#flaming creature

Let the bird of lowdest lay, On the sole Arabian tree, Herauld sad and trumpet be: To whose sound chaste wings obay.

But thou shriking harbinger, Foule precurrer of the fiend, Augour of the fevers end, To this troupe come thou not neere.

From this Session inderdict Every soule of tyrant wing, Save the Eagle feath'red King, Keepe the obsequie so strict.

Let the Priest in Surples white, That defunctive Musicke can, Be the death-devining Swan, Lest the Requiem lacke his right.

And thou treble dated Crow, That thy sable gender mak'st, With the breath thou giv'st and tak'st, Mongst our mourners shalt thou go.

Here the Antheme doth commence, Love and Constancie is dead, Phoenix and the Turtle fled, In a mutuall flame from hence.

So they loved as love in twaine, Had the essence but in one, Two distincts, Divisions none, Number there in love was slaine.

Hearts remote, yet not asunder; Distance and no space was seene, Twixt this Turtle and his Queene; But in them it were a wonder.

So betweene them Love did shine, That the Turtle saw his right, Flaming in the Phoenix sight; Either was the others mine.

Propertie was thus appalled, That the selfe was not the same: Single Natures double name, Neither two nor one was called.

Reason in it selfe confounded, Saw Division grow together, To themselves yet either neither, Simple were so well compounded.

That it cried, how true a twaine, Seemeth this concordant one, Love hath Reason, Reason none, If what parts, can so remaine.

Whereupon it made this Threne, To the Phoenix and the Dove, Co-supremes and starres of Love, As Chorus to their Tragique Scene.

Beautie, Truth, and Raritie, Grace in all simplicitie, Here enclosde, in cinders lie.

Death is now the Phoenix nest, And the Turtles loyall brest, To eternitie doth rest.

Leaving no posteritie, Twas not their infirmitie, It was married Chastitie.

Truth may seeme, but cannot be, Beautie bragge, but tis not she, Truth and Beautie buried be.

To this urne let those repaire, That are either true or faire, For these dead Birds, sigh a prayer.

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The Phoenix and the Turtle

William Shakespeare  1564-1616

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I don’t personally agree with this analysis. I felt the “There’s Nothing as Gay as a Day in the Country” number was laughable because you had the perfect opportunity for M&L homosexual fun and they were looking at women in skimpy outfits...I know Tashlin admires the female form but this read as a last-ditch effort to say THEY’RE HETEROSEXUAL! It’s almost surreal to watch. There’s even a part of the scene where Malcolm (Jerry) switches seats with Steve (Dean) while they’re driving. It’s the first time they are as close as they were in the old days. The situation wasn’t played for laughs. Dean is practically on Jerry’s lap for a change but Jerry doesn’t react. He doesn’t make a face as if to say he likes it! likes it! He doesn’t even touch the tip of his tongue to his top lip. He just keeps singing his song manic as ever.

I have to admit I didn’t catch the Rainmaker comment before but just as was mentioned previously with Malcolm misgendering women I think it was a nod to Jerry’s gender blindness and not really a hint at Malcolm’s feelings toward Steve.

Here’s the glance he referred to. It’s not exactly the look up and down your body that Jerry’s known for but I’ll let you be the judge.

 You have to remember Malcolm is a character that spends most of the movie lusting after a woman. He even betrays Steve by spending all the money they won together on an expensive necklace for Anita, making it clear where his allegiance lies.  

I wouldn’t completely rule out Malcolm having feelings for Steve. However, if he did it would be very different from any of the other M&L movies. Steve doesn’t show any sign of having romantic or sexual feelings for Malcolm. There’s a distance between them that’s noticeable compared to the other movies. When they sleep it’s far apart, not side by side. Steve is a heterosexual, masculine man. In fact, he is so virile he sexually assaults women...

Maybe Steve did have Malcolm on his mind and maybe that’s why he did it to prove what a REAL man he was. But there’s one thing that was left out of this analysis. Before Steve pins Terry to the ground they had this exchange

Steve: How can the heat affect Malcolm he’s off his rocker to start with.

Terry: He’s off his rocker about you.

Steve: Why can’t you be like Malcolm

It was more subtle than most of their movies but I certainly got it. First, it was insinuated that Malcolm had feelings for Steve, maybe even of a romantic nature. Steve, then implies those feelings were of a SEXUAL nature and why doesn’t Terry follow suit. He wouldn’t have to pin Malcolm to the ground.

See, it’s a much darker movie than you thought.

I don’t think of it that way though. This movie wasn’t meant to have a gay subtext. That’s Jerry’s territory and he wasn’t at all interested in this script. Though I love Tashlin he seems most comfortable with men lusting after women and all the jokes that go along with that. Without Jerry, I don’t think he could write a male love story disguised as a buddy comedy. And Dean and Jerry weren't exactly living out a love story during the making of this movie. More like they just wanted to get through it alive. Don’t get me wrong, they’re actors and I’m sure they could do whatever the script required. I think Dean would welcome the thought of being close to Jerry again. However, something tells me that Jerry wouldn’t allow that. He may be an actor but he’s not a liar and he couldn’t fake something that was that real.

So when watching this movie the important thing to remember is

“Over the course of the vast sweep of his unpredictable career, Kier has earned a reputation as a “decadent icon in … arty sex and / or horror features”, although many of these films are as hard to classify or pigeon-hole as Kier’s own performances. He’s the consummate maverick, and many of the directors with whom he’s worked can similarly be labelled thus.”

/ From the essay “The Other Face of Love: Udo Kier’s Career in the Erotic Genre” by Tons May in the book Fleshpot: Cinema’s Sexual Myth Makers and Taboo Breakers (2000) edited by Jack Stevenson /

“I have always wished I could somehow climb into Little Richard’s body, hook up his heart and vocal cords to my own, and switch identities with him. Admiring his processed pompadour on my own head in the mirror, feeling his blood pulsating in my veins as I looked down at the twitching pencil-thin moustache over his lip, I’d stomp through the world screaming, “A-wop-bop-a-loo-mop-a-wop-bam-boom!” and finally feel happy! Strangers would jump back and shriek, “Good lord, it’s the Bronze Liberace – Show Business Personified!” while others genuflected to the inventor of rock and roll, and for once, there’d be a reason to live.”

/ John Waters reflecting on his hero (and moustache inspiration) Little Richard in his 2010 book Role Models /