Cinema
Fortune and Men's Eyes
Harvey Hart · 1971
Synopsis
Smitty, a young man with no record, enters a youth prison to serve a six-month sentence, following a minor drug offence. He shares a cell with Rocky, with Queenie, a sharp-tongued transvestite who runs the place's trade and politics, and with Mona, a gentle, literate boy whom the others make their scapegoat. The rule is explained to him: without the protection of an established inmate, he will be gang-raped. Rocky offers him this protection and demands his body in exchange.
Context
The film is drawn from John Herbert's play, first staged in New York in 1967 and inspired by his own detention, as a teenager, in a reformatory in Ontario; Herbert wrote the screenplay. Co-produced by Cinemex, the Canadian Film Development Corporation and Elgin Films, and distributed by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, it was shot in the former prison of Quebec, on the Plains of Abraham. Jules Schwerin, who had begun it, was replaced along the way. It was released in June 1971 in New York.
Who it is for
One hour forty-two minutes, harsh from start to finish, with scenes of sexual violence and power struggles between inmates.
Prizes and reception
Two Canadian Film Awards, for editing and for Danny Freedman's supporting role; reception divided between melodrama and social criticism.
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