I just finished watching The Haunting, the 1963 version. You may remember the 1999 version with Liam Neeson and Catherine Zeta-Jones. The 1963 version is great. It’s the perfect haunted house movie!
It contained a huge surprise. A lesbian! Catherine Zeta-Jones played a lesbian in the modern version but I had no idea there would be gay representation in the 1963 version. Awesome! The lesbian character (Theo, nice male nickname) was so obvious in her intentions toward the main character (Eleanor) that I was very surprised. There was an absolutely wonderful argument between the main character (Eleanor) as the lesbian character (Theo) was trying to convince her that her crush on the handsome Dr. Markway wouldn’t work out.
Eleanor: I’d rather be innocent than like you!
Theo: Meaning what?
Eleanor: Now who’s being stupid and innocent? You know perfectly well what I mean!
Theo: Is this another of your crazy hallucinations?
Eleanor: I’m not crazy!
Theo: Crazy as a loon! You expect me to believe you’re sane and the rest of the world is mad?
Elearnor: Well, why not? The world is full of inconsistencies, unnatural things. Nature’s mistakes, they’re called… you, for instance!
[Long silence]
I love it! Modern movies just don’t have such wonderful lines. When you watch dialog like this it really leaves an impression on you. When you take into account the social beliefs of the time, and what a huge thing it was to have this conversation at all, it’s kind of cool. Of course, it’s not cool that she’s calling her “unnatural”, but in a way it kind of is cool. Because really, she (Eleanor) is deeply jealous of the lesbian character (Theo) and this whole discussion is her acting out. The truth is, the lesbian (Theo) is already probably the best friend she has ever had. She’s probably taken more romantic interest in her than anyone else, as well.
Write it down, set a calendar item, and watch this one next Halloween. Or, run out to the video store fast!