Alicia I love this movie so much

Jeanskynebu the audience applauded

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

Taha Avalos The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

Charles Camp A pretty interesting film. This isn't one of those movies that's especially thrilling to watch (although there is some very nice camera-work and editing to enjoy). Rather, it's the kind of film that tends to linger in the mind specifically because of its restraint: the lack of overt drama or punchy climax forces you to think back on the moments and scenes that may have seemed insignificant while you were watching them but, in fact, were the lifeblood of the story.A lot of reactions to this film paint it as being very "grown-up" - with mature adults that, in the end, make mature decisions about their relationships. I definitely agree that it is quite "grown-up" in its very frank, non-dramatized depiction of sexuality and its fluidity (especially impressive given how long ago it was made). However, the characters themselves and their actions in the film are a different story. To me, the movie seems to be more about emotionally damaged/compromised individuals and their clinging to an awful relationship simply because they're desperate for some love. Any love.This is easy to see with Alex's character. She's a divorcée and throughout the film it is quite clear that she is pained by the separation. She often comes off as being troubled and outwardly unsure of herself - she openly cries, gazes at old photos of her and her ex- husband, absently knocks things over in her house etc. It's easy to understand why she so desperately clings to her relationship with Bob - she's lonely and yearns for closeness and romance.So much so, in fact, that she is willing to share Bob with his other lover, Dr. Daniel Hirsh. The brilliant key of the film is that all three individuals know they are in a love triangle. There's no secret affairs that culminate in an explosive finale where all is revealed - everyone involved knows exactly what is going on and run with it anyway. Bob is no mystery; he's a young, free-spirited and fickle guy who refuses to be tied down and is having fun exploring his sexuality. He doesn't seem to deeply care about either Daniel or Alex, and is ready to up and leave them for a move to NYC without so much as a second thought. Alex, however, is so desperate for love that she clings to this young, immature boy and is even willing to accept the fact that she has to share him with someone else.Daniel's disposition is much more subtle and potentially more difficult to pin down. However, it seems to me like the emotional turmoil that Alex outwardly expresses is the same turmoil that plagues Daniel as well - he's just better at concealing it. Perhaps being gay myself gives me a bit of an advantage as I can more easily understand and relate to Daniel (and how the director, who is also gay, wanted to portray his character and the complex emotions that go along with having an atypical sexuality or gender identity). He is outwardly a very well put-together man. He is a successful doctor, well-dressed and well-spoken. However, evidence of his less-than-healthy emotional state appears throughout the film. Simply the fact that a successful and respected doctor would entertain a relationship with an immature young man who is, at best, half-interested in him is proof enough that something is wrong. Like Alex, he too is clinging to this relationship, desperate for closeness and love. The complex emotions that come along with being gay are also portrayed very well and subtly. Daniel seems to be "out" and comfortable around his friends and seems at ease with himself when he is around Bob. But there are other moments in the film that suggest another side; he becomes very embarrassed when he is noticed in public by a former hookup, and during a Bar Mitzvah towards the end the film it becomes clear that he has not come out to his extended family, awkwardly skirting their attempts at setting him up with women. The film really nails the conflicting and confusing emotions that can come along with being gay, and how they manifest themselves in different situations. The end result is a man who is emotionally strained just like Alex, and who clings to this farce of a relationship in the same way she does.I appreciated too that the film doesn't take a side or judge these characters for their actions. Alex ultimately decides that this is not right and she needs to move on with her life and find a true partner. Daniel, on the other hand (and in a surprising, fourth-wall breaking final scene) insists on staying in the relationship because it does bring him some happiness - and he would rather have something than nothing at all. The film doesn't cast either of their decisions in a negative or positive light, smartly leaving it to the viewer to decide for themselves.

evanston_dad Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson play two lonely souls who are willing to share the same young man if it means staving off loneliness in this refreshingly adult relationship drama from John Schlesinger.For a film made in the early 1970s, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" is surprisingly frank in its treatment of homosexuality, and it has a sort of hollowed out vibe that matches the social unrest that was clearly impacting Britain as much as America in 1971. Characters act primarily out of either desperation or boredom, as if seeking for actual happiness is a pointless exercise. The movie is a tad slow and a bit talky, but it is very good and gives two accomplished English actors a chance to shine.Both Jackson and Finch were nominated for Oscars for their performances in this film, both deservedly, Finch especially so. His role is the less showy and therefore probably the more difficult, and Finch plays it perfectly. Jackson is good, but there's just something about her manner that always annoys me no matter what character she's playing, so it's tough for me to be subjective about her, though there's no denying her talent. Schlesinger was also nominated for Best Director, as was Penelope Gilliatt, a former movie critic, for her original screenplay. Oddly, the film itself, though nominated for the formidable combination of Director, Actor, Actress and Original Screenplay did not manage to snag a Best Picture nom from the Academy, and it struck out in all its nominated categories.This is one to definitely check out.Grade: A

wes-connors Jewish doctor Peter Finch (as Daniel Hirsh) and divorcée Glenda Jackson (as Alex Greville) are both sharing their beds, and bodies, with bisexual artist Murray Head (as Bob Elkin). Alas, Mr. Head wants to leave London for New York, alone, on a bloody Sunday. But, he promises to return "soon". Mr. Finch and Ms. Jackson will be very lonely without Head. They will go from sharing "half a loaf" of Head, to going with none at all...Director John Schlesinger's follow-up to his "Midnight Cowboy" masterpiece is, as expected, extraordinarily well-directed. However, the relationships do not excite; and, they are difficult to understand. Jackson and Head are the more believable. Finch and Head try hard; but, their man-on-man passion does not come across well; in fact, there were more sparks between Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight in Schlesinger's subtler "Cowboy".There are many lovingly detailed scenes, beautifully photographed by Billy Williams. Past "Superstar" Bessie Love acts as the answering service lady, and future "Superstar" Daniel Day-Lewis appears as a very naughty boy. Bed-hopping Head co-starred on the "Jesus Christ Superstar" LP play, during "Sunday Bloody Sunday"; and, his single version of "Superstar" celebrated two runs on the US Pop charts. Everybody's a bloody "Superstar"! ******* Sunday Bloody Sunday (1971) John Schlesinger ~ Peter Finch, Glenda Jackson, Murray Head

st-shot Three of the British Film Industries finest artists are in peak form for this somber tale about uncommitted relationships and coping. Londoners Alex Greville (Glenda Jackson) and Dr.Daniel Hirsh. (Peter Finch) are both intimately involved with an impetuous young artist Bob Elkins (Murray Head). They would both like something more permanent but Elkins prefers his carefree existence as he moves from bed to bed with some but little concern for each partner's feelings. The story moves back and forth from Greville's life to Hirsh's dealing with their everyday existence and the people they come in contact with in 70's London. They are fairly common lives and there is little excitement to this film which ends without resolving much. Yet it is an engrossing and highly polished piece of cinema featuring brilliantly controlled performances by Jackson and Finch. They are wonderfully ordinary, with foibles and bad judgment at times but overall decent and quietly desperate like most of the human race. Director John Schlesinger provides a great stage for his actors but he also manages to nicely incorporate the London scene in which they exist with striking imagery and the same mesmerizing flash back jump cutting that powered Midnight Cowboy. There are times it can be disjointing but overall Schlesinger succeeds with his depiction of decaying society as he did with New York in Cowboy and would with Hollywood in Day of the Locust. In his prime as he was here, Schlesinger was a master of social commentary and blending character to their environment. Sunday is challenging but worth it.