Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Gladys Hill (writer)
Carson McCullers (novel)
(more)

Release Date:

13 October 1967 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Most women in her situation would do the very same thing! They just wouldn't do it as well- or as often!

Plot:

Bizarre tale of sex, betrayal, and perversion at a military post.

Plot Keywords:

Bareback Riding | Scream | Bird Of Paradise | Cleavage | Horse Whipped

Cast

Elizabeth Taylor	...	Leonora Penderton
Marlon Brando	...	Maj. Weldon Penderton
Brian Keith	...	Lt. Col. Morris Langdon
Julie Harris	...	Alison Langdon
Zorro David	...	Anacleto
Gordon Mitchell	...	Stables Sergeant
Irvin Dugan	...	Capt. Murray Weincheck
Fay Sparks	...	Susie
Robert Forster	...	Pvt. L.G. Williams
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Ted Beniades	...	Sergeant (uncredited)
John Callaghan	...	Private (uncredited)
Jed Curtis	...	Accordionist (uncredited)
Frank Flanagan	...	General Sugar (uncredited)
Trent Gough	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Harvey Keitel	...	Soldier (uncredited)
Al Mulock	...	Private (uncredited)
Douglas Stark	...	Dr. Burgess (uncredited)
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Lieutenant at Garden Party (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Gladys Hill		writer
Carson McCullers		novel
Chapman Mortimer		writer

Produced by
C.O. Erickson	....	associate producer
John Huston	....	producer
Ray Stark	....	producer

Original Music by
Toshirô Mayuzumi

Cinematography by
Aldo Tonti
Oswald Morris		(uncredited)

Film Editing by
Russell Lloyd

Production Design by
Stephen B. Grimes		(as Stephen Grimes)

Art Direction by
Bruno Avesani

Set Decoration by
William Kiernan

Costume Design by
Dorothy Jeakins

Makeup Department
Alexandre	....	hair stylist: Ms. Taylor (as Alexander of Paris)
Paolo Borselli	....	hair stylist (as Paolo Borzelli)
Agnes Flanagan	....	hair stylist
Amato Garbini	....	makeup artist
Frank La Rue	....	makeup artist (as Frank LaRue)
Phil Rhodes	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Mario Del Papa	....	production manager
Frederick Muller	....	unit manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vana Caruso	....	assistant director
Edward Folger	....	assistant director (uncredited)

Sound Department
John Cox	....	sound
Basil Fenton-Smith	....	sound
Leslie Hodgson	....	sound editor

Camera and Electrical Department
Nino Cristiani	....	camera operator (as Michele Cristiani)
Alberico Novelli	....	electrician (uncredited)
Bob Penn	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Piero Servo	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Anna Maria Feo	....	wardrobe mistress (as Anna Maria Fea)

Music Department
Marcus Dods	....	conductor

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	script supervisor
Friedrich von Ledebur	....	horse master

Production Companies

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Distributors

• Warner Brothers/Seven Arts (1967) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1973) (USA) (TV) (original airing)
• Seven Films (2008) (Greece) (theatrical) (reissue)
• Warner Bros. (1967) (West Germany) (theatrical)
• Warner Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

West Germany:18 (f) | Portugal:M/12 | UK:X (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:15

Filming Locations:

Long Island, New York, USA

Company:

Warner Brothers/Seven Arts

Trivia:

In his autobiography, An Open Book, Director John Huston recalls how he meet with Marlon Brando to offer him the role of Major Penderton. Initially Brando rejected the role feeling that he was not suited for the part. Huston then encouraged Brando to read the script and then to make a decision. After he had read the script, Brando took a very long walk in the rain, then came back to Huston and told him he wanted the part.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Leonora is writing invitations to a party in her house, the amount of drink in her glass decreases between shots.

Quotes:

Leonora: Have you ever been collared and dragged out into the street and thrashed by a naked woman?

Movie Connections:

Featured in Brando (2007) (TV)

A Murder Was Committed on an Army Post in the Deep South..........

Reflections in a Golden Eye came out at an interesting transitional period for gay people. The Code that had dominated what could and could not be shown on the screen was just being lifted. That Code had succeeded in making gay people all but invisible by Hollywood standards. But it was two years before the Stonewall Rebellion which gave the gay rights movement a political voice.

Originally Montgomery Clift was scheduled to do this film with three time screen partner Elizabeth Taylor, but Clift died before the film started shooting. Marlon Brando took his place and in my opinion gave a very underrated performance as the repressed latent homosexual Major married to Elizabeth Taylor.

Brando and Taylor dusted off a couple of southern accents previously used in films, Brando from Sayonara and Taylor from Raintree County. But the characters here are vastly different from the characters portrayed in both of those other films.

Although certainly given Clift's background he was eminently qualified to play a repressed gay man, I'm not sure he would have been the type to have played an authority figure like Major Penderton here. Brando was far more the type. The part of the wife was Taylor made for Liz and she went to town with it.

I wonder what those people who want to keep gays out of the military would say about Brando. Brando's burgeoning homosexuality is finding an outlet in a raging crush on a handsome private played by Robert Forster. Forster during his off hours likes to walk and ride horses in the buff and sneaks into Brando's house to play with Liz Taylor's lingerie. Liz is having an affair with Brando's immediate superior Brian Keith who has an invalid and mentally disturbed wife in Julie Harris. And Harris spends most of her time with her very effeminate Filipino houseboy, Zorro David.

Of course this is a recipe for tragedy and tragedy does come. Author Carson McCullers, herself a lesbian, created some unforgettable characters here.

Reflections in a Golden Eye was way before its time. Today the film and Director John Huston would have gotten far better reviews than the film did in 1967.