The Beguiled is a 1971 American Southern Gothic, thriller-drama western film directed by Don Siegel, starring Clint Eastwood and Geraldine Page. The script was written by Albert Maltz and is based on the 1966 novel written by Thomas P. Cullinan, originally titled A Painted Devil.
Plot[]
Offbeat Civil War drama in which a wounded Yankee soldier (Clint Eastwood), after finding refuge in an isolated girls' school in the South towards the end of the war, becomes the object of the young women's sexual fantasies. The soldier manipulates the situation for his own gratification, but when he refuses to completely comply with the girls' wishes, they make it very difficult for him to leave.
Cast[]
- Clint Eastwood as Corporal John 'McBee' McBurney
- Geraldine Page as Martha Farnsworth
- Elizabeth Hartman as Edwina Dabney
- Jo Ann Harris as Carol
- Darleen Carr as Doris
- Mae Mercer as Hallie
- Pamelyn Ferdin as Amelia 'Amy'
- Melody Thomas as Abigail
- Peggy Drier as Lizzie
- Pattye Mattick as Janie
Reception[]
Critical response[]
The film holds a 92% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews, with a weighted average of 7/10.
Other film adaptation[]
Sofia Coppola wrote and directed a film based on the same source material with Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst and Elle Fanning. It had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2017. The film was released by Focus Features on June 23, 2017.