Bent (1997)

The persecution of gays in Nazi Germany is the topic of Bent (1997), not to be confused with the crime thriller Bent (2018) starring Karl Urban. Based on Martin Sherman’s same-named play, the drama centers around a promiscuous rich boy named Maximilian Berber (aka Max) who is shacking up with his boyfriend Rudolph Hennings (aka Rudy) in the 1930s. But when they’re arrested by the  Gestapo, the two must board a train for Dachau concentration camp. While en route, Rudy (Brian Webber II) is beaten to death for being gay. As such, Max (Clive Owen) pretends to be straight. But at the prison camp, he falls in love with Horst (Lothaire Bluteau) who teaches him about the peace that comes with accepting yourself. This is a very skintense film peppered with some tasty morsels of nudity to help momentarily take your mind off the heavy subject matter. Mr. Owen’s naked T&A is on display while taking a shower. Wolf (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) goes full frontal in a few scenes. Alas, the sight of his abs, shaft and ass is dampened by the fact that Nazis are chasing him. In 1979, Richard Gere played Max on Broadway as did Ian McKellen in London. José Mayer took on the theatrical role in Brazil in 1981. In 2015, Mariusz Drężek was Max in a live production in Poland. By 2022, Matt Hyde portrayed him on a South Australian stage. Still, Clive is our favorite since his flesh flashing is on film. Let’s hear it for freeze-frame!