MAURICE ~ An Absolute Trailblazer in 1987
From the Archive
MAURICE ~ An Absolute Trailblazer in 1987
4 September 2011
In 1987 I went to the premiere of Maurice in Bristol. I drove secretly to Bristol from Cheltenham and felt I was taking my life in my hands – for the film’s portrayal of gay life in the early 20th Century was just as accurate for 1987. In the police force it was still a mental disorder, and in the armed forces, a criminal offence triable on indictment or by courts martial, leading to dismissal conduct dishonourable.
In the Church ~ an abomination. I was in all.
So too the legal profession which disliked any type of ‘abnormality’.
That’s 24 years ago! Times have changed.
This film was a controversial blockbuster at the time, and I’ll never forget the feeling of guilt as I sneaked in and out of the cinema that Friday night and parked the car two blocks away.
There! You’ve seen a glimpse of 1990s Britain. But it started me too on the long walk to freedom! What a walk. Who would have thought I would find liberation in a far distant city for me ~ Liverpool.
I wrote these notes fourteen years ago, in 2011.
It is now 2025. Many societies are returning to those dark, sinister and downright evil times. Minds still desire a literal belief in a Dantesque Inferno, and a literal figure to represent evil.
It takes a long time for societies, the world over, to spot the dangers of entrenchment. Still more, the courage to reverse entrenchment.
I’m reminded of that oft-quoted scripture by the born-again brigade in 1990s Christian fundamentalism:
“14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”
1 July 2025
Ian Bradley Marshall
Liverpool
First written 4 September 2011
[1] 2 Corinthians 11: 14-15 New King James Version
