Sunday, Bloody Sunday Rating: Release Date: 16 September, 2003 Retail Price: $14.98 OUR Price: $12.99 You SAVE: $1.99! Cast: Peter Finch Glenda Jackson Richard Thomas Marie Windsor Complete Cast (10 total)

Sunday, Bloody Sunday Reviews

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An adult film in more ways than one.
This is an excellent film about realistic adult relationships and the compromises we have to make to make relationships work. When the film was released in 1971 however the homosexuality certainly could overshadow the underlying complex but brutally honest story.

I think the best way to review the film is to concentrate on the 3 main characters, all played so very well by a super cast.

Alex, played by Glenda Jackson, is a business woman in her 40's having an affair with a bisexual artist, Bob, who is in his late 20's or early 30's. Bob leaves her at the first hint of conflict or trouble or confrontation to join his Jewish physician lover, Daniel, played by Peter Finch. Daniel asks for relatively little and offers an oasis of thought and tenderness for Bob.

This seems to torture Alex so much that she can't stop from allowing her feelings of rejection and fear of abandonment from driving Bob off the next time they meet. Most telling is her conversation with her mother where she challenges her mother and father's relationship. The father is a cold multi-millionaire that long ago ceased to be involved in a passionate relationship with his wife. Alex's mother confronts her back that she expects to have "it all' in a relationship and defends her marriage with 'you don't think it is anything but you are wrong." Alex is extremely bright and verbal but in many ways a spoiled woman. Yet to be fair, how many people can share a lover? It is possibly one of the most difficult tasks in the world for most and can be so traumatic that the constant worry destroys the relationship.

Bob, the bi-sexual artists, does not have to commit to either Alex or Daniel or to anyone. He is handsome, young, talented, intelligent, and articulate. He is ambitious and sees clearly what he gets from both relationships. He doesn't have to commit so he doesn't. Both lovers, Alex and Daniel, indulge him and adore him. From his perspective he realizes he does not have to choose between them and he enjoys various aspect of both of the relationships. Why should he make a choice? Does he stop seeing Daniel so that Alex will stop obsessing and fretting? I sympathized with Bob. He was indulged and pampered and knew it.

Daniel, the Jewish physician, was superbly played by Peter Finch. This portrayal of a man living multiple identities was extra special. Daniel is the talented and dedicated physican who takes calls from patients night and day. He is wise and learned and compassionate. He listens to opera in a sophisticated garden home - serene and reflective. Yet he is fully engaged in the Jewish community in which he was reared. The scenes of his nephew's Bra Mitzvah convey his strong heritage and roots to the Jewish community. Daniel, more so that with Alex or Bob, conveys the concept of living different identities. Daniel recognizes he is part of the Jewish community, part of the medical community and the patients they see, and part of a same-gender loving community which exists more behind doors that in the open in 1971. Whereas Alex remains tortured most of the film, Daniel ends the film with a speech directly to the camera about the limitations of all relationships,the compromises we have to make in all relationships, and the responsibility to extract from each human experience as much joy and meaning as is possible.

We have a choice in life, we can accept or reject compromise. Both paths have rewards and hardships. This is really the theme of the film.

After 34 years, this film has retained its power, since its power resides in depiction of honest lives and honest situations.



Interesting British Drama
"Sunday, Bloody Sunday" was one of the most acclaimed adult dramas of the early 70s, and one of the first major films to address gay relationships. Murray Head stars as a young hippie in simultaneous relationships with physician Peter Finch and businesswoman Glenda Jackson. Finch and Jackson know about each other, and they even share some mutual acquaintances. Needless to say, even though Finch and Jackson are completely enamored of the young man, they're also both frustrated with his inability to give more or commit himself. The film explores these relationships over a tumultuous week.

The film was directed by John Schlesinger as his follow-up to the Oscar-winning "Midnight Cowboy." It's a solid drama of obvious interest for its early, relatively non-judgmental depiction of a gay relationship. Of note, the relationships are handled with sensitivity but are also interesting and complex. The Penelope Gilliatt-penned script (her only film) is top-notch and received numerous awards (National Society of Film Critics, Writers Guild of America) as well as an Oscar nomination.

Finch and Jackson turn in very good performances, which were rewarded with Oscar nominations. Although Murray Head's performance is often criticized for being bland, I think that his cipher-like qualities works well here; you're not supposed to fully understand exactly what Jackson or Finch see in him. Although it's reflective of its era, the film holds up fairly well. Overall, "Sunday, Bloody Sunday" is an interesting exploration of adult relationships - straight or gay.



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