Quare Fellows

I get muddled between Bowles and Burroughs. Both American writers who lived in Tangiers, were gay and of a similar vintage; Bowles 1910 – 1999, Burroughs 1914 – 1997.

More than twenty years ago I read The Sheltering Sky by Bowles. It was a struggle and I got on a bit better with the film version directed by Bernardo Bertolucci. I think it was the first time I had seen steadicam. I am a bit nerdy about cinematography and notice such things. This month I saw the film version of (Sir, in the New Year Honours) Robert Harris’s novel Conclave. The cinematography including some steadicam was excellent. In fact the whole film was excellent with an outstanding performance by Ralph Fiennes. I must disclose, he is a distant connection of mine through my mother’s descent from the Wingfield Stratford Twisleton Wykeham Fiennes family. I rather hoped it might be the longest British surname but in the 19th century there were other contenders and AI reckons this is the winner – Leone Sextus Denys Oswolf Fraudatifilius Tollemache-Tollemache-de-Orellana- Plantagenet-Tollemache-Tollemache (1884-1917). He died in WW I and is buried in France. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission admitted defeat and on his headstone is engraved “Leone Sextus Tollemache”.

“The film is based on the 1949 novel of the same name by Paul Bowles (who appears in a cameo role) about a couple who journey to North Africa in the hopes of rekindling their marriage but soon fall prey to the dangers that surround them. The story culminates with the man falling severely ill in a very remote area of the Sahara desert, from where the events turn catastrophic.” (Wikipedia)

I have not read Queer by William Burroughs but I have seen a few reels of the film. I know films don’t come on reels any more but I have happy memories of watching reels at prep school in Dún Laoghaire. The film is directed by Luca Guadagnino who did such a good job on Call Me By Your Name but this time he doesn’t have such good material. It is largely autobiographical, set in Mexico City and South America, about an expatriate, promiscuous, gay American writer who becomes obsessed with a younger American ex-Serviceman. I can only comment on the first eighty-five minutes. There was an amazing amount of smoking, drinking, drugs and a smattering of sex tastefully portrayed. The actor playing Burroughs is Daniel Craig and his performance is terrific. Possibly the restraint in the sex scenes was written into his contract. If this was Juke Box Jury I’d give it a Miss but I left half way through.