Movie Title: The Beguiled
Genre: Drama, Thriller, War
Writer: Albert Maltz, Irene Kamp, and Claude Traverse (from the novel by Thomas Cullinan)
Starring: Clint Eastwood, Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, Darleen Carr, Mae Mercer, Pamelyn Ferdin, Melody Thomas Scott, Peggy Drier, Patricia Mattick, Charlie Briggs, George Dunn, Charles G. Martin, Matt Clark, Patrick Culliton, Buddy Van Horn
Review: This Gothic horror story stars Clint Eastwood as a wounded Union soldier who finds shelter in a Confederate all-girls boarding school during the Civil War. Desperate to survive he seduces the hearts and minds of the lonely ladies which reveal shocking desires, betrayals, and wickedness that one could never have imagined. Prepare to be one of The Beguiled.
The Beguiled is an odd little gem that, from its description, sounds like a letter to Penthouse, and could have been, but thanks to key creative forces behind the project it's actually a dark psychological thriller that's scary, scandalous, and quite shocking.
Director Don Siegel and star Clint Eastwood really play against type with this picture. Siegel, more known for male dominated action pictures, creates a dreamy Gothic tale with women as the focus with an interloping male as a potential friend or foe. Eastwood is fantastic as a bold soldier that uses his charms and sex appeal to survive, but takes things a bit too far and thus stirs up trouble among the ladies. He really shows that he can play an unlikable Lothario the tempts the audience to see how far he can push things. The old "rooster in the hen house" bit, but done rather skillfully by Siegel's direction and the very unusual screenplay by three different screenwriters (Albert Maltz, Irene Kamp, and Claude Traverse ) at three different times.
The ladies of the house (Geraldine Page, Elizabeth Hartman, Jo Ann Harris, Darleen Carr, Mae Mercer, Pamelyn Ferdin, Melody Thomas Scott, Peggy Drier, and Patricia Mattick) steal the show; especially Pamelyn Ferdin as the sweetly innocent Amy that falls the hardest for Eastwood's John McBurney. She's wonderful! Each of their characters fall hard for McBurney and for very different reasons. They also, without overplaying it, show genuine heartbreak when they discover he's not what they wanted him to be.
The Beguiled will definitely shock some with its lustful exchanges between Eastwood and his co-stars, and how this unwanted interloper is dealt with when he truly thinks that he is the king of the castle. It's not for everyone, and it's certainly it's not a Dirty Harry in the Civil War action movie. This creepy thriller is a slow burn that'll really have you questioning that south hospitality thing that you've been hearing about for ages.
Fun Fact: Clint Eastwood and Jo Ann Harris had a love affair that continued well after they made the movie.