Victim

Victim (1961) was a landmark film, not only for Dirk Bogarde in taking on the role of the title�� victim - the homosexual barrister who takes on the blackmailers who prey on gay men - but also in the personal lives of many who went to see the film. Its message about the need for society to remove, by decriminalization, a means of persecuting a specific minority was one with which Bogarde identified fully, but could, for obvious reasons, champion only through a work of fiction. James Mason and Jack Hawkins had turned down the role; Bogarde, with more to lose than either of them, seized it with relish. Published to mark the 50th anniversary of the film�� release, John Coldstream�� insightful study addresses the film�� importance in the campaign to decriminalize homosexuality; the contribution of its stars Dirk Bogarde and Sylvia Syms to its emotional impact; and the risk Bogarde took in taking on the central role.