Sebastiane

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Sebastiane

Promotional poster
Directed by Derek Jarman
Paul Humfress
Produced by Howard Malin
James Whaley
Written by Paul Humfress
Derek Jarman
James Whaley
Starring Leonardo Treviglio
Barney James
Richard Warwick
Neil Kennedy
Music by Brian Eno
Andrew Thomas Wilson
Cinematography Peter Middleton
Editing by Paul Humfress
Distributed by BBC Worldwide
Release date(s) 1976
Running time 86 min.
Country UK
Language Latin
Budget $45,000
IMDb profile

Sebastiane is a controversial 1976 film written and directed by Derek Jarman and Paul Humfress. It portrays the events of the life of Saint Sebastian, including his iconic martyrdom by arrows. Most of the controversy surrounding the film derives from the homoeroticism portrayed between the soldiers. It is significant for being the first film to be entirely recorded accurately in Latin, which went as far as the translation of some dialogue into vulgar Latin.

The film follows an outpost of Roman soldiers who engage in homosexual behavior, largely due to a lack of women. A centurion has a particular sexual interest in Sebastian, but he rejects his advances.

To be shown on British Television, and indeed to gain an 18 rating from the BBFC, a scene of an erection had to be removed. A documentary called Sex and the Censors shown in the 1980s featured a segment on Sebastiane. A mistake caused the scene to be shown behind one of the interviewees[1].

Contents

[edit] Cast

Actor Character
Barney James Severus
Neil Kennedy Maximus
Leonardo Treviglio Sebastian
Richard Warwick Justin
Donald Dunham Claudius
Daevid Finbar Julian
Ken Hicks Adrian
Lindsay Kemp Dancer
Steffano Massari Marius
Janusz Romanov Anthony
Gerald Incandela Leopard Boy
Robert Medley Emperor Diocletian

[edit] References

  1. ^ http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=3526 Review of DVD release with some background information.

[edit] Notes

  1. Trivia at IMDB

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
v • d • e
Derek Jarman
Feature Films
Sebastiane (1976) • Jubilee (1977) • The Tempest (1979) • The Angelic Conversation (1985) • Caravaggio (1986) • Aria (segment "Depuis le Jour") (1987) • The Last of England (1988) • War Requiem (1989) • The Garden (1990) • Edward II (1991) • Wittgenstein (1993) • Blue (1993)
Short film collages
In the Shadow of the Sun (1981) • Glitterbug (1994)
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