REFLECTIONS IN A GOLDEN EYE

US, 1967, 109 minutes, Colour.
Marlon Brando, Elizabeth Taylor, Brian Keith, Julie Harris.
Directed by John Huston.

Reflections in a Golden Eye is a rather exotic piece of Hollywood film-making, especially for the period, 1967. It takes up themes of homosexuality and repression at a time when these themes were just emerging in mainstream Hollywood (The Sergeant, The Killing of Sister George).

The film was based on a novel by Carson Mc Cullers, author of The Member of the Wedding and The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.

The setting is a southern military post. Elizabeth Taylor plays a southern belle (echoes of Raintree County) who is having an affair with the superior officer at the post, Brian Keith. However, she is married to Marlon Brando who is a repressed homosexual, attracted towards a soldier played by Robert Forster.

Marlon Brando gives a very interesting performance, against type, a performance that is generally not mentioned in his career. It is an interesting teaming with Elizabeth Taylor. Direction is by John Huston, one of Hollywood’s most successful screenwriters and directors, from The Maltese Falcoln in 1942 to The Dead, forty five years later.

1.What did the title mean? Was it sufficiently explained by the Filipino in his discussion of the fable of the peacock? The gilded nature of the golden eye? Reflecting reality rather than seen? The images small and grotesque? (The close-ups of eyes in the film? And reflections seen in Williams' eye?)

2.How did the film create its morbid atmosphere? The use of the music? The use of the colour and the special colour style? Did this add to or subtract from the film?

3.The importance of the comment about the murder in the fort some years ago? Its use at beginning and end?

4.Comment on the significance of the setting of the film: the army situation and its enclosed nature? The militaristic discipline of the fort, the enclosed society for the wives and relationships, the atmosphere of the Deep South, southern customs, manners and speaking, the atmosphere of tension in the film, how important was this? The atmosphere of insanity and the possibility of insanity breaking up the stress and pressure? Was this an important theme of the film?

5.What kind of person was the Major? His rigid militaristic tone and manner? How did he come to be married to Leonora? The reality of his homosexuality? Why was he attracted to Williams? Why did he contrive situations for Williams to be present? Did he deliberately do this or was it unconscious? The sequences of his riding: with the Colonel and Leonora, rising by himself on Leonora's horse, wanting to ride Williams' horse later in the film? The importance of his speech on the good companionship of barracks life? (And this being contradicted visually by the sequence of Williams' fight with others in the barracks?) Was there any way in which the Major could have solved his problems or coped with them better?

6.The enigma of Williams? What kind of person was he in himself? How sane? How deliberate in his leading people on? His love for horses? The fact that he was continually watching? That the reflections were in his eyes? That in some ways he was the peacock? Film sequences of his watching the house? His naked ride in the woods? Was he deliberately taunting the Major? The fact that he wanted to watch Leonora? His looking from a distance and his holding her clothes? His relationship with the others in the barracks?

7.What kind of person was Leonora? How typical an army wife was she? Her love of riding, her father's background, her unintelligent approach to things, her difficulty in speaking etc? Her preoccupation with social life? Her spurning her husband? Her ridiculing him? Why had she entered into an affair with the Colonel? Did she love him? Her ability to chatter to Allison? How ordinary was she compared with the others?

8.The Colonel: what kind of man was he? How plain compared with the others? His relationship with Allison? His disappointment about the birth of the child and of her illness? Why had he entered the affair with Leonora? How much of a typical army man was he? His relationship with Anacleto? His despising of him and yet his attachment to him at the end?

9.The importance of Allison in the film? Trapped in the Deep South and in the army? What did she yearn for? How mad was she? The effect of the difficult birth and of her illness? The effect of Anacleto? The fact that Anacleto was present before the birth of the child? Her watching from the window? Reflections in her eyes? Her suspicions of Williams? Her suspicions and jealousy of Leonora? Was she right to ask for a divorce? Was she realistic in the prospects of her future? How sorry were you when she was so jealous and had to be committed to the asylum? Were you surprised at her death? Was this too contrived?

10.The significance of Anacleto in the film? His relationship to Allison? His helping her? His weirdness? His malady? his artistry and dancing? His explaining the meaning of things, his insight into things? The fact that he saw but did not reflect? The comments of the Colonel and the Major afterwards on the army's making a man of him?

11.Comment on the central riding sequence. The fact that the Major wanted to ride the stallion? That it was his wife's horse? That he could not ride the horse successfully but was thrown? The fact that he rode it cruelly? The fact that he whipped it? The importance then of Leonora's slashing and whipping him?

12.The importance of the sequence where the Major made himself young? A rejuvenating self-deception? His pursuit of Williams? His waiting for Williams to come to the house? His disappointment?

13.Did you expect the Major to commit the murder and to kill Williams? Why did he do so? Why did he lose control? How important were the previous discussions about manliness, the army, barracks comradeship etc?

14.What was the purpose of making this film? Did it explore values successfully? Was it too morbid? Was it coarse? Or was it the valid exploration of madness, perversion, evil?