"The Beguiled" caused something of a stir upon its initial release, being the first of a number of rather offbeat films that Clint Eastwood has made, to greater or lesser success. This is definitely one of the successes and a rather brave choice for a previously macho star. The plot is as described: a wounded Union soldier, John McBurney (Eastwood), is taken in by the female occupants of a Southern girls' school. As he attempts to exploit his position, initially for self-preservation but then increasingly for sexual gratification, he unleashes the repressed passions and guilty secrets of his captors/hosts with tragic consequences.

The subject matter of "The Beguiled" is such that it requires very sensitive handling all-round, otherwise the whole thing would deteriorate into hysteria. That it largely succeeds is a credit to the cast and crew, as it's only in the final quarter of an hour or so that the film occasionally loses its sureness of touch. In the past the film has been… more »

"The Beguiled" caused something of a stir upon its initial release, being the first of a number of rather offbeat films that Clint Eastwood has made, to greater or lesser success. This is definitely one of the successes and a rather brave choice for a previously macho star. The plot is as described: a wounded Union soldier, John McBurney (Eastwood), is taken in by the female occupants of a Southern girls' school. As he attempts to exploit his position, initially for self-preservation but then increasingly for sexual gratification, he unleashes the repressed passions and guilty secrets of his captors/hosts with tragic consequences.

The subject matter of "The Beguiled" is such that it requires very sensitive handling all-round, otherwise the whole thing would deteriorate into hysteria. That it largely succeeds is a credit to the cast and crew, as it's only in the final quarter of an hour or so that the film occasionally loses its sureness of touch. In the past the film has been attacked for being misogynistic but Eastwood's character is rather too complex to really bear this accusation out and what we have is a film about shifting alliances, trust and particularly, abuse of trust.

In addition to being sensitively handled, the film also looks and sounds great: an art house feel that seems to compliment the old world manners of the protagonists is beautifully matched by Lalo Schifrin's score.

Film makers and actors are always trying to prove they have "breadth". If you consider that "The Beguiled" was made in the same year as "Dirty Harry", Eastwood and his mentor, director Don Siegel, certainly prove that.

Definitely worth a look.