during the gillespie apartment scene it seemed lots of homosexual tension between the two......any one else think so? just wondering cause for the 60's it would have been good to broach the subject
shareMost hillbillies and people in the south are closeted, self-loathing homosexuals, so probably. He definitely seemed to be getting curious with the forbidden fruit of taboo.
shareJesus Christ. Really? Can't two men have a conversation without some four-year old calling them fags?
shareI didn’t see homosexuality. I think the scene was just to show a little bonding between the two men.
Gillespie never had company in his place until Tibbs. So there was a trace of friendship in that act.
And both he and Tibbs are kinda loners, without wives and families. The similarity helped serve as some kind of friendly connection; they’re not that different after all.
The most hilarious thing about this thread is the knee jerk reactions of these str8 plp acting like the very thought of any subtext is ludicrous. How "Sensitive" they are lol. The fact that anyone with a history as a film buff, collector or aficionado would be perfectly within the realm of reason to wonder. There is WAY more in this film than just the living room scene that could lead any reasonable film buff to wonder if there was any subtext or intentional "let them wonder" motives of those involved with the film. Let's take a look at a few RATIOINAL "things that make you go humm" moments. Though we find out about his single life, history and loneliness, as well as his admitted ostracization and feelings of not belonging to "the world" around him near the end, in the Living Room scene. Let's take a look at a few other well placed statements.
Sam Wood comments in the diner when offered pie by the cook that "the chief likes his boys streamlined, ain't that right Chief?" With a notorious grin on his face.
To which the chief responds with "Why don't you shut up Sam".
In the Chief's office when Delores is being forced to tell her "FALSE" story about Sam Wood being the father of her current situation by her brother. She looks up at the Chief and says "He's got a nice face, don't ya think Chief?"...with the most "I know a secret" smirk and facial expression that it just REEKS of small town gossip and accusation. His answer of course is to frost face ignore it and move on quickly with his response of "so he stopped".
That's just 2, + knowing the facts as a film buff that the 40's through the 70's was so littered with sub-text and innuendo about every taboo subject under the sun, and one of those big ones was being Gay. (Not to mention a myriad of other issues, actions and subjects). If you add all of this together ANY rational film buff, whether they think it is or is not, would admit that, sure, there was certainly some "left in the dark, up to the viewer" undertones in this film. Even Virgil was kept vague when asked by the chief had he ever been married, or had he even been close...all Virgil says is "close". Something many Gays in the decades before now had to think of their long term relationships as, "Close" to being married. I'm not saying either of them are closeted, I am saying there is plenty left open to WONDER about and to even inject if YOU feel it makes the movie more relatable for YOU. It IS open to interpretation. Most rational people aren't afraid of that.
It never fails. Even if the whole movie is nothing but Lee Marvin and Toshiro Mifune shooting at each other for two hours, some imbecile will post "Gay Subtext?".
A lot of men reach middle age without being married. Doesn't mean they're homosexual.
I've seen this film dozens of times, and each time I pick up something new. That aside, I never thought it was intended to be anything other than 2 people in the same line of work just taking a short R&R so to speak. But, yes after many repeated viewings, I could see how some people may think there is a very minor undertone, but only on the part of Gillespie. I never got any inkling from Tibbs at all. But when the chief says "Don't you get just a little lonely?" and then later when Tibbs leaves, Gillespie says "Where you going?", seemingly not wanting Tibbs to leave, I can see how that can perhaps be taken out of context, I think.
Put this together with knowing that Rod Steiger was very liberal politically, and it just makes you wonder is there some sort of hidden message they wanted to hint at but not go any further than that.
Has either actor commented about this specifically, just to if anything, dispel rumors?
You can read that into it if you want to but it seems forced. To me, it's more about loneliness.
However, I will say that scene feels improperly placed within the narrative and kind of comes from out of nowhere. Much like most of the film's final act, it's all over the freaking place.