classicsoncall Review of Sunday Bloody Sunday

Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

"There are times when nothing HAS to be better than anything."

[8/10 · 13 July 2019]

This movie came out about the time I first witnessed for myself two men kissing each other for real. It was at a gay mixer in the Student Union where I attended college at a liberal Northeastern university. For a straight guy, it was a little unnerving, and though my tolerances have broadened over the years, it still strikes as rather uncomfortable. Be that as it may, the story here doesn't engage in sensationalism or provocation, but is more a character study of three individuals, two men and one woman, in search of some validation and closure in their lives. That won't be of course because of the three, the younger gent is sexually engaged with the other two, and the alternate partners know about each other. Seems it would make for a tempestuous situation, but all concerned get along well enough, or at least as well as they can until the directionless and oversexed partner (Murray Head) decides to shove off for America to seek his fortune. The film plays out in various vignettes that include momentary flashbacks in the lives of Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson) and Dr. Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch), which have a tendency of reminding them how they each arrived at their sorry state of affairs. For all three it appears, as Daniel explained to Aunt Astrid (Marie Burke) at his nephew's bar mitzvah, "I haven't found the right person yet". Could be he was speaking for the majority of humankind.