The Naked Civil Servant

It's an early century period piece, but certainly gives off that it was written mid sexual revolution. The movie is sincere, but even though Crisp defiantly self-identified as an exhibitionist, it feels a little too self-aware about the apprehension with which it expects to be perceived. Crisp has a lot to say about having an openly gay identity in an illiberal society, but as a result, too much of the text is a performance of those statements, and the character doesn't breathe enough.

Hurt gives a fine performance. For me, this TV film brings to the forefront a lot of sadness. Sadness in how cruel people can be. So many people are denied happiness by others, circumstance and even themselves - it's terrifying. Maybe that's what's needed sometimes, something that invigorates the burning passion of your heart, and makes it quantifiable in the world of now.

This film does well at humanising such a person, giving an insight into their thoughts at times, how they deal with the situations they find themselves in, including being assaulted by people on the street. It can't be denied that it takes a certain amount of strong will and defiance to not hide away your sexuality during a time of such homophobia. I thought this film is a good piece of social history. Generally its worth a watch.

Hurt's extraordinary evocation of Crisp is the highlight of otherwise unremarkable TV drama; its attempts to be frank about the sexual themes in its story are to be commended (especially for mid-70s television), but overall the film lacks a cohesive narrative, so that the mid-section becomes a series of repetitive sexual encounters without an overreaching point of view.

A strange but true story which is compelling to watch.John Hurt is great as ever.