Agit-prop pic wastes an intriguing true tale from the 1700s about two prisoners in the Dutch Colonial system, a white sailor in for sodomy & a native "Hottentot" in on a trumped up assault rap, whose sexual relationship leads to charges and a double execution by drowning. The team of Jack Lewis & John Greyson, working in a flavorless Hi-Def video system, aren’t content with letting us find our way thru the historical shadings so they hype things up with theatrical anachronisms (jeeps, modern uniforms, typing pools) to make sure we can follow the "Queer" party line. The real mystery is why these two got singled out for what must have been common behavior in an island prison. The leads try to deliver the goods, but get little help, while the rest of the cast is amateurish. Fascinating source material, though.
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