Basil Dearden is a married barrister lives in London. One day, he becomes targets of a blackmailer who threatens to expose the truth about him. What challenges must he face when he attempts to defend his special client ?
Immensely significant in its plea for tolerance for gay men (interestingly, lesbianism is not discussed here), Victim works hard arguing that gays are part of the typical, healthy fabric of society.
The intensity of Bogarde's performance, not least where he confesses to wife Sylvia Syms his homosexual desires, transcends the film's well-intentioned cautiousness.
The very fact that homosexuality as a condition is presented honestly and unsensationally, with due regard for the dilemma and the pathos, makes this an extraordinary film.
Chicago Sun-Times
August 12, 2004
Recent critics find Victim timid in its treatment of homosexuality, but viewed in the context of Great Britain in 1961, it's a film of courage.
