... An actor (Bogarde) under contract had no choice but to work on a film he knew was never going to be anything special owing to the miscasting of his co-star. Mills is too old at 52 to be playing this role.
Rank Wanted Dirk to sign another contract with them so the director (Baker) was told to let Bogarde do whatever Bogarde wanted to do. Bogarde decides to ramp up the camp and help turn this rather overlong film from mediocrity into a cult classic, for all the wrong reasons.
As if things aren't bad enough on set, Mills decides to start a near 40 year feud between him and Bogarde. Bogarde apparently had a bit of a breakdown during filming over it. Whatever Mills said or did, he felt the need to put it right when he heard Dirk was dying and apologised (according to Mills' autobiography). Probably something to do with Bogarde's step son (for want of a better word), and Mills disapproved of how the lad was being parented on location. Tensions between the two are heightened because of Mills' popularity with the crew, and Bogarde's increasingly odd behaviour.
Then we have the screenplay adaptation from the novel. Homosexuality is worked into the story, probably to liven the whole thing up a bit. The script called for Anacleto to explicitly inform Locha that he was in love with Fr Keogh. According to Bogarde's biographer, Bogarde couldn't bring himself to say it, such was his loathing for Mills. This line was re-written to be a little less obvious and in doing so ensuring half the audience missed this forbidden love aspect of the film. Ironically though it probably meant it got past the censors and the catholic's embraced the film as a debate on faith.
In the book Locha has an infatuation with the priest which Anacleto exploits, Fr Keogh has no desire for Locha, he just makes Anacleto think he does and double crosses him (in order to save Locha and the town from Anacleto). This leads to the shoot out at the end.
I have absolutely no idea whether this is meant to be happening in the film or not? I can't tell from Mills' performance whether he is in love with Locha or Anacleto, both, or none of them at all? It's a very bizarre love triangle.
By the way Mills did a better job of an Irish accent in the Gentle Gunman, alongside Bogarde about decade beforehand. Baker should have pulled him up on it. Mills did a fantastic portrayal of a man in love with his best friend in the film The Family Way. His performance as Ezra Fitton is one of his greatest achievements. So therefore by the standard of his performance in TSNTS we can assume Mills' is just as fed up with the whole thing as everyone else was.
One can only imagine how both actors must have hated that final scene!! Poor Bogarde having to embrace Mills like that after the man had sent him to the verge of a nervous breakdown.
This film is unique. It's just about held together by Bogarde and Mills. They do just enough to make it interesting, but not enough for us to understand what their characters are meant to be feeling.
The only reason why this film is getting an 8 from me is because it has the audience scratching it's head over what the true meaning of the film is all about. You end up with some pretty heavy interpretations, it's all about the message! No wait, it's all about who is delivering the message! No it's all about forbidden love of a celibate priest and a young woman! No it's all about the forbidden love of two men who love each other (back in 1961 at least)! In the end we really only have the title to go on.
I can see why this film is a cult classic, it's so bad it's good, and all the happenings behind the scenes and Bogarde's subversion of the film makes it even more enjoyable.
I really would like to see it available to buy in widescreen format. A widescreen version does exist on YouTube but it's so grainy you miss a lot of the facial emotions of Bogarde and Mills. The pan and scan copy you get on DVD cuts out parts of crucial scenes.
I don't know if there is sufficient interest in this film to warrant a good HD widescreen issue, but If there ever is I'd buy it.
Rank Wanted Dirk to sign another contract with them so the director (Baker) was told to let Bogarde do whatever Bogarde wanted to do. Bogarde decides to ramp up the camp and help turn this rather overlong film from mediocrity into a cult classic, for all the wrong reasons.
As if things aren't bad enough on set, Mills decides to start a near 40 year feud between him and Bogarde. Bogarde apparently had a bit of a breakdown during filming over it. Whatever Mills said or did, he felt the need to put it right when he heard Dirk was dying and apologised (according to Mills' autobiography). Probably something to do with Bogarde's step son (for want of a better word), and Mills disapproved of how the lad was being parented on location. Tensions between the two are heightened because of Mills' popularity with the crew, and Bogarde's increasingly odd behaviour.
Then we have the screenplay adaptation from the novel. Homosexuality is worked into the story, probably to liven the whole thing up a bit. The script called for Anacleto to explicitly inform Locha that he was in love with Fr Keogh. According to Bogarde's biographer, Bogarde couldn't bring himself to say it, such was his loathing for Mills. This line was re-written to be a little less obvious and in doing so ensuring half the audience missed this forbidden love aspect of the film. Ironically though it probably meant it got past the censors and the catholic's embraced the film as a debate on faith.
In the book Locha has an infatuation with the priest which Anacleto exploits, Fr Keogh has no desire for Locha, he just makes Anacleto think he does and double crosses him (in order to save Locha and the town from Anacleto). This leads to the shoot out at the end.
I have absolutely no idea whether this is meant to be happening in the film or not? I can't tell from Mills' performance whether he is in love with Locha or Anacleto, both, or none of them at all? It's a very bizarre love triangle.
By the way Mills did a better job of an Irish accent in the Gentle Gunman, alongside Bogarde about decade beforehand. Baker should have pulled him up on it. Mills did a fantastic portrayal of a man in love with his best friend in the film The Family Way. His performance as Ezra Fitton is one of his greatest achievements. So therefore by the standard of his performance in TSNTS we can assume Mills' is just as fed up with the whole thing as everyone else was.
One can only imagine how both actors must have hated that final scene!! Poor Bogarde having to embrace Mills like that after the man had sent him to the verge of a nervous breakdown.
This film is unique. It's just about held together by Bogarde and Mills. They do just enough to make it interesting, but not enough for us to understand what their characters are meant to be feeling.
The only reason why this film is getting an 8 from me is because it has the audience scratching it's head over what the true meaning of the film is all about. You end up with some pretty heavy interpretations, it's all about the message! No wait, it's all about who is delivering the message! No it's all about forbidden love of a celibate priest and a young woman! No it's all about the forbidden love of two men who love each other (back in 1961 at least)! In the end we really only have the title to go on.
I can see why this film is a cult classic, it's so bad it's good, and all the happenings behind the scenes and Bogarde's subversion of the film makes it even more enjoyable.
I really would like to see it available to buy in widescreen format. A widescreen version does exist on YouTube but it's so grainy you miss a lot of the facial emotions of Bogarde and Mills. The pan and scan copy you get on DVD cuts out parts of crucial scenes.
I don't know if there is sufficient interest in this film to warrant a good HD widescreen issue, but If there ever is I'd buy it.