrdom of Saint Sebastiane is one of the most famous subjects of painting, and also rife with sadomasochistic themes (as are so many subjects from Christian iconography.) Jarman's adaptation of the material is, despite other reviews posted at this site, quite reverential. Jarman overstates his ridicule of organized religion, but this is understandable in light of the advent, at that time, of a new disease called AIDS. Skip over Edward II and advance straight to The Garden, which is Jarman's masterwork (and also a "de profundis" cry for help.)

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An early Jarman film
With this DVD, KINO presents Derek Jarman's debut feature loosely based on the story of Sebastiane, son of a wealthy Roman family during the days of emperor Diocletian. However, those expecting a historical story of Christian faith should better look elsewhere. Recommented for Jarman completists (an early indication of the filmmaker's later work) but virtually no one else with serious interest in film.

Sebastiane converted to Christianity early on and even as commander of the Praetorian Guard and a personal favorite of the emperor, he did not hide his beliefs, actively renouncing persecutions of Christians, helping prisoners and proselytizing Romans to Christianity. This led Diocletian to order his execution. Roman soldiers shot him with arrows but he survived. A second execution was arranged and he was clubbed to death(288 AD).

However, viewing this film with the expectation of seeing a historical epic or a story of martyrdom, will inevitably lead to desappointment. Historical facts are only a backdrop, serving the filmmakers' intention of presenting the other well known aspect of Sebastiane's claim to fame: his link to homoeroticism and sadomasochism. How this relation came about historically is unclear. Some stories have it that Sebastiane was homosexual himself. Others that he had to refuse the emperor's advances on the grounds of his Christian faith. Whatever the case, it is most likely his repeated depiction in painting ( Procaccini, Pollaiulo, Botticelli, Reni, Bazzi etc) scantily clad and pierced with arows reinforced the associations. In Jarman's film, the Christinity angle seems more of an afterthought, an excuse to add some pretentious sounding monologues that set Sebastiane apart from those around him. The film's opening scene introduces the depravity and decadence of Roman life. In a scene that clearly points the artistic tendencies Jarman's carreer would later follow in an over the top fashion that is not at all concerned with subtlety. The major themes of the film are introduced: Roman life, the persecution of Christians, algolagnic extremities and Sebastiane's homosexuality and opposition to torture and violence. The film has him stripped of rank and exiled to a remote outpost. From then on, Sebastiane does everything in his power to accentuate his differences from his fellow soldiers (basically they are portrayed as a bunch of sadistic, degraded halfwits so to differ must have been easy for an educated, wealthy Roman with spiritual longing). The film consists of a series of algolagnic torture scenes mixed with a good measure of frustrated "boredom" scenes, which unfortunately mirrors the most likely state of its viewers. There is nothing of narrative cinsequence to speak of (save the first scene, the long middle and the ending). Plot is certainly secondary to the films thematic explorations. The performances are uniformly poor and the Latin "dialogue" sounds way too ridiculous in the actors' accents for a film that takes itself seriously, adding to the impression the film leaves as a low budget feature. Moreover, the characters are utterly unconvincing as Roman soldiers. They instead seem as convenient marrionettes in the films attempt to introduce its and convey its preoccupations.

The scenery is certainly one of the strong points of the film. But whereas the barren landscapes emphasize the complete isolation and give context to the soldiers' ennui, the film seems at times more like an excuse for copious amounts of male nudity. There are plenty of ways to enrich a story of utter boredom and debasement but the film sticks to one and drives in the point over and over again, in a sadly repetitive, narcissistic way that reminds more of cheap excuses for sexuality in softcore S&M porn than a story of profound spirituality and psychological torment (I am guessing the spirituality and sexuality/lust are supposed to be conflicted or even paralleled but repetitiveness spoils this).

Overall, the film fails to convey any sort of spiritual longing, significance and verismilitude. Best approaced as an experimental, low budget study of homoerotic sexuality than as a film with narrative and characters.

The DVD has no extras, the image is grainy(perhaps shooting on 16mm and later expanding to 35mm doesnt help) but passable. Rent if you have to see...