This dreary story of the latent desires of the sexually repressed and psychologically tormented is taken from the 1944 novel by Carson McCullers. Major Penderton (Marlon Brando) is a hard-driving Army officer married to Leonora (Elizabeth Taylor). The impotent Penderton hides his latent homosexuality under his strict military discipline, while Leonora is having an affair with Lt. Colonel Langdon (Brian Keith), who is married to the troubled Allison (Julie Harris), who slices off her own nipples
after a disappointing pregnancy. Private Williams (Robert Forster) is a young recruit who likes to ride naked on horseback. The Major is driven to insane jealousy when he discovers Williams would rather be with Leonora than with him. The idea is good, but the story plays like a sort of discarded (Tennessee Williams) play. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi
Director John Huston is very careful not to share any beauty with us, there's one stunning shot of swirling dust, accentuated by the golden hue, but it's far off in the distance. If the characters can't have pleasure, neither should we.
Huston adds a panting melodrama to the whole affair and throws in some rampant symbolism for good measure, but it's a joy to watch such a stellar cast at work.
Considering the talent involved (Marlon Brando and Elizabeth Taylor directed by John Huston?) Reflections in a Golden Eye is a colossal waste of anything you can ever think of, including the time I put into watching it. The story is creepy, dull, moronic and completely fucking pointless. Lobotomize Tennessee Williams,
stick him in front of a typewriter and on a good day this is what you'd end up with. There was not one character I didn't want to take a baseball bat to out of utter disappointment. It's like Huston filmed more of a movie, lost a good chunk of it and just half-assed this together or some nervous studio executives took the wheel. Between Robert Forster's naked horseback rides and Julie Harris' little Philipino manservant who made Liberace look like John Wayne. Some of the cinematography was nice, as was Taylor's body double's ass but there was just too much the audience wasn't let in on storywise to make me clap at the end. Avoid at all costs!!!
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