Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971)

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

An old-fashioned movie made with new-fashioned finesse.

A pretty interesting film. This isn't one of those movies that's especially thrilling to watch (although there is some very nice camera-work and editing to enjoy). Rather, it's the kind of film that tends to linger in the mind specifically because of its restraint: the lack of overt drama or punchy climax forces you to think back on the moments and scenes that may have seemed insignificant while you were watching them but, in fact, were the lifeblood of the story.A lot of reactions to this film paint it as being very "grown-up" - with mature adults that, in the end, make mature decisions about their relationships. I definitely agree that it is quite "grown-up" in its very frank, non-dramatized depiction of sexuality and its fluidity (especially impressive given how long ago it was made). However, the characters themselves and their actions in the film are a different story. To me, the movie seems to be more about emotionally damaged/compromised individuals and their clinging to an awful relationship simply because they're desperate for some love. Any love.This is easy to see with Alex's character. She's a divorcée and throughout the film it is quite clear that she is pained by the separation. She often comes off as being troubled and outwardly unsure of herself - she openly cries, gazes at old photos of her and her ex- husband, absently knocks things over in her house etc. It's easy to understand why she so desperately clings to her relationship with Bob - she's lonely and yearns for closeness and romance.So much so, in fact, that she is willing to share Bob with his other lover, Dr. Daniel Hirsh. The brilliant key of the film is that all three individuals know they are in a love triangle. There's no secret affairs that culminate in an explosive finale where all is revealed - everyone involved knows exactly what is going on and run with it anyway. Bob is no mystery; he's a young, free-spirited and fickle guy who refuses to be tied down and is having fun exploring his sexuality. He doesn't seem to deeply care about either Daniel or Alex, and is ready to up and leave them for a move to NYC without so much as a second thought. Alex, however, is so desperate for love that she clings to this young, immature boy and is even willing to accept the fact that she has to share him with someone else.Daniel's disposition is much more subtle and potentially more difficult to pin down. However, it seems to me like the emotional turmoil that Alex outwardly expresses is the same turmoil that plagues Daniel as well - he's just better at concealing it. Perhaps being gay myself gives me a bit of an advantage as I can more easily understand and relate to Daniel (and how the director, who is also gay, wanted to portray his character and the complex emotions that go along with having an atypical sexuality or gender identity). He is outwardly a very well put-together man. He is a successful doctor, well-dressed and well-spoken. However, evidence of his less-than-healthy emotional state appears throughout the film. Simply the fact that a successful and respected doctor would entertain a relationship with an immature young man who is, at best, half-interested in him is proof enough that something is wrong. Like Alex, he too is clinging to this relationship, desperate for closeness and love. The complex emotions that come along with being gay are also portrayed very well and subtly. Daniel seems to be "out" and comfortable around his friends and seems at ease with himself when he is around Bob. But there are other moments in the film that suggest another side; he becomes very embarrassed when he is noticed in public by a former hookup, and during a Bar Mitzvah towards the end the film it becomes clear that he has not come out to his extended family, awkwardly skirting their attempts at setting him up with women. The film really nails the conflicting and confusing emotions that can come along with being gay, and how they manifest themselves in different situations. The end result is a man who is emotionally strained just like Alex, and who clings to this farce of a relationship in the same way she does.I appreciated too that the film doesn't take a side or judge these characters for their actions. Alex ultimately decides that this is not right and she needs to move on with her life and find a true partner. Daniel, on the other hand (and in a surprising, fourth-wall breaking final scene) insists on staying in the relationship because it does bring him some happiness - and he would rather have something than nothing at all. The film doesn't cast either of their decisions in a negative or positive light, smartly leaving it to the viewer to decide for themselves.

Glenda Jackson's Alex Greville and Peter Finch's Dr. Daniel Hirsch are better together than apart. Their characters share a lover played by Murray Head. The cast is first rate with Jackson and Finch playing their characters perfectly. It would have been more interesting to see them together on screen than with Head's character, Bob. They share a lover, Bob. Both Alex and Daniel are more mature in age. Alex fears loneliness while Daniel must deal with his homosexuality. I hated the scene in the park with the kids, Alex, and Bob. The dog's death was entirely unnecessary in my opinion. Alex and Bob spend a weekend with a couple's five obnoxious kids. I love the London scenery in the background. Daniel is a British Jewish doctor who has a successful practice. His family can't grasp or see why he's not married or attached to a woman.

This is a quality movie. Peter Finch a 50s Jewish doctor and Glenda Jackson a rich 30s something divorced drifting woman are in love with Murray Head a 20s androgynous looking shallow free spirit (this was right after the 60s).Yes, I saw it in 1971 the initial kiss stunned the audience--now it would not except maybe in some bible belt venue. What I really like about the movie is it shows a positive gay man (Finch)---not the typical gay character with clichéd baggage like a smothering mother etc... Also Gay characters traditionally are messed up and commit suicide or some other unpleasant denouement they are almost never stable admired members of traditional society.This movie is great it shows the nightmare of the new way of raising children--a cacophony of permissiveness--as a great contrast between the sanity of the love triangle.Murray Head is androgynous looking and it is a little hard imagine him as a romantic magnet but possible. He is sort of a an unsympathetic unemotional and shallow character perfect as a bisexual semi user. So they had that spot on.The 60s free spirit completely honest non jealous free love looking for the meaning of life type characters have fortunately disappeared from the roster of movies.RECOMMEND HIGHLY

Difficult to believe that this brilliant little film is 41 years old because it still feels fresh and vibrant the way his other films remain (Midnight Cowboy, Billy Liar, Darling, etc). It is as mature an examination of love in all its aspects as any film that has been placed on the screen since. The acting by an impeccable cast and the cinematography are first rate, but it is Schlesinger's sure hand that carved this story into our memories.Divorced workingwoman Alex (Glenda Jackson) and well-to-do Jewish family doctor Daniel Hirsh (Peter Finch) share not only the same answering service but also the sexual favors of the young handsome artist Bob Elkin (Murray Head) who bed-hops between them as the mood takes him. Both Alex and Dr Hirsh are aware of the other's existence but prefer to live with the situation rather than risk losing Elkin completely. But a wet winter weekend in London can be difficult. Exceptional cameo roles are filled by Peggy Ashcroft as the doctor's mother and by Richard Loncraine as Bob's partner and Jon Finch who manages to epitomize the London street hustler.There have been several films that have attempted to take on the matter of ménage a trois tales but none has approached the subject of the complexities of romantic relationships with the style and aplomb achieved here. It is a masterwork. Grady Harp