Fortune and Men’s Eyes (1971)

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A young man named Smitty (Wendell Burton) goes to prison and immediately falls into a brutal struggle for power and supremacy. He reluctantly enters into a submissive relationship with one of his roommates, a tough guy named Rocky (Zooey Hall) who promises to protect him from gang rapes in exchange for sexual servitude. He also observes how a drag queen named Queenie (Michael Greer) maintains his own administrative dominance, while a bullied, nervous man nicknamed Mona (Danny Freedman) provides one of the only voices of reason in a world gone insane.

The production values are relatively low in this Canadian production, but the largely unknown cast are at least serviceable in their difficult roles. (After learning Sal Mineo and Don Johnson starred in the L.A. stage production, I really wish they played Rocky and Smitty, respectively, in the film.) The subculture of ‘men in prison’ is one rarely explored, especially when the film was released in 1971. I (thankfully) can’t vouch for the story’s authenticity, but playwright and screenwriter John Herbert claims that it’s based on his own experiences. Either way, I found it thematically interesting, particularly as Smitty’s ascendance begets his transformation into an uncaring, Rocky-like character. There’s also interesting depictions of rape as an assertion of power and shifting sexual identity as a matter of convenience.